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 Posted - December 17 2006 : 03:20:23 AM
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Hi All,
A friend of mine gave me an Accurail box car today and while I was putting it together tonight I noticed the funky couplers that came with it. They are none opening kadee type couplers. I was just wondering if any of you have Accurail cars and if these couplers are just place holders for the real kadee type couplers?
Thanks
Mike (mytyco)
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 Posted - December 17 2006 : 10:23:54 AM
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Are they dummy knuckles made of solid one-piece plastic?
Believe Accurail makes its Accumate knuckles. These are two-piece plastic that lay one piece on the other. They, at least to me, seem a bit large.
Think the Accumate knuckles are what you get with Atlas locos and rolling stock.
If I'm correct on Atlas supplying Accumates in locos, I'm pretty sure the Rio Grande GP40 on the right in the above image has Accumates.
The Athearn RTR GP40X ATSF in the middle has its stock semi-scale McHenry knuckles. Horizon Hobby, Athearn's owner, also now owns McHenry Couplers...thus Athearn supplies McHenry Couplers in products. Personally, I like the performance and scale-looking appearance of the McHenry's on this Santa Fe GP40X.
And the Wabash GP50 on the left is using good ol' Kadee No.5's I think.
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
Edited by - Tony Cook on December 17 2006 10:27:04 AM
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 Posted - December 18 2006 : 03:23:25 AM
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Hi Tony,
Yes, I guess they would be the dummy couplers. Kind of odd that they would put dummy couplers in a kit rather than real ones.
Thanks for the info.
Mike
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Posted - December 18 2006 : 03:25:35 AM
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Hi Tony,
Yes, I guess they would be the dummy couplers. Kind of odd that they would put dummy couplers in a kit rather than real ones.
Thanks for the info.
Mike
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Posted - December 18 2006 : 5:37:12 PM
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My experience with the “big 3" coupler makes is as follows:
McHenry (Also sold as Bachmann EZ-mate) - great price, poor durability. The earlier ones with the small plastic finger instead of a spring are especially bad, but even the sprung ones are fragile – in either case, the knuckle can will simply just break. Now this depends on a few things. Long, heavy trains will have a tendency to break McHenrys, especially on the leading cars. If you build cars like the 89’ Athearn hi-cubes, Accurail flats, and just about anything made by Roundhouse, that don’t fit back in the box nicely with couplers installed… they will break. And if they don’t break at first, the long-term effects of storage in this fashion will warp them. If you run short trains or don’t have to shoehorn your cars back in the box, you won’t have any problems. And if you want to sneak the occasional old RTR cheapo car in a consists without spending more on couplers than the car is worth, these fit the bill just fine.
Accumates (also sold by Atlas) – cheaper than Kadee, a little clunky, but durable. Because each finger on the knuckle is a thick, solid casting molded onto the draft arm itself, they don’t break nearly as easily as a McHenry. No knuckle springs to lose, no brass centering springs to deal with. These will hold up when you cram them back in a box, but you may have to remove the trip pin/wire. The best value going today for mid-size layouts and trains, IMO.
Kadee – the venerable gold standard. Metal and nearly indestructible, but pricey. They have a million sizes for a million applications, and trumped the industry with their new “scale” coupler once their original patents ran out. You pretty much won’t break a kadee (the box will flex before the coupler gives!) but their separate brass centering springs can be aggravating at times, with a tendency to bind. They have a new “whisker” coupler with integrated springs (a-la McHenry), but see above re: pricey!
I know people who swear by Kadees and won’t touch anything else. I know and understand the limits of McHenrys. I appreciate the middle ground that Accumates offer. Really, it may come down to price, availability and preference. All three will intermingle without problems.
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Posted - December 19 2006 : 10:47:39 AM
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I've really gotten "hooked"...no pun intended...on the new Kadee "Scale Whisker" series couplers. They are self-centering with "whiskers" and the more scale size is really nice.
Though when these Kadee Scale-Whiskers are put on an old say Lionel-HO Coors Beer Mech Reefer, I suppose some would roll their eyes and moan, "Oh Yes, Scale-Couplers are truly a concern for you and your operation." [:D]
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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Posted - December 20 2006 : 01:05:35 AM
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i find that all 3 mate well. i bought a few Bachmanns today and am seeing what there like. at least here down under, Kadees are about the same price as the Bachmanns.
i also have noted that Accumates need some help to mate with other brands
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