another one of my newbie questions

[gandy dancer#1]

Hi: Can someone tell me what the metal clip on the tongue of an axle pull coupler is called, i have a used set of bachman cars that have these,they snap on and hold the coupler in the groove or rail on the tongue. a couple of these are missing and ergo no coupler, i would like to replace thes and put couplers on, but  unfortunately i dont know proper term so i can go looking: thanks

[Doneldon]

gd1-

You're asking about Talgo trucks, the ones with a piece which projects outward from a car's trucks and which hold the couplers. Consider yourself lucky that a few of the parts which make these operate, and I use the term loosely, are missing as this gives you a good reason to dispose of them. Talgo trucks are really quite problematic in operation, most notably when switching cars or when backing. You will be way ahead the game if you either clip off the Talgo beams and mount new couplers on your cars' bodies or, better, replace the whole truck with a non-Talgo truck and body mount your couplers. This, of course, is just MHO, but I think you'll find few experienced MRs who disagree.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          -- D

[jward]

like doneldon said, clip the tongue off the trucks, and buy some couplers with coupler boxes to mount on the car body. if you don't have a kadee 205 coupler height guage, get one. the height of these car floors are often not the right height for your couplers, and the kadee guage will show you how much of an adjustment you need to make.

[gandy dancer#1]

HI: After examinig closely,I see that the horn hook couplers are just mounted in the tounge rail with a little screw. the coupler made of cheap plastic has a plastic type spring.So next question: does kadee make a I guess adapter thatscrews in to the tongue to put kadee hitches/couplers on the tongue??? if so what do i need to order??? Sorry to a pita, but very new to all of this. Thanks to all who respond and advise!!!!!

[jward]

if you are going to make the conversion, do yourself a huge favour and do it right. take the extra time and trouble and body mount the coupler. there is a reason that most cars made to-day use body mounted couplers.....they work, and work well.

just because something is available to convert a truck mounted coupler to another type of coupler doesn't mean it will improve things. truck mounted couplers will cause your car to derail when you back it up. they put alot of sideways pressure on your wheels in that situation and tend to skew the truck, whereaas a body mounted coupler will distribute those same forces right down the centerline of the car.

[Doneldon]

gd1-

The consistent message here is to mount your couplers on the car bodies. Talgo trucks/couplers are a major cause of operational problems which you don't want. Move the couplers even if you can't afford the time or money right now to replace the trucks as well. Trust us on this; I dare say we've all struggled with Talgos and we know what we're talking about. This is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to significantly improve your rolling stock.
                                                                                                                                                                                       -- D