Knuckle Couplers

[Lackawanna Consortium]

It seems that different manufacturers call there knuckle couplers by different names but my question is are they all compatible?  I don't want to purchase cars from different companies and have an issue.  Thanks Paul.

[brokemoto]

Microtrains, Unimate, Accumate, whatever-it-is-that-Bachmann-uses-and-has-used are all compatible. 

[James in FL]

I agree, as we speak they all have employment on my RR.
My experience, the early Bachmann dummy knuckle didn't play nice with others, and Kato seems to be best left to play with themselves, for that reason I want to replace them. In just the last 6 months or so, I've been trying out Mc Henery's on 3 cars.
I have converted 80% +/- of the entire fleet to another brand (MT), although the McHenerys have no problem so far, I have too much invested standardizing already and I'll leave them as they are until such time as they fail.
The Unimate are excellent on my ore cars, I have some on some tenders here and there. If you want them to stay together, there is no better coupler IMO. Close coupling on some AB sets also.
I have not tried Bachmann's latest operating knuckle, so can't comment on them.
There is rumor of 2 new scale couplers to come in 2014, I'm not holding my breath.
Find a brand you like and go with that, if you can standardize with one brand, compatibility becomes less an issue.  
I think pretty much everybody here goes with one brand but has a small number of other brands as well.
If you're going to spend on knuckles, consider your wheels/trucks as well.
Try to start early, as if you built a fleet, you will need a second mortgage.
Beware, this leads to modeling.     

[brokemoto]

I did forget to mention the Kato couplers.  They look a bit funny, but I do not have too many problems with them.  They can be a bit difficult when coupling to Unimates, but it can be done.  I will usually replace the couplers on Kato locomotives with MTs.  I do not run all that much Kato power:  USRA heavy 2-8-2s, F-units, RS-2s and NW-2s are the only US prototype Katos that I run.  MT sells kits specific to the two former, and, I forget exactly, but I think that it is 2004s for the two latter.  The conversions are swap out/drop in for the latter two; for the former two, they are not difficult.  MT's instructions for kits for  the former two are easy to follow.

The Atlas/Katos that I run:  SD-7/SD-9 and RS-3 shell-on-Atlas-Chinese-knockoff-drive, all have MT kits specific to them.  These MT kits are easy to use, as well.  

I do not run any of the Kato big steam, electric or modern power, so I can not post much about those.


Unless there is  failure, I usually leave the Kato couplers/trucks on the rolling stock.  The only failures that I have had so far have been on the covered hoppers.  The passenger cars and cabooses have been allright.

[Albert in N]

Paul, be sure to examine N scale cars or locomotives before you buy them, if possible, especially Bachmann items.  There are still a lot of Bachmann items out there with Rapido (will not work with knuckle couplers and look ugly) as well as with Bachmann's dummy knuckle couplers.  I have not seen any of the new Bachmann magnetic couplers, but note that photos show them to be over size for N scale.  Still, I contemplated purchasing some online to replace some Bachmann items having dummy knuckle couplers.  However, photos show the new ones do not have T shanks matching the T shank dummy knuckle couplers.  My N scale coupler experience generally matches that of James.