01-10-2011, 11:57 AM
It's pretty easy to accumulate a sizeable collection of non-Kadee couplers - for quite some time, most kits and cheaper r-t-r stuff came with those X2F "horn/hooks. Accurail and several others include Accu-mate couplers with theirs and many others include McHenry or McHenry-clone knuckle couplers on their r-t-r.
I put X2Fs directly into my shop bucket of recycleable plastic, along with McKeans that have the leaf-type knuckle springs (after removing the metal trip pins, of course). The Accu-mates go to someone who uses them. The McKeans with the coil springs in the knuckles remain in service, and are especially useful for tight clearance installations, like locomotive pilots. Their integral plastic centering springs often require no draught gear box, and I have bought them strictly for this type of application. I've yet to have one fail, even on heavy trains.
I also had quite a collection of dummy couplers, both plastic and cast metal (they were once quite common, and included with many kits) and a large selection of brass ones from brass steamers that I converted to Kadees. When I started in HO in the late '50s, my first trains had the old mechanically operated Kadees - they look similar to the #5, and still work with any of the current Kadees for coupling. However, for uncoupling, they used a small raiseable diamond-shaped ramp in the track, which spread the trip pins apart - the trip pins were a straight wire, protruding from the bottom of the last bend in the coupler's knuckle - a much less obvious method than the current "air hose" type. They worked great, but provided no "delayed" operation and were phased out. When they were no longer available, I bought #5s, clipping off that ugly "air hose" with side cutters and resorting to the 0-5-0 for uncoupling. While I now use Kadees with their trip pins intact, those older ones, minus the straight trip pins, remain on some MoW equipment.
Here's one of the older-style Kadees:
![[Image: Olderstylecouplers002.jpg]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/Some%20kitbashed%20stuff/Olderstylecouplers002.jpg)
...and something I picked-up a couple of weeks ago at the LHS:
![[Image: Olderstylecouplers004.jpg]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/Some%20kitbashed%20stuff/Olderstylecouplers004.jpg)
While these are plastic, I had several pairs in metal, donated many years ago to someone who still used them. The coupler has the same shank style as the older Kadee, and is installed with its mounting pin just behind the crosspiece in the shank. The small centering spring is then installed between the mounting pin and the rear of the shank's slot. An alternate mounting method calls for the crosspiece to be removed, with a second spring installed between the mounting pin and the front of the opening.
![[Image: Olderstylecouplers005.jpg]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/Some%20kitbashed%20stuff/Olderstylecouplers005.jpg)
![[Image: Olderstylecouplers006.jpg]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/Some%20kitbashed%20stuff/Olderstylecouplers006.jpg)
I never used this style, so can't comment on its reliability, but it's a much more prototypical size and shape (less the actuating pin) than the Kadee.
Now, Kadee offers couplers to fit almost anything, and for those rare situations where one's not offered, they're fairly easy to modify to suit the application.
Wayne
I put X2Fs directly into my shop bucket of recycleable plastic, along with McKeans that have the leaf-type knuckle springs (after removing the metal trip pins, of course). The Accu-mates go to someone who uses them. The McKeans with the coil springs in the knuckles remain in service, and are especially useful for tight clearance installations, like locomotive pilots. Their integral plastic centering springs often require no draught gear box, and I have bought them strictly for this type of application. I've yet to have one fail, even on heavy trains.
I also had quite a collection of dummy couplers, both plastic and cast metal (they were once quite common, and included with many kits) and a large selection of brass ones from brass steamers that I converted to Kadees. When I started in HO in the late '50s, my first trains had the old mechanically operated Kadees - they look similar to the #5, and still work with any of the current Kadees for coupling. However, for uncoupling, they used a small raiseable diamond-shaped ramp in the track, which spread the trip pins apart - the trip pins were a straight wire, protruding from the bottom of the last bend in the coupler's knuckle - a much less obvious method than the current "air hose" type. They worked great, but provided no "delayed" operation and were phased out. When they were no longer available, I bought #5s, clipping off that ugly "air hose" with side cutters and resorting to the 0-5-0 for uncoupling. While I now use Kadees with their trip pins intact, those older ones, minus the straight trip pins, remain on some MoW equipment.
Here's one of the older-style Kadees:
...and something I picked-up a couple of weeks ago at the LHS:
While these are plastic, I had several pairs in metal, donated many years ago to someone who still used them. The coupler has the same shank style as the older Kadee, and is installed with its mounting pin just behind the crosspiece in the shank. The small centering spring is then installed between the mounting pin and the rear of the shank's slot. An alternate mounting method calls for the crosspiece to be removed, with a second spring installed between the mounting pin and the front of the opening.
I never used this style, so can't comment on its reliability, but it's a much more prototypical size and shape (less the actuating pin) than the Kadee.
Now, Kadee offers couplers to fit almost anything, and for those rare situations where one's not offered, they're fairly easy to modify to suit the application.
Wayne