Keeping cars attached to each other

[buonannogn]

I am a granddad that bought my grandson the "Santa Fe" set. I realize it is a very basic set. I must be doing something wrong because I cannot get the cars to stay attached to each other or the locomotive.

Suggestions?

[jbrock27]

Hello

Do these have knuckle couplers?  If you couple the cars together on level track, to the respective couplers on each car, do they look like they are both at the same level, or is one higher or lower than the other?  How do all of them compare to each other?

[buonannogn]

Please excuse my ignorance but I don't know what a knuckle coupler is.

They look like the couplers on bigger train sets but don't open or close. They appear to be continually open with a hard piece of wire hanging from each.

I did the straight track thing and as soon as they go around a curve, the uncouple.

[Len]

A knuckle coupler looks like this, the knuckle is the moving part:



There are two ways the knucle can be held in the closed position. One uses a plastic tab, the other a spiral spring. To find the solution, it has to be determined which it is.

Is there a small plastic tab attached to the main coupler body that's supposed to push the knuckle closed, like in the picture above? Sometimes these tabs get bent in shipping, or when a set sits on the dealers shelf too long. If the tabs are sticking out instead of pressing on the knuckle, the couplers need to be replaced. If this is a Bachmann set, you'll want EZ-Mate Mark II Medium Center Shank couplers, or if you prefer metal, Kadee #148.

Or do the knuckles have bronze, possibly blackened, springs holding them closed? Like this:



Sometimes the springs get knocked loose in shipping, or if the set gets handled a lot at the dealer, in which case just the springs need to be replaced. The Kadee #622 Knuckle Spring works fine in EZ-Mate couplers.

Len

[buonannogn]

Thanks. It is the knuckle Coupler.

I looked at it through a magnifier and still can't figure out how to get the cars to stay connected.

Sorry to be so clueless.

[Irbricksceo]

Maybe upload a picture of two car's couplers? Do you have a photobucket or imgur account?

[buonannogn]

I do not have those. Again, the couplers are as you show in your pictures.

Thanks.

[jbrock27]

buon, please see my question to you is also about the heights of the couplers compared to each other.
So from the pictures Len has furnished, you can tell that you have the knuckle couplers that have a plastic and not a metal coil spring in the head?  (Plastic spring is pic #2)

*Also, not a good idea to post your email address here; it opens the door for spammers and other unwanteds.

[Len]

Actually, the first pic is orignial EZ-Mate plastic springs, the second is Mark II's with metal springs.

Len

[jbrock27]

Yes Len, I do know that, but when typing my "Reply", the order of the posts is inverted from the normal way you view them when normally reading the posts.  The first ones are at the bottom, instead of the top.  I looked back as I was typing my reply, and in order of appearance, the EZ Mate Mark IIs were pictured first, then the regular EZ Mates, that is why I gave it the # I did. 
Thank you for pointing this out.

[electrical whiz kid]

Give your grandson an NMRA track gauge; available at most good hobby shops-or even through the NMRA itself-Oh by the way; that means "National model railroad association".  With this, you can check coupler height, wheel-sets, car heights, etc.  Tis little puppy will save you and him a lot of grief.
SGT C.

[jbrock27]

It would be really helpful if the OP answered the question about how the heights of the couplers from car to car compared to each other.
What if his grandson is 4?

[buonannogn]

The couplers are all the same height as far as this novice can tell. Grandson (2.5 years old) is content watching the engine go around the track. Also, always falls off on the curve. Tracks connected properly but have a tiny imperfection where the engine crashes.

[ACY]

The tiny imperfection you speak of is a big issue, it is likely track that is not connected correctly where the rail is rest on top of instead of inside the rail joiner.

[buonannogn]

Thanks ACY. Although a novice, I triple checked the connections and that particular curved track has an imperfection. Maybe I will buy more track and substitute that piece.