hey guys i want to get all the same couplers for the fleet but with n scale i'm lost as to what to get for each train the two L/L gp38 came with nice nuckle couplers the L/L fa/ have cheap couplers the spectrum dash-8's have the same as the fa's then i need to get the passenger cars from island modelworks
The general consensus here is go with MT. If you are concerned with appearance then you might want to go with Z scale couplers on most steam and some of your diesel locos. For which coupler to use there is a chart at the micro trains web site and folks here can help with additional advice as well.
Patience and MTs IF you have patience, good magnifiers and eyesight, and excellent eye/hand coordination, go with MT couplers. Otherwise, find N-Scale Accumate or McHenrys and mount them up;they will probably be harder to find, since AFAIK they are just becoming available for custom mounting (I could be wrong!) and not all suppliers are carrying them yet. I personally like the couplers Athearn is factory-mounting (I think they're McHenrys), because they look better and seem more reliable, but as always, YMMV. And that's the most important part, individual preference and what works best FOR YOU. I quit N-Scale for 10 YEARS because my sanity level couldn't handle MT installation, and got back into it only because it seemed everyone was selling locos as well as cars with either MT, Accumate, McHenrys, or compatible knuckles factory installed. When I found out that a lot of factories were coming out with DCC installed as well, that clinched the deal for DCC, too. I admit it, at 57 with 10 thumbs and lousy eyesight, I'm lazy. You may be different, and if so, go for it. It's a hobby, do what YOU enjoy.:tb-wink:
Grey One, If you stick to MicroTrains only, you may be unnecessarily restricting yourself from both a financial and practical standpoint. First, MicroTrains couplers are visually and operationally compatible with Atlas Accumates, and operationally compatible with Unimates by Caboose Hobbies, and those knuckle couplers that come with LifeLike/Walthers, Athearn/MDC Roundhouse, and Intermountain. However, these latter couplers do not have air hoses and do not automatically uncouple. Kato is compatible with almost all of the above but are very far apart cosmetically. So if you stick with most knuckle couplers you are OK, as I have a very large fleet of locos, freight, passenger and non revs that have a variety of couplers, but all are compatible. From this standpoint, when you are running trains the difference betwen couplers is not noticeable at all. If you are planning to do a lot of detailed operations, which involves uncoupling, then go MT, and it will be somewhat pricey. I am like the others here, on the general I prefer MT couplers to just about anything out there, but I have old stuff and some odd stuff and MT couplers just aren't there, so I use Unimates. The other practical point is that some MT couplers just work better than others, or more appropriately stated some just don't work, as they tend to droop, catch on switch frogs, uncouple at wrong times, fail and break. Also some MT couplers are difficult and tempermental, such as MT cabooses, as the majority of freight cars are truck mounted, while cabooses are body mounts which may cause some failure at turns and bends. Plus with MT's, you have the "slinky" factor which means the couplers tend to be loose, and somewhat like real prototypes will "flex" when stopped or started. If you do not have an automatic uncouplers, you will have a hard time separating coupled cars. Last, I use Unimates or stock Rapido couplers on my passenger cars, but cover them up with diaphragms, and no one sees the difference. I have had some failure on passenger cars both 2 axle and 3 axle trucks. Therefore I would recommend if you have rolling stock or passenger cars to change them out with MicroTrains or Unimates as you can afford them. I would leave the Atlas alone, and would handle the other manufacturers couplers on a case by case basis. Then you would slowly change out your couplers and still have compatible running. I have been in this scale since the early eighties, and with the large amount of inventory I accumulated since then, I have a mixed but compatible fleet. It is a slow process. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
I also recommend the MT couplers. I have use the Atlas coupler with good results on short trains and past industrial switching layouts.
You should use MT N Scale couplers on those cars that don't have them. You should also consider using MT Z scale # 905 couplers. They mate well with all N scale knuckle type couplers. The change over to MT couplers can be done on a gradual basis to spread out the expense. Have fun with couplers...........
I agree with Ken FloridaBoy, it is not really necessary to use only MTL and nothing else. What I try to avoid are the fixed-knuckle couplers like Unimates, old Intermountain/Red Caboose, just because you have to lift the cars for uncoupling. OTOH these are great for close coupling of locomotive consists (e.g. the Intermountain F-Units), or other cases where you want the cars stay together. If I have cars to convert, I normally use MTL trucks, except for 100-ton trucks which are only made correctly by Atlas/Accumate. Since I have lots of Atlas trucks left, sometimes I also convert older cars to Atlas Bettendorf trucks. The main pitfall of the standard Atlas trucks is the wide coupling distance between the cars, for me this is often the reason to convert to MTL. Newer Atlas cars have shorter couplers, so there is some progress. The new Atlas Andrews trucks with shorter couplers are as good as any MTL truck, IMHO... In any case a gradual conversion is the best advice Just try and see whether you like the results.
