Passenger cars uncoupling themselves on 18" radius curves.

[Flare]

I have 5 passenger cars and they like to come undone from each other and my 2-6-0's tender on some of my 18" E-Z Track sections.

I have verified that the couplers are the same height and the rail ends are even.

Is there something else I can try aside from buying wider curves?

[dutchbuilder]

I just had a look underneath my Jackson Sharp passenger cars.
Maybe long shank couplers would do the trick.
Then you have more side way travel on the couplers.

Ton

[Terry Toenges]

It's odd that they do that on 18" curves. I use mine on 15" curves and they don't uncouple.

[Flare]

It's odd that they do that on 18" curves. I use mine on 15" curves and they don't uncouple.

Indeed.  I've even tried replacing the original Mark II couplers with recent ones.

[dutchbuilder]

Strange.
Just for fun, to amuse a silly dutchman, take a caboose and couple it at the end.
A caboose has a bit of bracking power because of the pickup's for lighting underneath it should pull the couplers tight.
See what happens.

Ton

[Flare]

Strange.
Just for fun, to amuse a silly dutchman, take a caboose and couple it at the end.
A caboose has a bit of bracking power because of the pickup's for lighting underneath it should pull the couplers tight.
See what happens.

Ton

Alright, I also have some scratch-built cars from the Bay that don't roll well.  I'll see how the couplers hold with their resistance too.

[Flare]

The extra resistance didn't help.  The cars still uncouple.

[dutchbuilder]

Shoot me , i'm out of options.
Maybe some moving pictures on Yooptube. might clarify your situation?

Ton

[ksivils]

I change the couplers. KD's are much better.

You hate the spend the money, but you also hate to have your coaches uncouple when operating too.

Get KD whisker couplers with the same shank.

Drop in replacement.

[Flare]

I'm cheap, but I'm not THAT cheap. 

Though a few sets of couplers do appear to be less expensive than replacing the track sections.  XD

[p51]

HOW are they uncoupling? Are the knuckles being pried apart by the stresses of going through the curves? Is one coupler popping up over the other?
Is it just the couplers are one end, or both?
The tender of a 2-6-0 is pretty short and the coach is much longer, it might be a case where the centerlines of the rolling stock in question just don't line up on such a tight curve, though I sort of doubt it.

[Flare]

I did discover that the baggage car sits lower than the others and as such the body-mounted couplers need to be replaced with center-shank couplers, so I removed that from the train last night

As I watched the other four it appeared that the couplers simply 'let go' from the tender, then as the cars continued to roll the front one disengaged from the one behind it.

On another set of curves the second car came undone from the first, which then let go of the tender on the next segment.

I doubt it's coupler length as well for two reasons:  Firstly, the locomotive and three of the cars came as a set with 18" curves, and second not all of the 18" curves are doing it, just a select few that didn't come with the set.

[John Tumolo]

Here's a couple of ideas-First, make darn sure you have the track properly connected-it's real easy to connect the track and have the rail ride on top of the connector rather than be seated inside. The change in rail height can move the couplers up and down enough to let them come apart.   Second, using your coupler gauge, make sure that the couplers are set at the proper height.  Last, using a flashlight, watch closely and see if your "brake lines" are somehow twisted and hitting each other on the curves.  If they clash, they can force the couplers apart. Bend them in such a way that they don't foul each other.   After that, I'm at a loss.  Best of luck to you. 

John Tumolo  [email protected]

[Flare]

I've replaced all the couplers using Kadee 'standard' heads, and they're holding wonderfully now.

Thanks for your help everyone!

[dutchbuilder]

Good to hear, problem solved.....NEXT problem!

Ton