I realized today that this year is the 50th anniversary of the Kadee Micro-Trains/Micro-Trains coupler release. MT-5 unassembled body mount, the first version. MT-3 assembled version followed shortly (which became 1025 and 1023 respectively) and locomotive conversions after that. Also the 1000 series trucks Doug
I was trying to think of when the first Kadee N Scale freight cars were sold. My first was their L&N 40' Boxcar I think, blue with no roofwalk and with Rapido couplers. I didn't begin to convert my cars from Rapidos until '85 or so. I still call everything they make "Kadee", which causes puzzlement at train shows. Old habits die hard.
I have kind of gotten used to saying "Micro-Trains" or "MT" but I still say "Kadee" too. However, even the very early packages of the MT-5 couplers have "Micro-Trains" printed on them in addition to "Kadee". The first car was the regular single-door boxcar (20000 series), released in September of 1972 (MT says November of 1972). In my first post, I actually make it sound like the trucks were released when the conversions were but they were much earlier, shortly after the couplers. I'll look to see when the first locomotive conversions were introduced. I have some of the very early cars I have barely ever run so they are still like new. I have the Missouri Pacific "Route of the Eagles" plug door car with the original stock number(21110) before Kadee redid some of the stock numbers. At one time, that car was auctioning for almost $1000 but it's not worth that much, these days. You know, I think I have that L&N car too. I'm going to go check. Doug
It's Item 24120. I bought mine sometime in the latter '70s when I lived in TN close to the L&N main. I thought the car was really cool then and I still do.
The blue car I have without a roofwalk is actually a Louisville, New Albany & Corydon R.R., #LNAC 144. Doug
For me it's a little different when it comes to Micro-Trains and Kadee. Having started out with a HO train set in 1967 and by 1971 I was converting all my X2F couplers to Kadee #5 couplers. For me Kadee is synonymous with HO scale. Yes I did receive a N scale AHM / Lima train set in 1971, but it had the Rapido couplers and at the time I was unaware N scale knuckle couplers were available. It wasn't until 1989 that I'd begin to make the switch from HO to N scale. At that point Ken and Dale had already separated the two business, So everything N scale was Micro-Trains. I agree, it's hard to believe the N scale Kadee / Micro-Trains coupler is 50 years old.
Actually, the Edwards brothers formally split Kadee and Micro-Trains in 1990. However, Kadee's N Scale freight cars, first released in 1972 as Doug mentioned, always carried the Micro-Trains trademark.
Thanks for chiming in, George. I think my earliest bags from MT-5's are still over in Rochester and I think the very first ones were even different from the one posted by Tom Davis on the Railwire and I also am almost sure they have Micro-Trains printed on them, too. I will get them next time I go over there to move some things. Doug
I just looked at one of my Bi-Centennial boxcars from 1976 and its label shows both Kadee and Micro-Trains on the label. My B&M boxcar from ten years later continues to show both names on the label and in the lid of the jewel box too. Interesting stuff!
Wow, 50 years! It only took Bachmann, Con-Cor and Walthers 45 years to get finally rid of rapido couplers then.
Believe it or not the Rapido coupler is still widely used in Europe, even though Micro-Trains and Dapol easi-shunt couplers are available. https://www.bachmann.co.uk/product-category/graham-farish/gf-wagons/ https://www.dapol.co.uk/shop/n-gauge/steam-locomotives-ngauge https://www.maerklinshop.de/en/56883/prussian-freight-locomotive-with-a-tender
Both names were on the jewel box lids until the official 1990 split. After that, the "Kadee" was ground off the mold leaving a rectangle where the name was. I suspect that the supply of existing lids was used up so it's possible that post-1990 releases still have the lids with both names.
The man, himself! Thanks, Joe. Anyway, One of the things I thought was the coolest about MT couplers, way back in 1968, was being able to hear the slack being taken out of a train. It may not have been as "clanky/metallicy" as the prototype but it was still neat. Still is. And the first time I got a 310 magnet installed and saw the uncoupling, delayed action feature, it was a revelation, no longer having to have an uncoupler in every spot. Then I started to break the 310s into smaller lengths, even cutting some of them into 1/4 lengths and they still worked, albeit with more critical spotting. I soon realized spotting with them cut into 1/4 lengths was a little TOO critical so I settled on 1/3 lengths. These days, I use both magnets and skewers but if I'm switching in a yard, it's always magnets. Doug
If you guys think the Rapido coupler is bad, have you ever seen the crazy OO coupler used in the UK? I guess that is what happens when you still have a rail system that uses hook and three link couplings.
