Kadee Ga. 1 couplers on B'mann 8000 series rolling stock?

[Cypress Hills]

Mr. Bachmann:

I think the new coupler lift bar on the 8000 series flat car, and I assume the others as well, is a great idea.

If I wanted to employ Kadee Ga. 1 coupler instead of the present one, can you recommend which Kadee coupler I can use?

Is there any chance the uncoupling lever can be jerry rigged to fit to the Kadee Ga. 1 coupler?

Cypress Hills

[Kevin Strong]

In the past, I used the Kadee #820 couplers on Bachmann's rolling stock. You have to drill new holes to mount the draft gear since it's smaller than the draft gear Bachmann uses (a clone of Kadee's #830--G-scale--draft gear). I've since switched over to using Accucraft's 1:32 couplers, since they scale out to a 3/4-sized coupler used on numerous narrow gauge railroads, particularly those in the east. That coupler uses the same draft gear as the Kadee #820, so it's been a drop-in replacement for me.

Having said that, Kadee has since made our lives oh, so much easier. They now make couplers that are screw-on replacements for Bachmann's knuckle coupler. You use the Bachmann draft gear, but just unscrew their metal coupler and replace it with the Kadee coupler. It's either the #916 (G-scale) or 1916 (#1 scale) coupler. You couldn't ask for a simpler conversion at that point. The coupler is their new "type E" coupler which has a much more prototypical look than their original couplers.

As to rigging the cut lever to the Kadee couplers, the Kadees don't open like a prototypical coupler. The best you can do is run some chain down to the top of the coupler for a cosmetic look of operating cut levers. I usually drilled a small hole towards the rear of the coupler, and dropped a 1/8" dollhouse pin to hold the chain to the top of the coupler. It looks great, but it's completely cosmetic.

If you want prototypically operating couplers, then you're back to using the Accucraft 1:32 couplers. Just get a longer section of chain to reach from the cut lever to the lift pin on the Accucraft coupler and you're golden.

Later,

K

[Cypress Hills]

Thanks K.