McKinley Explorer passenger car couplers

[rbryce1]

I have 5 McKinley Explorer passenger cars.  I recently had horrible trouble with the Dynamis controller, the Pro-Box and the booster, which resulted in my scrapping the Dynamis and Pro-Box and going with an NCE unit and NCE 5 amp booster on my main layout and the Bachmann EZ Controller with the Bachmann 5 amp booster on our Christmas layout.  Just recently received all the components to power up the layouts.

Very impressed with the Bachmann setup.  I successfully ran FOUR DCC engines, with lights on, 2 of the engines equipped with Tsunami sound cards and 3 of the 5 McKinley Explorer passenger cars with lights on from the 1 amp EZ controller!  WOW, I didn't expect that.  Can't wait to see the performance with the booster on line.

However, the reason for the post, for the first time, I ran the McKinley cars with engines, and had a lot of trouble with the couplers.  They randomly misaligned with each other to the extent they frequently uncouple.  One, and only one combination works OK, but others are terrible.  Only 1 car will stay coupled with the engines.  All the rest uncouple from each other and from all 4 of the engines.  Two engines are Bowser and two are Bachmann.  All the engines couplers align perfectly.

Without power to my layouts, I could not test the cars well before, as I had another problem of the uncoupling wand (or what ever you call it) hitting the re-railer and in some cases the rails themselves on turns and de-railing the car.  Thought all I needed to do was get the Kaydee tool to adjust the height of the wand, as it looked like it was riding too low.  I have done that, and now I find the problem was never with the wand, but with the coupler height itself.

I ran a 15 car freight train with the engines and had no problems.  This evening, I tested the couplers with my coupler height gauge and they are almost all very low out of spec, and actually seem to be pointing downward.  Really surprised at this since they are about a $60.00 list car!  Guess I expected better quality control.

My question, are these couplers height adjustable or do I need to look for some Kaydee offset couplers and replace them?

[Doneldon]

rb-

If I read your post accurately, your McKinley cars have sagging couplers which are too low. These are two somewhat independent problems, each of which can interfere with coupler reliability. The low placement obviously means that you don't have full contact with adjacent couplers. The sagging means that your coupler faces aren't vertical which will increase the tendency for couplers to slide apart vertically when pressure is applied as your train is pushed or pulled. Both issues must be addressed, although really lucky people may find that fixing the sag to align coupler faces solves the too-low problem as a fringe benefit.

Look into that by first checking to be sure that your couplers are really at the wrong height. If the head (knuckle) is just low because it is sagging, you can correct both the too-low problem and off-vertical coupler faces by leveling the existing coupler in its existing pocket by putting some shims between the coupler and the cover of its draft gear (coupler pocket). Your coupler must still swivel with virtually no effort, even with the shims; a little graphite or powdered Teflon will help but don't use any kind of grease, oil or silicone. Keep in mind that you can gain a few extra hundredths of an inch in coupler height by placing Kadee washers between your truck bolsters and the car's frame. But don't try more than a couple of shims or you'll introduce new problems.

If that doesn't solve the problem you'll have to either realign what you have or convert to Kadees. I believe the Kadee solution is the better one, as well as probably being easier. Even with a decision to convert, however, you'll need to ensure that the new couplers are at the right height and not sagging.

You may be able to use your existing coupler pockets with low-shank Kadees. The low shank has the effect of raising the coupler knuckle. You can gain a little more height with washers between the truck bolster and the car frame. If these efforts solve the too-low problem you are almost in business. You must still make sure that the pocket is tight enough top to bottom to keep the coupler shank from sagging (see above). Your stock coupler pocket may or may not allow you to do this. If not, cut it off and use a Kadee pocket.

Your purpose in using your existing couplers is the same: Raise the coupler height and eliminate sag. Use the same techniques with the existing hardware. Of course, you won't have the option of offset shanks so you may have to do more surgery to your cars, including cutting into the floor and/or frame to gain coupler height.

