I'm having a hard time getting the couplers on this Kato U30C to mate with other couplers, including MTL. What am I doing wrong?
Need a little better description. Is it to high or to low and what couplers are you trying to mate up with. And are those the original Kato couplers because it is a style I have not seen before.
Wondering out loud who did the conversion? Where did you get these. Like John, I don't recognize the couplers. I would suggest you change them out to MTL... ASAP. That won't be the easiest thing to do but can be done.
Just looking at them I'd go along with the suggestion to replace them. The size and shape really look off compared to more usual brands.
I got the engine from Ebay. As far as I know they're the original couplers. Here are a couple of shells I saw on Ebay that have the same couplers. And if you look at the UP 2848 on Spookshow, it also has the same couplers. http://spookshow.net/loco/katoge30.html
Those are not original Kato Couplers. Since it has the coupler retaining clip, it should be an easy replacement with either Kato couplers or MT couplers. I would go with the MT couplers.... This is an original Kato coupler in the photos The model you show ATSF 7514 either Kato number 176-17D or 176-0932, most likely 176-0932. 176-17D came out in June 1991 with Rapido couplers originally and with the Blue and Yellow pinstripe scheme. They later released a U23C with the same number as Kato Part Number 176-0932 with the scheme you have in 2014/2015. They may have had a set of short and long couplers, but the ones in the photo you have are too large, "heavy" to be the kato couplers.
According to Spookshow the U30C and the C30-7 are nearly identical. The MT conversion chart for the U30C lists the 1989 model with the open pilots. Subsequent releases had closed pilots with shell mounted couplers. MT chart lists the MT 1015 coupler as the one for the C30-7 and would probably be the same for the closed pilot U30C.
Here is a Kato C44 I have, that has the same couplers. I think these are original Kato couplers. I know I didn't change them. As far as I remember, I bought this engine brand new from the train shop.
This is an Athearn F59. I just noticed the coupler on the U30 got "stuck open" and wouldn't grab the coupler on the F59. I squeezed the coupler closed, and it mated. Maybe that's part of the problem.
Those would be very easy to swap out to the M/T 1015 assembled couplers. Probably less than 5 minutes per loco. Cost is reasonable as well. Just pop the clip out, pull out the old coupler, slide the new assembled 1015 in place and pop the clip back in and you would be ready to roll. As far as the question about it opening and not closing, sounds like something is not right with that coupler and it would probably need to be swapped out anyway
Let's cut to the chase. Kato's originally installed couplers are not good at playing with anything but Kati couplers. This is why most of us test run our Kato locomotives and cars as step one and replace their couplers with MT couplers as step two.
It says on MTL's website that 1015 are unassembled body mount couplers. If I search for 1015 on MTL's website, I get unassembled couplers, or body mount couplers that attach with a screw. https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?route=product/isearch&search=1015&description=true
The assembled one, although labeled as "body mount", is the one you want and can be slipped into the coupler pocket as suggested above.
