couplers

[SteamGene]

If two guys own a pizza it would be "two guys' pizza."  If it's the name of a pizzaria, it should probably be "Two Guys Pizza."
Gene

[Woody Elmore]

I remember the Mantua Loop couplers. They worked really well. I once saw a short train derail - the whole train took a dive to the floor thanks to the Mantuas!

They were uncoupled  on the layout with a large piece of spring metal that was placed between the rails. The problem was  that they looked awful.

As for the apostrophe in writing, it is used to show combination or possession. If you combine two words such as "it is", the new word is "it's"

As a possessive. If I said that I had a locomotive belonging to a friend, I'd say that," It was my friend's locomotive." If I had locomotives from two friends then I'd write " Those are my friends' engines."

But if I said that I had more than one friend (which I do) then I'd simply say that "I have a lot of friends." Here the "s" signifies  the plural and no apostrophe should be used. simple.

This brings me back to my school days when I had to study the "Warriner"s Handbook." Ugh.

[RAM]

Who remembers the "NMRA universal coupler pocket"?  I remember them, I may still have some
that I have not used.   The X2F was designed by a committee of the NMRA, and was voted down
by the members.  I can recall 8 companies that had automatic couples.  Walthers, American flyer,
Megow (sp) Mantua, Baker, MDC, Devord (sp) Kadee. There may have been more.  Mantua and
baker worked best of the early couplers.  MDC looked great, and worked like the prototype, How
ever due to the small size that did not work well.  Kadee and Devord (sp) came out about the
same time.   They looked alike but worked different.  Up until this time all the couplers were
mechanical.  It was not until Kadee came out with the magnetic coupler did you have one that
really worked well.   I think it was Rail Line that did come out with a magnetic X2F but it was too
late. 

[Woody Elmore]

I had forgotten about the MDC couplers - they looked nice but were a lot of trouble. I remember epoxying a bunch of them into a tank car shell for added weight. They were no trouble after that.

[CNE Runner]

I have had lttle trouble mating Kadee couplers (#5) with Bachmann EZmate units. Having said that, I would recommend that you select one brand of coupler and stick with it. Couplers of the same brand usually give you less heartache than a mixed lot. On the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut RR, I have switched exclusively to Bachmann EZmate: they are cheaper and very rugged. What I have done, for years, is to snip off the trip pins on all my couplers. I have found the decoupling magnets aren't all that effective and arent' worth the cost and trouble. Go to Big Lots, Wal-Mart (or whatever) and pick up a bag of bamboo skewers (should cost around a buck). Insert the skewer between the attached couplers and twist...voila the couplers part! Granted, this would not work on a wide layout or a secton of track that is not easily reached...but on my 30" wide switching setup - it works fine. I would say the most important item to keep in mind is to check coupler heights (I check the entire fleet every 6 months).

I do not see the appropriateness of  the English 101 lesson; don't you think a model railroad site should be for the hobby? I am sure there are many other websites devoted to language skills. Yes, I too have been amused by misspellings and improper syntax. So what? This is a website whose function is to share our combined knowledge in order to solve a brother modeler's problem or question. Let's keep with the intent of this thread OK? Good luck to all...and thanks for the assistance you have frequently given me.

[Woody Elmore]

I agree about the English lesson BUT there are some postings here that look like they are written in code.  You must admit that the good old English language is taking a beating.

A good friend supervises all the hiring for a large, national bank. Every applicant is asked to write a little essay about what they can bring to the bank. There are those applicants who (1) can't fill out the form at all and (2) get up and leave when they come to the essay part. After that they get an arithmetic test (good idea for a bank) and many fail it.

As for couplers, the Kadee clones are getting better. I still like the idea of metal couplers. I absolutely agree that people ought to stick to one kind of coupler. That gets difficult when different manufacturers use different brands.

[Santa Fe buff]

How about the poor abused apostrophe. People add it to plurals. There is a pizzeria out here that is called "Two Guy's" pizza. They don't need the apostrophe and it makes me nuts every time I go by.

There is a stall in a local mall that sells "collectables."I often wonder if that's the same as "collectibles?"

As for "horn-hook couplers, I often wonder where that came from. I remember that the politically correct Model Railroader always referred to them as "X2f" from the NMRA designation. Most people I knew always called them "NMRA" couplers.
The NMRA gets the credit (blame) for designing the things. They allowed manufacturers to use the design free of charge so as to get some kind of uniformity.

Who remembers the "NMRA universal coupler pocket"?

Thanks,
I've bought more 1950's and '60s magizines, and I was woundering what a 'NMRA coupler' was. It's a horn hook coupler. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[Michigan Railfan]

thanks for all the help. i was wondering because i cant seem to find seperate bachmann knuckle couplers to buy.

[SteamGene]

CNE,
I felt compelled.  Being a retired English teacher, among other things, ever so often I have to mention something.  We know each other by what we write.  Some of us form opinions by what we read.  All of us, particularly those younger, form habits.
There is a lot of computer English that is very useful.  But one needs to know the language appropriate for the situation.  Some messages get really garbled because of what is written.  Those who have been around for awhile well remember the "worn out rails" thread.  A whole lot of grief from poor description. 
You can always delete my posts.
Gene

[Jhanecker2]

I agree with Steam Gene it is impossible to communicate if your meanings are  not unequivically correct . Mathematics is relatively simple in comparison , language has a good deal more subtlety and nuance. The old computer phrase  " G I G O " ( Garbage  In Garbage Out ) always applies  in information .

[Yampa Bob]

Helping each other means proper communication.  I for one am sick of the garbage / gibberish in some of the posts. 

Buff:  Pretend the "quote" feature doesn't exist, way over abused.

[WGL]

I just received an order of 6 IHC Great Northern smooth passenger cars, discovered that the won't stay coupled to my Athern passenger cars or my Walters locomotive.  I looked up couplers in HO Scale Model Railroading & the pictures indicate that the IHC cars have horn & hook couplers!  I had a difficult time finding inexpensive GN passenger cars, so I'd keep them, if it is not difficult for a novice to replace them.  I can see how to remove them (they look like a crab's claw gripping a T-shaped post), but I don't know what could snap in to replace them.   Walthers' July flyer, page 21, shows "Passenger Truck Conversion Bolsters w/Couplers for 4-wheel IHC Passenger Trucks, & these passenger cars have 4-wheel trucks, but I don't see how they would fit.
  I tried to attach a photo of the IHC coupler.  First, I was told the uploader was full & to try a small file.  Then I was told I'd already submitted this post!

[Guilford Guy]

You should also add weight to them... They are super-light. I think Kadee makes a conversion. I cut off the original couplers, and body mounted Kadee's on an IHC diner. The close coupling can only be used when coupled to different manufacturer's cars due to IHC's rigid diaphragms.

[Conrail Quality]

Kadee's #581 conversion kit will allow you to mount a standard Kadee #5 coupler in there. Or, you could use Mchenry's #52 drop-in replacement coupler which doesn't need a conversion kit. Regardless, like GG said, adding weight to these cars will do wonders for them.

Timothy

[WGL]

 Thanks Guilford Guy for the benefit of your experience with IHC passenger cars, & Timothy for your information!  Your advice should help me a lot.  An ad for inserts to furnish the cars was included in each car box, so maybe that's why IHC left the cars light.  I don't suppose IHC would tell how to get the tops of the cars off.  They seem to be metal, perhaps aluminum.