Ho Couplers

[Woody Elmore]

You can also do A-B-A, or any other combination lashup with a drawbar.

[Jay]

On the dummy coupler, are they more durable as well.  I would guess that they are a single molded piece instead of multiple moving parts.  Espically for my passenger train I can see this bing an option.  And a little cheaper cost wise also?

[lanny]

Hi Jay,

Doneldon has a good suggestion for you to consider. I model late steam-early diesel era and I have 3 long passenger trains (6-8 72+' cars on each). Head end cars such as baggage, combine, RR post office, REA, etc. all need good, reliable couplers. For me that means Kadee #5s, though there are many other options.

For the rest of the passenger trains I use dummy couplers mounted in draft boxes that are screwed into the underside of the car.

One thing I have found is that in order to keep from having any derailments; specially when backing through turnouts - which is a great way to test your trackwork!, I allow the draft box to swivel freely as well as the coupler. This free-play draft box with dummy couplers had completely stopped derailed cars that are being backed, as well as uncoupled cars when the train is running.

As others have said, don't put dummy couplers on head end cars that may be switched and/or changed at various locations.

lanny nicolet

[Jay]

That is great information.  Thanks!  Noting that in the pile of must remember information.

[SteamGene]

One thing to remember about passenger trains is that the consist did not necessarily remain the same.  For instance, taking the C&O (now why would I chose the C&O?) the George Washington, for example, started from DC and Phoebus, VA. The two sections joined in Charlottesville and stayed together until it got to Huntington, WVA, where it split again for Cincinatti and Lexington (?).  In addition, the dining car would be cut in and cut off at various places. 
This was done on several other roads.
Gene

[r.cprmier]

I second with woody;
Drawbars are the best way to go in the case of a permanent lashup.
I have several units in stages of awaiting paint, and they will be lashed up.  If there werer any reliable way and safe to the units, I would permanently wire the decoders together also and use only one address (I learned-the hard way-not to do that with independantly coupled units).

Many years ago, before most of you were thought of, Varney, Athearn etc had those manual couplers in all of their kits.  As a kid, I had wished for kadee couplers to be cheap (yes, they had them back then).

I reiterate; go the drawbar route for permanent lashups.

Rich

[Len]

Many of Tyco car bodies are no worse than the old Athean 'blue box' kits, so why waste them?

Get a pack of Kadee #212 Talgo Adapters and a pack of IHC "Magic-Mate" couplers. Use them to do make a few quick-and-dirty transition cars using the existing Tyco trucks. By putting a "Magic-Mate" on both ends you don't have to worry about which way the car is facing when coupling to knuckles or horn-hooks.

This will give you some breathing room while you convert your cars to better trucks and body mounted couplers.

To change the trucks just pop the Tyco trucks out. The hole in the body is too large for a small screw, so there are three options:

1. Fill the hole with '4-minute' epoxy, and when it sets up drill and tap it for a 2-56 screw.

2. Glue a piece of styrene plastic rod of the same diameter into the hole, cut it flush, and drill and tap for a 2-56 screw.

3. Easiest - glue some 5/32" OD styrene tubing into the truck hole, cut it flush, and tap for a 2-56 screw. No drilling required. I use Evergreen #225 styrene tubing, which has an inside diameter about half way between a close and loose fit for a 2-56 screw.

If you want to use a smaller screw for some reason, just glue a 3/32" OD tube inside the 5/32" tube.

Len