coupling bachmann ez mark 2 with kato santa fe super chief passenger cars

[pjrhodes]

I am having trouble getting my kato spring loaded knuckle coupler on the santa fe super chief passenger cars to couple to my bachmann dcc f 7 a or b units with ez mark 2 magnetic knuckle couplers. The kato couplers are smaller and are made differently and wont hook up and stay hooked.  I am considering replacing 1 ez mate coupler with MT 1131. However, I tried to couple the kato car to a micro trains box car with MT mag. Couplers and they wont mate up either. Is there a kato conversion for the bachmann short body mounted, or how can i mate the car to the diesel short of super gluing them together?

[James in FL]

Hi pjrhodes,

In my experience, Kato couplers don't play well with any other manufacturer's couplers.
Even Kato to Kato seem to require a much harder impact, to couple, than what I consider to be normal.
So much more so, that I am not fond of them.
Kato to Kato work very well together, and stay coupled together, it's just the force required to get them to couple that I don't care for.
This is not a bash on Kato couplers (as the moderators here don't tolerate manufacturer bashing) it is rather just my opinion, formed from my own personal experience.
I don't own the cars you are referring to, and I don't know if it's possible/feasible to attach an EZ mate to one end of a Kato RPO car (I would expect minor surgery) or even if this is an option you are entertaining.
I am also unaware of the time and resources you wish to expend on this project.
I also do not know is it's possible/feasible to attach a Kato coupler to your Bachmann unit.

To me, the other option would be to install (same manufacturer's couplers whomever you choose) on the "b" end of the Bachmann B unit and also on the "a" end of the  Kato RPO and leave the other couplers (Kato) as they are.

But one option;
http://www.micro-trains.com/ConversionsN.php

Many of us that have been in the hobby, and wish to stay with the hobby, have standardized with mostly one manufacturers couplers, whom so ever that manufacturer may be.
For reliable operation, I would suggest just this.

Good luck

[Albert in N]

Probably the quickest way to solve the coupling problem would be to purchase a pair of Micro-Trains 4 wheel passenger car trucks with couplers.  Then remove one of the lead Kato passenger car trucks and install the Micro-Trains truck.  I used this method to operate some older passenger cars from Rivarossi and MiniTrix with old style rapido couplers (not matched to any knuckle couplers, but close spacing between cars was good).  I also traded out lead Kato baggage car trucks with Micro-Trains to work better with an older Kato E-9 with stiff couplers.  Micro-Trains will interface well with Bachmann E-Z or dummy knuckle couplers, as well as Kato couplers.  The problem is Bachmann knuckle couplers are slightly oversized (almost HO scale) and Kato couplers are correct N scale.  Micro-Train couplers are also slightly oversized, but smaller than Bachmann's.  Some N scalers use Micro-Trains Z scale couplers which are nearly perfect sized for N scale, like Kato's.  Kato couplers usually play well with other Katos, but some are stiffer than others.  On freight trains, I sometimes use an Athearn freight car between Kato and Bachmann cars, or even between Kato and Micro-Train cars.  Somehow that works for me, especially running trains over tight #4 turnouts.  In an ideal world, Bachmann would manufacture passenger cars to go with their locomotives.  If you try to convert other brands to Bachmann E-Zs, be aware that Bachmann does not normally offer T-shank couplers, but only pin thru base ones.  That is why I have not converted my older Spectrum F-7s to E-Zs.

[Albert in N]

Looked up Micro-Trains webpage and went to Online Store, then N Trucks.  They offer 003 42 051 silver 4 wheel passenger trucks with adjustable couplers.  These work fine on Kato silver ATSF passenger cars.  They do not power interior lights, but you would only replace the lead truck to be coupled to the locomotive, so rear truck would power Kato interior lighting.  The adjustable coupler feature is neat, but a little tedious to assemble.  The result is great and you can then pull Kato passenger cars with any Bachmann knuckle coupler locos.  I used the Micro-Trains six wheel black passenger trucks on the lead car so I could pull my older rapido coupler Rivarrossi (Con-Cor) ATSF heavyweight passenger cars with my Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern for a nice ATSF steam passenger.  I can also pull the same cars with my ATSF F-7 ABA Kato diesel locomotives.  

[pjrhodes]

Yes, I found those MT trucks but I wasnt sure if they were the right ones. Thanks, I believe that will be the right solution. Lead car is the RPO and would not be lighted,, or could use the rear truck for pickup.