couplers

[P5se Camelback]

... BiL, if I'm not mistaken, Kadees pre-dated the X2F - I've been using Kadees since my first HO scale trains in the '50s and have never used the X2F couplers. ...

Ah, good doctorwayne, you have reminded me that there was, indeed, an early, mechanical-not-magnetic version of the Kadee coupler back then that was activated by a "ramp" which pushed the then-almost-straight-and-vertical "glad hand" upward, releasing the knuckle! Boy! That was a while ago! [The big deal with the magnetics, then, was they eliminated the unprototypical "grade crossing"-looking ramp that had been necessary with both the X2Fs and the non-magnetic Kadees.) The dummies, while scale in appearance, left a number of English tons to be desired when it came to doing anything more than observing continuous running, the main reason for my absence from the hobby for so long ... well, that and the Army and then college!

Not all Kadees are metal, either, and I often use their plastic ones on the pilots of brass steamers - they're easy to modify (usually by cutting-off the shank and re-drilling to suit the particular installation) and stand-up well operationally. ... Wayne

I was unaware of non-metal (presumably "engineering plastic") Kadee couplers. As you posit, they would be perfect for steam loco pilot use ... I'll have to look into them. Thanks!!