Hi,

Backstory:
I'm racing to acquire necessary items for my son's 9th birthday in about 10 days -- he wants an HO train for his birthday.

In transit (as I write this) is the Bachmann RailChief BNSF train set that he has his heart set on


I"m surfing websites (to add to that train set) either new or old gondola cars (he wants lots of gondola cars to put stuff in -- that's what he does with Grandpa's WWII American Flyer (although that is O, not HO).

Main/Important Question #1:
Will all manufacturers' (vintage or recent) rolling stock coupler HEIGHT line up with this Bachmann set?

Question #2:
Anything I should watch out for when replacing EZMate couplers to Hornhook?  (yes, I want horn hook).

Based on personal experience as a child, only the horn hook couplers will survive a 9 year old's play.

Back in the 1970s as a child (I'm an old dad), my dad converted my childhood HO Athern/Roundhouse cars to Kadee.
But as a 9 year old back then, I just destroyed those Kadee couplers (which pained my father).

Separately: I'd be forever grateful if anyone one has horn hook couplers they've since removed that they'd be willing to donate to get a 9 y.o. excited about MRR  

Thanks in advance for the help,
Jim