Coupler headaches

[jward]

we all make mistakes. you learn from them. don't worry about the purists. as long as your conversions work well you are ahead of the game.

i'd much rather do what i find works than follow what the purists say is the way to do things. a model that derails but looks good is of no use to me.

[Jim Banner]

Jeffery,
Right on.  On my LV&JRR H0 layout, the rule is:  The layout will run well.  In case of conflict between running well and looking good, the necessary compromises will favour good running over cosmetics.

Some photos as requested by Robert:

Brinelling a centering spring using a 3/32" drill shank.  The spring is sitting on a scrap of hardwood plywood for firm support.  Normally, I would be using a finger of the other hand to hold the spring in place but in this case, the other hand was busy with the camera.  (a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing??)  The front edge of the spring is usually rough from cutting and the roughness may interfere with centering the coupler.




This is a #5 coupler.  The red arrow points to a mold mark with a slightly raised rim.  If left as is, the raised edge can interfere with the coupler centering and when pulled down against the bottom of the coupler pocket, often will interfere with uncoupling, particularly delayed uncoupling.  If you have problems with delayed uncoupling, the two most likely problems are roughness here and glad hands (trip pins) too high off the track.




Brinelling the coupler shank with a 3/32" drill shank.  By applying pressure, the hard drill shank will force the rim of the mold mark down.  A bit of Greasem graphite makes this operation a bit easier.  Again the other hand would be holding the head of the coupler if it wasn't busy with the camera.  (I've just got to teach my dogs to use a digital camera.)




I like to lightly cement the halves of the coupler pockets together.  The brush in the photo is not soaking wet!!  I brushed it on the rim of the liquid cement bottle half a dozen times before quickly running it over the joint.  This prevents any liquid cement from wicking into the pocket and gumming up the spring.  Done properly, it allows the coupler pocket to be popped open if necessary.  Note the long #2-56 machine screw holding the coupler together.  This allows inspection of the coupler including how well it centers before cement is applied and guarantees the parts will not shift while the cement is drying.  I find the little extra effort well worth while.




As far as I am concerned, a coupler height gauge is an absolute must.  But there is a right way and a wrong way of looking at it.  This high angle look-see is about useless for checking coupler height (but it shows off the tender and gauge nicely.)




Looking horizontally across the couplers is a much more accurate way to see if they align vertically.  This custom gauge does not have the platform for adjusting the glad hand so I use my NMRA track and wheel gauge.  When the coupler head is gently pressed down, the glad hand should just clear the track and wheel gauge laid flat across the rails.




I hope these images don't slow anybody's downloading too much.  My calculator indicates about 20 seconds at 1440 baud but I don't know how accurate it is.

Jim

[Robertj668]

Jward
Thanks for the kind words. I love to do the conversions!
Jim
Thanks for the great photo's. And for clarifying what Brinelling a centering spring and coupler was.  Now  I know why a few of my conversions are sticking. 

Oh man I forgot to get the Greasem graphite today.  Oh well I guess i will have to go back tomorrow.

[RAM]

Let me add to what Sheldon wrote about being back in the dark ages of the hobby when the X2F was just being invented. Many companies tried to make automatic couplers.  Some worked fairly well.  One that  look good but did not work well was MDC.  It worked like the prototype.  Nothing, not even Kadee's worded well.  Shortly before the XEF came out Kadee redesigned it coupler with a model that worked quite well.  They have had at least two major design changes since then and today they are great.  Is there room to improve. Yes. I am sure in the years to come you will see more improvements.

[ebtbob]

Good Morning All,

        Jim Banner,  at first you almost had me.   I thought you had lost your mind.   That is what happens when I get up too early in the morning and the brain is not totally functioning before reading anything.   Thanks for starting off my day with a good laugh.
        Now to the problem at hand.  My first thought is about trackwork.  If you are waiting for someone to produce a coupler that will stay together over bad track,  forget about it.   Fix the darn track.    Now I realize that you cannot always have perfectly flat track,  but you do not need it.  With knuckle type couplers,  the most important tool is the coupler height gauge.   With your couplers at an even height,  99% of your problems should be solved    Over the past fifty years I have been in this hobby,  I have used knuckle couplers for about 35 years.   I must be the luckiest guy because I rarely,  and I mean maybe 10 times a year if that,  do I have couplers disconnecting.   This is absolutely,  no exaggeration!     I use Kadee regular sized and scale sized on my HO railroad with no problems.   I use the Bachmann EZ Mate II couplers on my On30 railroad and in over 10 years,  I have had one,  just one coupler break and that was because I was not paying attention and whacked into the car to hard at the end of a stub siding.
       The problem with the plastic knuckle couplers disconnecting is usually because one is using the original style that employs a plastic "cat's whisker" to keep the knuckle closed instead of the coild spring.  This easily can be misshapened and then the knuckle will open and stay open until manully closed.
     One thing you can do if you have the metal couplers is to take a tiny drop of acc cement and put it on one end of the spring,  preferrably the end attached to the shank,  not the hinged knuckle.
     So,  fix your track,  get a height gauge and have fun.

[Jhanecker2]

Good Morning :  to Jim Banner: If your digital camera has a threaded hole on the bottom you can install a small tabletop tripod.  You can then trigger the camera by using the timer function . This allows the use of both hands for other functions. John II

[jonathan]

Jim:

Thanks a million!  You are the first person to describe and photograph brinelling well enough that my simple mind could understand.  Can't begin to explain all the gyrations I was going through to accomplish the task, without popping the spring loose from the coupler, or denting the centering spring.  Well done, sir!

Regards,

Jonathan

[Woody Elmore]

[
Oh man I forgot to get the Greasem graphite today.  Oh well I guess i will have to go back tomorrow.
[/quote]

You can also use a lock lubricant  at a hardware store where they make keys if you can't get Greasem.

[Robertj668]

Thanks Woody I just love having an excuse to go back to the Hobby Shop. Any excuse is a good excuse.
Robert

[Jim Banner]

I guess I'll have to get up even earlier to fool Bob.

Thanks JohnII.  I just complained about the lack of a remote control for the camera - never thought of the self timer.  Sort of like cursing the darkness instead of lighting a candle.  I guess you can teach old dogs (me) new tricks, even if I can't teach my old dogs anything, except to come to dinner.

Robert and Johnathan, if I was able to help you, it was thanks to a modeller who showed me how many years ago.

Jim

[Robertj668]

Jim
And one day I hope to be able to pass it on too. Well I am guess I am, with my son.
Robert