Percy arrives, found a big glitch

[vic]

Houston we may have a Problem here:

Found a rather sizable glitch:



Thats a STANDARD unmodified LGB car next to Percy, there is about  a 1/2" hieght difference  between the couplers. The tongue of Percy will bend low enough to couple but not the other way around, no way.

This is a very nice model but as it is Percy is very limited to what it can be expected to couple to, Thomas, the coachs and the troublesome trucks I assume all have this non-standard height couplers, meaning every one of them will require some form of serious mods to put the couplers back down to standard height.

Why Why Why was the coupler placed at this non-standard hieght?

Is this sort of stuff done on purpose 

[Cascade Northern]

Isn't Percy at the same coupler height as the new 1:20.3 cars?

[the Bach-man]

Dear Vic,
If you look in the bag with the track clips and extra couplers you'll also find spacers to lower the couplers to LGB height.
And yes, we did put them in on purpose!
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Jon D. Miller]

Vic,
Had you read through the documentation that came with the set, coupler height is explained along with the use of the "extensions" that the Bach Man mentions.

In the documentation Bachmann refers to the lower coupler height as "garden height."

Interesting what can be learned from reading supplied documentation.


Merry Christmas and enjoy your new Percy.


One of the "Enthsiastic Children"

JD

[vic]

Aaargh! I already tossed the box. the adaptors likely went with it. I didnt see anything in the box, but like Brian, I could have missed them if I wasnt looking for them. The only thing I kept was the registration card (which I still need to mail)

Are these adaptors available thru the part dept? If not, I was already planning to add my own blocks when Percy gets his face-ectomy

Sorry but the last thing I was expecting was a non-standard coupler height being a issue. I will definetly keep an eye out for these on future Thomas purchases.

[ryeguyisme]

Aaargh! I already tossed the box. the adaptors likely went with it. I didnt see anything in the box, but like Brian, I could have missed them if I wasnt looking for them. The only thing I kept was the registration card (which I still need to mail)

Are these adaptors available thru the part dept? If not, I was already planning to add my own blocks when Percy gets his face-ectomy

Sorry but the last thing I was expecting was a non-standard coupler height being a issue. I will definetly keep an eye out for these on future Thomas purchases.

Number one rule: NEVER TOSS THE BOX unless you have everything within it

[gbbari]

(SNIP)
In the documentation Bachmann refers to the lower coupler height as "garden height."
(SNIP

Jon - what do they call the higher coupler height? (I don't have a Thomas set or manual)

AL

[az2rail]

It's bad enough that "G" is in so many scales, but everyone does their own coupler height. Yet we manage.

Bruce

[Jon D. Miller]

gbbari,

I'm not sure they indicated a "name" for the coupler heght as shipped.
The Thomas set is in the States and I'm in Canada at this time, so can't check. 

I still find it interesting that folks will receive a new piece of equipment and not read the supplied documentation.  Result being they miss important information and then "jump" all over the forum playing a blame game for an issue that is not of the manufacturer's making.

One of the "Enthusiastic Children"

JD

[vic]

Well JD...

I have been in trains since childhood, involved with every major scale under the sun, and in large scale since 2000 and have bought literally hundreds of peices of off the shelf rolling stock, and in all those years and all those pieces, I have NEVER encountered such an intentional coupler height difference issue. You are conditioned since the 1970's to accept that you can open the box and the coupler styles aside, you can couple anything to everything else with the same coupler attached.

Its something even seasoned model railroader are NOT going to be thinking about when they buy off the shelf stock...

These items should have been shipped with the adaptors in place, so parents and kids can couple anything as soon as they open the box, then if some want the more "proto" Thomas look then they could have the option of removing the spacers and get that more "proto" coupler height. Not the other way around.

I just want to make others who are buying these items to be aware to look for the adaptors. I'm not the only person who wasnt aware we needed to modify our items just to make them work with everything else.



I'm sorry but is there even such a thing as "Proto" Thomas?   

[NarrowMinded]

It's hard to eat crow with dignity, even harder when people are rubbing it in... Just smile and pretend its the Christmas turkey. everybody makes a goof once in a while.

Happy Holidays

NM

[calenelson]

gbbari,

I'm not sure they indicated a "name" for the coupler heght as shipped.
The Thomas set is in the States and I'm in Canada at this time, so can't check. 

I still find it interesting that folks will receive a new piece of equipment and not read the supplied documentation.  Result being they miss important information and then "jump" all over the forum playing a blame game for an issue that is not of the manufacturer's making.

One of the "Enthusiastic Children"

JD

They do indeed name the "height"....it's there in the Supplied Documentation..."Garden Railroad height" pg numbered GTC01-IS001 near center of page....Vic if you need the parts, We'll share ours!

Merry Christmas!

cale

[Chuck N]

Yes, years ago we could take anything out of a box and it would couple.  Once we started body mounting couplers for better running and changing to knuckle couplers things didn't always match up.  LGB is no longer the company that sets the standard.  

Bachmann included everything necessary to help us mix and match coupler heights in the
thomas and Percy sets.  Perhaps it would have been better if there were no couplers mounted on the engine or cars and the instructions said here they are set it to your preferred height!  Can you imagine what would have been said then.

Everything is there for the experienced modeler to set their desired height.  This is something that the beginners do not need to worry about.

Chuck

[NarrowMinded]

Chuck,
I agree leaving the couplers off would likely lead to more problems then it would solve, I do like the idea above about assembling them with the spacers in place, I think that would eliminate surprizes when the new modeler buys non thomas rolling stock and tries to couple it, this would also allow the Thomas (dare I say rivit counters) to remove them for a more true to Thomas/"proto" look.

Just my two or three cents
NM

[vic]

Thanks Cale but I've already been hooked up on MLS with spacers from another xmas tree set

...and I'll be dang sure to add the ruddy spacers onto Thomas before I chuck the box into the recyler next time!