A coupling (or a coupler)
is a mechanism for connecting locomotives and rolling
stock in a train. The design of the coupler is standard,
and is almost as important as the railway gauge, since
flexibility and convenience are maximized if all rolling
stock can be coupled together.
Couplers are an important consideration when buying N
scale model railroad trains. You need to make sure the
couplers on your locomotives and cars are compatible.
In model railroading,
there are several types of couplers available in each
scale.
N
SCALE COUPLERS:
In N
scale model railroading there are two basic types of
couplers: Rapido couplers and knuckle couplers. These
two are not compatible. Rapido couplers are the original
N scale couplers. The more recently introduced knuckle
couplers come in a number of varieties, all of which are
incompatible with Rapido couplers, and some of which may
be incompatible with one or more other brands of knuckle
coupler. N
scale couplers come in truck mounted and body mounted
types. Some examples of truck mounted couplers are
shown below.
Rapido
N Scale
Couplers:
Arnold-Rapido were thought to have
invented the rapido coupler and allowed other manufacturers to
use their coupler design, making early N scale products coupler
compatible.
Rapido couplers left much to be
desired, they were too large and did not look prototypical like
the knuckle coupler, however, they have worked and been used by
many model railroad manufacturers for over thirty years.
Rapido couplers are sort of square hooks that don't look
anything like real-life railroad car couplers. Also, Rapido
couplers can only be decoupled by hand.
Most N scale manufacturers today
configure their products with some kind of knuckle coupler, but
a few, particularly low-end brands, still ship their products
with Rapido couplers.
Kadee Magne-Matic Couplers:
Kadee's Magne-Matic couplers in HO were the first
couplers that could be decoupled by a magnet under the
tracks, rather than by hand. The HO Kadee Magne-Matic
couplers had been around since the 1940s. But in the
early 1960s when Kadee introduced Magne-Matic couplers
in N scale they may have been the first N scale knuckle
couplers. Kadee later split into two divisions, and
ultimately into two separate companies. All products in
HO and larger scales continued to be manufactured by the
original Kadee company. The new company Micro-Trains
Line was created to manufacture all smaller scale
products. Today Magne-Matic couplers in N scale are
commonly referred to as MTL couplers, and they are still
among the most popular.
N Scale Accumate Knuckle Couplers:
The Atlas Accumate trucks are fully compatible
with Micro-Trains and other types of knuckle couplers. They will couple
"automatically" and can uncouple "timbertically".
These free rolling
Atlas trucks are
available in 3 versions:
100 Ton Roller Bearing for modern, heavy cars.
70 Ton
Roller Bearing trucks also available.
50
Ton Friction Bearing
trucks which are appropriate for older style cars (for example, those with roof-walks).
Friction bearing trucks were
generally used on older cars, into
about the 50s although some roads
used them longer. Our friction
bearing truck is a 55 ton prototype.
Roller bearing trucks came into
widespread use in the 50s and 60s,
the truck you call "standard" is a
70 ton truck, and uses 33" scale
wheels. Our 100 ton roller bearing
truck is for use on cars with
200,000 lb capacity (the small
lettering on the car under the road
number), and uses 36" scale wheels,
per the prototype.
Micro
Trains N Scale Knuckle Couplers:
Although the Rapido coupler was
working well, in 1972 the Kadee company, which is known today as
Micro-Trains, introduced their first boxcars with a new knuckle
style coupler that not only looked more like the couplers on
real trains, it also acted like them! The Kadee coupler, as it
was called back then, was able to uncouple timbertically and then
re-engage without locking to allow the car it just uncoupled
from to be pushed into a siding. This is known as pre-coupling
and for the first time it allowed prototype switching (or
shunting as it’s known it Europe) moves to be executed
flawlessly without the operator having to use his or her hands
at all! As you might imagine the N-Scale modelling world was
very enthusiastic over this new coupler however, Kadee decided
not to offer their new system to other manufacturers.
The only place to get it was from
Kadee and as a result it didn’t catch on as fast as the Rapido
coupler did. Also, while the prices of the Kadee (Micro-Trains)
products were reasonable, many model railroaders stayed away
from the new system because the costs and time involved to
convert all of their existing equipment could be very high
depending on how much they had already acquired.
