Kadee's on Bachmann 1:20.3 freight cars

[Kevin Strong]

It seems that even though the new Bachmann cars are 1:20.3 scale, the couplers are at 1:22.5 height. Make sense?

One could easily come to that conclusion, but it could also be that in the prototype world, coupler centerlines are typically in line with the top of the wheel. The AMS cars are D&RGW prototypes which rode on 26" wheels, while the B'mann wheels are smaller by one or two scale inches. That could also account for the difference in height. There was no "standard" coupler height in the narrow gauge world, and when equipment passed from one railroad to another, there was often some kind of fiddling that had to be done to get the couplers to work with the "native" equipment.

I would assume that Bachmann standardized their coupler heights, though, and that the tank cars (which I believe rode on 26" wheels) would have the lower height.

Stan--Thanks for the link. Wish the drawings showed up, but a great reference.

Later,

K

[StanAmes]

Kevin

When we redid the NMRA coupler height standards we were faced with no prototype standard (there is wide variation) so we filped a coin and went with the existing Kadee practice for coupler height which was in the valid range of protype coupler heights and matched existing modeler practice.

Bachmann used the NMRA standards when they developed their Fn3 product line.

I do not know what happened to Bruces figures on his page. I send him an email on this.

BTW the #1 scale kadee coupler represents a 7 1/2 inch coupler.  A 3/4 type D would be 6 3/4 while a 3/4 type E would be 8 1/4.

So for 1:20.3 modelers the Kadee sizes are the closest in the market for both 3/4 and full size couplers.

Stan

PS  the link to the Bruce's complete coupler pages is
http://home.comcast.net/~brmetcalf/rr/coupler.htm

[Cascade Northern]

(A) you virtually have to CRASH the cars to couple    

Not really.  I have had my engine (with Bachmann couplers) couple to cars (with Bachmann couplers) at a crawl many many times.  Now true I do have to slam them together sometimes, but then again so do the prototypes.