Spectrum 2-8-0

[Red26]

I have a few Spectrum 1:20.3 box cars, flatcars etc with the higher, body mounted couplers. I plan at some stage to change all couplers to Kadees. Currently my Spectrum 2-8-0 cannot couple to any of the new cars; the consolidations couplers are too low. Will the Kadee #781 conversion correct the height?

Are the Kadee 830's the best bet for the new Spectrum cars?

My aim is to standardize couplers and I would prefer to use Kadee (G couplers as apposed to #1) couplers throughout. Which Kadee coupler gauge is the correct one in this instance?

[glennk28]

phone Sam Clarke at Kadee in the afrernoons. 

Check Kadee's site

[Kevin Strong]

Yes, it will work well, though you end up with a truck-mounted coupler on the tender, which I'd heartily recommend against, especially with body-mounts on the rest of your equipment. For roughly the same price (maybe a buck or two more), I'd get a pair of Accucraft 1:20.3 couplers in the bolt-on coupler pocket. This bolts directly onto the pilot and tender of the 2-8-0. If you wanted to keep the Accucraft couplers, then you pay only for those particular couplers (and save some money.) They're compatible with the Kadee G-scale couplers (and Bachmann's couplers), but they wouldn't be the Kadee couplers. If you then wanted to convert to the Kadee couplers, you'd need only buy the #901 coupler, which is their new "Type E" coupler. This is a drop-in replacement for the Accucraft coupler in their bolt-on coupler box, and has the advantage of (A) working like the Kadees that will be on your equipment with its reputation for reliability and (B) having the improved aesthetic of Kadee's new couplers. You'll probably end up spending around $17 for the conversion as opposed to $13 with the #781 coupler set, but you'll have body-mounts on everything.

As for converting the Bachmann cars, you have a few options.

Option 1 - the #906 or #830 couplers. These use an identical draft-gear box as what Bachmann uses, so you just swap out one for the other and you're good. The #906 is the new "Type E" coupler, the #830 is the original style. ("Original, or Extra-Prototype?")

Option 2 - #916 coupler, which uses the stock Bachmann draft gear, but just screw onto the Bachmann coupler arm. This saves having to replace the draft gear (with the identical draft gear).

The cost for either option looks to be identical - $8.95 per pair.

As for the height gauge, use the #980 "G-scale" coupler height gauge. Bachmann and Accucraft both set their couplers to a 1 1/8" centerline, which is identical to Kadee's G-scale height. In terms of being prototypic, it scales to around 22", which is on the low side in terms of the heights of prototype narrow gauge couplers. (They varied, depending on the railroad, but were most commonly between 24" and 28". The D&RGW used 26".)

Later,

K

[Red26]

Great! I like the suggestion about using the Accucraft couplers. As for the rolling stock I think I will keep the Bachmann boxes and just drop in Kadee #900 couplers.

[StanAmes]

While different brands of couplers do couple together it is not as smooth as it perhaps could be.  If you are going to use Kadees on the cars I would recommend installing an 830 on the tender.

I have several 2-8-0s and all have the 830.  It does requiring some filing to get the correct height for the new poclet but it is not all that difficult an installation to perform.

Stan Ames

[glennk28]

I would concentrate on installing the Kadees on the Bachmann equipment first.  The Kadee and Accucraft couplers will mate.gj

[Kevin Strong]

Thanks to a photo over on MLS asking the same question about the 2-8-0 and couplers, I realized I mis-spoke (mis-typed?) about the rear coupler being truck mounted. It is not. I'd still go with the Accucraft pockets, though. I think they look much better.



and the front:



The Kadee "type E" couplers will look about as good, but have the Kadee "pin" hanging down.