Couplers on Durango & Silerton train

[Lamar]

I just received my first N gauge starter set. In the box there are extra couplers. They appear to be different then the ones on the cars and locomotive right out of the box. My problem is the cars will not couple with each other or to the locomotive.  Is this normal to have to change the couplers as soon as you get it?  Thanks for the help in adavance.

Frank
The Villages, Florida
[email protected]

[trainman203]

What brand is the train set?  What brand of the other cars?  N scale is still plagued with non-standardization of couplers between brands, a problem that went away a long time ago with HO scale.

I'm sure that some of your couplers are called knuckle couplers that look somewhat like real railroad couplers. Others look more like a contraption of some kind.  Which of your items have which couplers?

Plus, this engine's  pilot (erroneously called a "cowcatcher" a lot) has a non-operating  knuckle coupler on it resembling a real railroad coupler, a bad move by a vendor to sell an engine to someone that might want to use the engine for switching.  Nothing will ever couple to it.

Please tell us which items of which couplers by brand and we might be able to figure something out.

[jward]

It's a little more complicated than just two types of couplers. In N scale you have the old square looking Rapido couplers, which work pretty well, btw. Your have the MicroTrains type of knuckle couplers, which are automatic similar to the knuckle couplers in HO. You have a similar type of knuckle coupler called the AccumMate which is compatable with the MicroTrains, yet differs significantly in construction. This one was found on Atlas cars and locomotives. Then there is the non-operating dummy coupler. It looks like a knuckle coupler, but to couple and uncouple these requires lifting the end of a car or locomotive high enough that the knuckles slip over one another.

[trainman203]

I did not know about Accumate N scale knuckle couplers.  I had known of accumate couplers being provided with Accurail HO scale kits, but that was it.

I had thought about building a limited N scale freight train roster with steam locomotive to bring to other layouts to run, but when I begin to understand the coupler inconsistencies, I let it go, I just didn't want to fool with all that at this point in time.

[Tenwheeler01]

Most of may Bachmann N scale cars and locos came with a bag of Rapido couplers in case you are still using them.  And I have two types of bachmann Micro trains compatible couplers. A non-opening and a opening type.  But all the n-scale cars and locos and have purchased in the last 10 years have had Micro trains or compatible couplers.  Your Bachmann train set should have come with the Bachmann knuckle couplers (Non-opening or opening) installed on the Cars and loco and a bag of Rapido (square hook).  The bachmann non-opening are harder to couple when you push the cars together.

Now for your issue with not coupling to the loco. Check which type you have.  If it's the opening type make sure the spring action is working.  If it's the non-opening type you just need to make sure the couples are coupled.  Sometimes as "Jward" mentioned you have to left the cars couple up and over the other coupler.

 

[jward]

I did not know about Accumate N scale knuckle couplers.  I had known of accumate couplers being provided with Accurail HO scale kits, but that was it.

I actually preferred the Accumates over the Micro Trains. The location of the springs in the couplers was different. Due to this, on long trains of MT couplers, the springs would cause a slinky action in the train where it didn't matter how smooth the locomotive was running the caboose would either be almost stopped or running twice the locomotive's speed. Accumates didn't have that problem.

I know well about the coupler conversion situation. Almost all of my cars came with truck mounted Rapidos, and most of the people in the club simply replaced the trucks and couplers with similar ones with Micro Trains couplers. I didn't want that, so I undertook the monumental task of body mounting MT couplers that came in kit form and had to be assembled. That is easy to do in HO but infinitely harder with the tiny parts in N scale. Once I had room for HO again I switched back.