Whichever way you go, good luck. The first car might take a while as you measure and trial fit, but subsequent cars will go much faster as you'll have learned just what you must do.
                                   -- D

[jward]

my experience with plastic couplers has been that once the trip pins snag on the trackwork, especially if the train was moving fast, you'll never get the height back where it should be. the plastic couplers bend. metal couplers are far superior in this application.

as a general rule i use the plastic couplers that come witth the cars, and replace them as they fail.

to prevent such problems with the trip pins in the future, buy a kadee coupler height guage, and adjust the pins before you ever run the cars. youi'll also be able to see if the height is right before they hit the layout.

[rbryce1]

Thank you for the info.  These cars are brand new, never been used yet and as I indicated, I already have a coupler height gauge which I used to determine they were out of spec.  

I also have the Kaydee trip pin bending tool, for which I adjusted the trip pins so they were nothitting anything.

The couplers are Bachmann knuckle couplers which really looked like they were metal.  Not sure if they make a metal or plastic knuckle coupler.  Either way, metal or plastic they should not be displaying ANY sign of age yet, as they have only been pulled by an engine for 30 minutes.  If they are showing signs of fatique after only 30 minutes, Bachmann really needs to look into this.

If they cannot be aligned and need replaced, Kaydee couplers will go in their place.

[rbryce1]

New turn of events, partially due to the couplers, and partially due to my screw-up!

I disassembled one of the couplers to see what type they were, and they are Bachmann whisker type couplers.  I also notice a lot of slop in the coupler box.  Reassembled and planned on getting some Kaydee shims to tighten up the slop.

Was trying out different combinations of passenter car-engine combinations last night.  I was pulling 4 cars with two engines and 1/3 the way up a grade two of the cars uncoupled and coasted down the grade to a stop.

Figured I would just continue driving the train around and pick them up with the front of the engine and push them around to where I was.  Should have just gone over to where they were and got them.

90% up the grade, the now rear passenger car also uncoupled and coasted down the grade.  It hit the two cars stopped at the bottom, derailed, and flipped over.  When I picked up the car to put it back on the tracks, there was no damage or scratches on the car, but I noticed the coupler had snapped in half.

Guess that answers whether they are steel or plastic!

There is a Train Show here in Largo this weekend.  Plan on trying to get a LOT of Kaydee whisker couplers from there, some inline, some offset high and some offset low and replace all of them.

http://www.suncoastmrrc.com/pdfs/Show_Flyer.pdf

They say every day you learn something.  That was sure my lesson for Wednesaday, Sept 12th!

[jward]

plastic couplers are easily damaged. that's why many of us don't like them.

[rbryce1]

Well, I think I just joined the "US" club!

[hawaiiho]

Welcome to the "Metal Coupler" group.

Bachmann isn't alone.    I've gotten very weary of changing out the cheap plastic couplers, when they fail.

Which is usually very soon, by the way.

I've started trying to buy ONLY metal coupler equipped HO units, HINT HINT.

Will

[utdave]

   Try  kadee   #119   couplers       they are a shelf coupler    and i use these on all my longer cars   as well as my McKinley  that i run 14 cars  up a grade    no promblem after installing those  .  biggist promblem is that one car tips they all seem to follow and hard to uncouple without the tool .    try some of those   i put them on my engines also which i use the shelf coupler #118.        i love that train 

[sd24b]

All plastic clone knuckle couplers get replaced as soon as a problem occurs.   All engines get Kadee's if they don't have them when purchased.  Too many embarrassing failures.      Phil

[rbryce1]

Again, there is a Train Show here in Largo this weekend.  Plan on buying about 160 metal wheels (4 per car) and about 80 Kadee whisker couplers from there, some in-line, some offset high and some offset low and replace all of them.

http://www.suncoastmrrc.com/pdfs/Show_Flyer.pdf .

Bachmann - please do not take my post as Bachmann-bashing, instead I hope you take it as constructive input from the users.  Seems the coupler is probably the most stressed component in the entire rolling stock community, and it also seems there is a wide opinion that plastic just doesn't cut it.  Bachmann has indicated they desire to move towards higher quality trains, and this seems to be an area needing improvement, especially on their higher end rolling stock.

My hope is that you either start making them or buying them, but either way, definitely start installing them.