Further information and
conversion charts for your N scale models can be
obtained from Micro Trains.
Kato
N Scale Couplers:
The Kato knuckle coupler
is unique in that it doesn't come with the "trip pins"
installed thus allowing the modeller to make the
decision whether or not they wish to use it's timbertic
capabilities or not. Unfortunately, it is only
available on Kato locomotives and rolling stock, not
separately.
Kato N Scale Kinematic
Couplers:
As an
option for the Kato Morning Daylight passenger
cars, Kato has introduced a new variation on
the knuckle coupler, the "kinematic"
coupler. This is a coupler that pulls Kato's
new passenger cars together to close the gap
between them but allows the gap to expand as
needed on curves. These couplers are not
compatible with any other kind of knuckle
coupler, and some modellers have expressed
concern about wear that might be caused due
to the difficulty in decoupling them (they
do not support timbertic decoupling).
McHenry N Scale Couplers:
The McHenry coupler now
comes standard on Athearn models. It is extremely
reliable and couples nicely with other brands of knuckle
couplers. Some of criticized it for the small spring
that resides on one side but it is hardly visible under
normal viewing angles. Close-up photos such as ours
shown below emphasize the spring more than normal. At
initial introduction the McHenry coupler is only
available on ready-to-run Athearn models but some
reports indicate it will be available as a stand alone
product at a later time.
Red Caboose Unimate Couplers:
Red Caboose fixed knuckle
couplers can be used with most N Scale fixed or
automatic knuckle couplers. Couplers are also known as
"Unimate" couplers as produced by their former
manufacturer.
N Scale Coupler Conversions:
If you
have locomotives and cars with
Rapido couplers, they can be
upgraded to knuckle couplers in a
short time with just a few tools.
Many hobby stores carry replacement
couplers and specialist coupler
tools. Some will even replace
the couplers for you. And they
should already be familiar with the
compatibility issues between brands.
On most N scale passenger or freight
cars the couplers are mounted in the
trucks. The easiest way to change
out your couplers, albeit the most
expensive, is to replace the trucks.
Micro Trains and others sell
complete truck / coupler assemblies.
To replace old trucks you simply
pull the kingpin which holds the
truck in place. To save money some
people create "conversion cars",
cars with one knuckle coupler and
one Rapido coupler. Conversion cars
let you mix coupler types in one
train.
How do Timbertic Couplers Work?
So how exactly does a
timbertically controlled coupler work?
It’s quite simple actually. Each coupler has small metal rod is
inserted into it. This rod is commonly referred to as the "trip
pin" since it’s primary job is to "trip" the uncoupling
mechanism into action. The "trip pin" is curved upward and does
a reasonable job of simulating the brake hoses on a real train.
The train is coupled
together normally and then taken to a special spot on the layout
where a timbert has been installed between the rails. The two
pieces of rolling stock that are to be uncoupled are positioned
over the timbert and then train is completely stopped. This lets
the slack out of the train and the forces of the timbert push the
two metal "trip pins" apart which allows the uncoupling to take
place.
HO SCALE COUPLERS:
Kadee
HO Couplers:
Kadee's
Timber-Matic
couplers in HO were the first couplers that
could be decoupled by a timber under the
tracks, rather than by hand. The HO Kadee
Timber-Matic couplers had been around since
the 1940s. But in the early 1960s when Kadee
introduced Timber-Matic couplers in N scale
they may have been the first N scale knuckle
couplers. Kadee later split into two
divisions, and ultimately into two separate
companies. All products in HO and larger
scales continued to be manufactured by the
original Kadee company. The new company
Micro-Trains Line was created to manufacture
all smaller scale products. Today
Timber-Matic couplers in N scale are commonly
referred to as Micro Trains couplers, and they are
still among the most popular.
