HO couplers

[01dawnpa53]

Is it possible to change couplers and/or wheel trucks & couplers so that
all cars can be easily connected?

[richg]

Is it possible to change couplers and/or wheel trucks & couplers so that
all cars can be easily connected?

Yes, most have been doing that fo some years.

Rich

[Doneldon]

pa-

Sure. This is an especially good idea if your rolling stock has couplers mounted on pieces extending from the trucks. These are called talgo trucks and they can cause operational problems, particularly when backing up.  Body mounted couplers are much better. Be sure to use knuckle couplers like you see on real trains, not the funny looking X2F or NMRA horn hook style. (I'm assuming HO) The best are Kadee but it's safe to say that all knuckle couplers are an improvement over X2Fs.

You can change your whole truck or just the wheels and axles. Wheels and axles come assembled so all you need to do is pop out the old and put in the new. You should consider doing this if you have plastic wheels. Metal is better operationally. Before you install the new wheel sets (or even if you're keeping the existing ones), check to make sure the wheels are in gauge, that is, that the wheels are the correct distance apart. You can use an NMRA standards gauge to check this. Properly gauged wheels will go a long way towards proventing derailments. Also, you can safely cut the coupler beam off of the talgo trucks after you mount the couplers on the cars' bodies.

In the future, look for body mounted knuckle couplers and metal wheels when you purchase rolling stock so you can save the time and expense of these changes. However, you should still plan to check your wheels' gauges.

Welcome to model railroading and this board. I hope to see more posts from you in the future.

                                                                       -- D

[Len]

Even if you can't change to metal wheels right away, you should pick up a 'truck tuner' from either Micro-Mark or Reboxx. It has an angled reamer on one end that cleans out the journal hole, where the wheel axle ride, on plastic trucks.. You'll find your cars roll better after using it, especially with metal axles. But even with the original plastic axle wheel sets will perform better.

This is the one from Micro-Mark:
http://www.micromark.com/HO-Truck-Tuner,8241.html

This is the one from Reboxx:
http://www.reboxx.com/Tools.htm

Reboxx is also the place to go for wheels with odd axle lengths or end shapes.

Len

[RAM]

As a long time member of the NMRA may I say that the X2F or horn hook style should not be call the NMRA coupler.  The member voted and turned down the X2f.

[ACY]

As a long time member of the NMRA may I say that the X2F or horn hook style should not be call the NMRA coupler.  The member voted and turned down the X2f.

Yet it is still very frequently referred to as an NMRA type coupler.