Christoph, First, thanks for the validation. Second, you are absolutely right about the Red Caboose and old IM couplers, but what I have found is that the Unimates are very strong and in my book even stronger than MTs or Rapidos. This comes in handy when I get a little crazy and want to pull an extra strong train. I put my Unimates in the front which are charged with pulling the majority of cars, while I put the Atlas Accumates and MT's nearer to the end. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
Ken, I have started to use Unimates recently because they are the only way to close-couple all those cowl units that use MTL 1015 or their Accumate equivalent. These are the Intermountain F-Units or the LL/Walthers FM C-Liners. The Unimate/IM/Red Caboose couplers are really the strongest, I guess it is because they have no moving parts. I have a small box of Intermountain trucks that I might use for some kind of unit train, like ore cars.
When I first re-entered the hobby, (about the time I signed up at Trainboard), the general consensus here was that Atlas couplers were not nearly as strong as MT. It was commonly expressed that they would break when used in in trains of 10 to 20 cars. So - Has Atlas changed the design and construction of the couplers or was I mis-informed?
I understood that Atlas have "refined" their design. My experience is that the first Atlas Accumates sometimes fell apart, but the later models did not. My train length is about 20 cars due to space limitations, and I have no problems with MTL and Accumates mixed. No experiences so far with McHenrys, I hope to get some Athearn PS-2 2600cuft Covered Hoppers if they are available and expect to see McHenrys on them. One thing about the Accumates: if you get a string of Atlas cars "fresh out of the box", there is some variation in the coupler height, probably due to tolerances in the coupler box, etc.. Since I have a stock of unused Atlas trucks, I swap trucks if they are too bad. It is my impression that MTL quality is still more consistent :thumbs_up:
I have a long reefer freight I can run consisting of many billboard reefers (40+). A number of them i converted to MT couplers. I have more uncoupling problems with the MT couplers than I do the accumates.
If you are new to N or not really familiar with what is out there, I would strongly recommend AVOIDING Z scale couplers on N scale models. There is an esoteric group of modelers who feel that the smaller size of the couplers is a big benefit. However.........you will find the variety of Z scale couplers is very very small. N scale couplers on the other hand are plentiful and come in many designs. It's up to you, but I would recommend that you go with Microtrains N scale couplers. Their conversion charts are extensive and comver just about any manufacturer from the last 20 years.
I too would advise not going en masse to Z/Nn3 905 couplers; although I am slowly adding these, mostly to freight cars, you have to be very careful with coupler height and how far they "stick out" since there is only a only shank length. After a few years of experience I can usually get a good fit on a freight car, but still use N scale MT couplers on diesels. I recently got a set of Deluxe Roadrailers and the CouplerMate unit at the front end had an Atlas Accumate in it. For some strange reason, it was installed so low that none of my engines could pull it without letting go on a 15" radius curve. I took the innards of a MT 1015 without the box and it fit into the Couplermate box and had a more upward oriented design so that everything runs fine now. I could have used an "underslung" MT coupler which has even more of an upward oriented design for even better results. The point is, you have a huge variety of choices with MT, and although they aren't perfect, they allow you to adapt to many unexpected situations.
The new McHenry couplers blow the doors off Micro-Trains couplers. See for yourself: http://nscaleworld.com/videos.html
The new McHenry couplers blow the doors off the Micro-Trains couples. You can see this for yourself by visiting my website. Go to the Downloads / Other Videos area. The video shows the Micro-Trains, Atlas, and McHenry couplers being tested. The Micro-Trains couplers failed all of the time. The new McHenry couplers look more like the real thing. I have often told people that Micro-Trains cars are way over-priced and that there couplers are crap. The Atlas and the new McHenry couplers are way better. Don't get me wrong, I like Micro-Trains and I do collect them, but their couplers leave a lot to be desired.
That download file is the video of Leo Bicknell's coupler test shown on his program, Reality Reduced. Leo did those tests following the Louisville convention in July, 2008.
Coupler Wars! I DON'T know what couplers Kato puts on their locos; I DON'T know what Athearn is putting on their Challengers (I THINK it's the new McHenrys, but I'm not SURE). I DO know that I had a guy at woo woo woo woo woo woo who knows what he's doing put an MT on the back of my Spectrum Heavy Mountain for me, because when I install couplers, sanity goes away and I get EVIL! So I pay other people, with higher sanity levels, to do things like that for me, and everyone is happier. Now, here's the results. I have a 4%-plus grade on my WS Scenic Ridge layout (do NOT ask why, just put it down to stupidity on my part and leave me alone, okay?); the Kato P42 Genesis, the Kato (SD?)70MAC, and the Athearn Challenger can all drag a 9-14 car pax or freight drag up that grade. It's true, the P42 needs a running start unless I double-head it, due to light weight and low traction (I had not gotten my jar of BFS yet), but they'll DO it. I have a 4-car drag of Athearn Strasburg pax cars, purchased AT the Strasburg gift shop. I hook them up behind that Spectrum Heavy Mountain, which will walk right up that grade, no problem. It has the MT coupler on the tail of the tender; and I have YET to get those Strasburg cars to the top behind that steamer! Even with a running start from halfway around the layout, it can NOT get them up the hill; they'll break away every damn time! Case closed; I'm going to McHenrys as soon as I can get them. MTs are fine on MT-installed units, such as MT cars, or MT trucks. But aftermarket, body-mount units, just don't seem to cut it any more. They used to be the cream of the crop (and they're STILL superior to Rapido/Arnold chunkies), but the Accumate and McHenry couplers, and whatever Kato is hanging on their rolling stock, beats them, hands down.