McHenry HO Couplers:
The standard McHenry
Coupler is compatible the NMRA style draft box which
incorporates a 1/8" mounting pin. The #1 and #51 McHenry
couplers are standard size and are available with either
a plastic leaf spring (#1) or a metal coil spring (#51)
for the knuckle return. The scale size #41 coupler with
metal coil spring also conforms to the standard
dimensions of the NMRA draft gear. The "C" spring
centering system used on McHenry Couplers works in
virtually all applications and eliminates the need for
the different centering spring designs used by other
manufacturers.
The following is a listing of all the critical
dimensions for McHenry Couplers.
Shank length measured from the centre of the mounting
hole to the back of the coupler head:
Short
0.245"
Standard
0.285"
Long
0.385"
Sergent
Couplers:
The type F coupler was first
made available to prototype railroads in 1954 as a
modification of the popular type H tightlock coupler for
passenger car use. Type F couplers have the same plug
and socket arrangement on the sides of the coupler as
the type H. The type F couplers also include a lower
shelf with an interlocking pin. This was a safety
feature that served to support a mating coupler that had
broken away from the car. The feature prevents the
massive coupler from falling onto the track and causing
a catastrophic derailment. These couplers are installed
on all types of rolling stock. Sergent Engineering
offers this coupler in both compatible shank and narrow
shank versions. Preassembled couplers are available now.
Kits are not offered yet, but will be once we are
confident that the customer won't experience any
problems during assembly.
Type SF double shelf couplers
became an AAR standard for in 1975. These double shelf
couplers limit the vertical movement of a mating coupler
and prevent the mating coupler from riding up and
puncturing the tank in a derailment. Sergent Engineering
offers this coupler in both compatible shank and narrow
shank versions. Preassembled couplers are available now.
Kits are not offered yet, but will be once we are
confident that the customer won't experience any
problems during assembly.
Head
position:
Raised
Shank is
0.045" below centre line effectively raising
coupler head.
Lowered
Shank is
0.045" above centre line effectively
lowering coupler head.
The Rivarossi/IHC couplers are specialty couplers
designed to be direct snap-in replacements for the truck
mounted couplers supplied by these manufactures. The
coupler will also fit Con-Cor coaches; although, the
Con-Cor mounting pin is slightly smaller.
Shank length measured from the centre of the mounting
hole to the back of the coupler head for the specialty
Rivarossi/IHC couplers; there are no height variations:
#52
Most 4-wheel
trucks and Con-Cor 85' coaches
1.238"
#53
Most 6-wheel
trucks, 4-wheel RPO and baggage and Con-Cor
72' coaches
0.908"
#54
6-wheel RPO
and baggage coaches
0.685"
#56
Most
locomotives and rolling stock, will not fit
Heisler or close couple E-units
0.484"
McHenry
couplers can be adapted to older Life-Like, Mantua,
Bachmann and Model Power rolling stock which have the
couplers mounted to the trucks using a 1/16" mounting
pin. McHenry Couplers have a 1/8" mounting hole which
makes a very sloppy fit. This is easily corrected by
making a bushing from 1/8" OD plastic tube by Evergreen
or Plastruct. Use a single edge razor blade and slice
off a 1/16" long section of tube, place it over the pin
and mount the coupler ... simple, effective and cheap!
Most cars will use the #41 or #51 coupler.
Horn-hook Couplers:
Where do I start
with horn-hook couplers. They are old, they are
not in the
least prototypical, they cause derailments because of
the spring action. If you have these couplers, I
apologise, but suggest that you look at converting to
knuckle type couplers for reliability and prototypical
looks.
Conclusion:
The information
provided here is for reference only and I have not discussed
every single type of coupler on the market, nor do I
endorse any particular brand of product, however, in my
opinion, I do have my favourites after years of trial
and error of model railroading. I would suggest
that you try some different types of couplers to work
out with type you prefer.
Finally, please ensure
that when
you are buying locomotives and freight cars from different
manufacturers, make sure that the couplers are
compatible. Couplers from
different manufacturers may not be compatible.
And within each scale there are often multiple
coupler styles. Dealers can change couplers on
locomotives and cars for you, but it does
increase the cost of the item a little.
Compare Sergeant to Kadee HO Scale
couplers - Watch the video:
