Have any of you tried McHenry couplers? What do ypu think? Thanks, John K. [ 06. September 2002, 22:36: Message edited by: John K. ]
Tried em all, will always use Kadees here. Just the most reliable and best looking of the bunch in my opinion.
McHenry couplers and their ilk may be all right for short trains on small layouts, but even there the plastic "springs" will break down over time. Your best bet is to buy Kadee couplers and stick with them. They cost more than the plastic clones, but in the long run they'll be cheaper than the plastics because they won't wear out as easy. If cost is an issue, there are mail-order hobby shops that have great deals (a little over their cost) on Kadees.
Kadees. I tried the Accumate, McHenry, and others... However, I am back to 100% Kadees. Now when I buy a peice of rolling stock or engine w/ the "others", the FIRST thing I do when that new thing comes out the box is put Kadees on it. Just so dang dependable and consistent. -Kitbash
I'm a die hard Kadee fan myself! Being any of the plastic couplers for me just doesn't cut it hauling 70 plus cars on one train! I've never used any of the "clones" knucke couplers for the fact that I was ruined on thoughts of them from the XF2 couplers being plastic and just kinda thought if the XF2's are plastic an break.. is the plastic knuckes any better? See where I'm going with this? Well, I can't say all Kadee couplers are metal. But the no. 5's are. so.. Along with the no. 4s, that I use on the pilots for the cusioned action for pulling and pushing with double headers! Where a simple no. 5 on the pilot makes the a solid no give coupling... where if a loco, slows or pauses the one in front will pull and if it stalles or puases on a dead spot the rear one will push sinking the coupler in and not making to much of a jerk to ground cars and cause a derailment! Now on diesels... I use no 5's all the way around.... Being they aren't like steamers and all.... If a small layout is what you have. the plastic couplers might be ok.. as for a large layout with equally large long trains. Go with Metal Kadees! HTH
If you are thinking of converting here's a couple of sites that can bring you up to speed. A brief review of the KD #58(closer to scale) http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/551ytafb.asp. The KD conversion chart, www.kadee.com/conv/list.htm
Thanks John. They must have purged it. They are trying to up-grade the page. I will E-Mail Tom Chmielewski, Editor and try and get a new URL. There is another routing method but it's too slow for me to try it before I post another suggestion. However the article is also in the MR April 2001 edition, but probably too old for newer members who didn't subscribe to MR back in 01
Here's the long way around. www.trains.com when the home page pops up, click on "MODEL TRAINS" Then click on Release and go to page two "Scale-size HO automatic coupler #58
What about the Accu-mates that are on the newer Atlas HO locomotives; any problems with them? I have not noticed any with mine, and I ran my GP40's with them at an open house for about two hours pulling 25-30 car length trains over a windy 24x60 layout with up to two percent grades. I repeated this about one other time, but only a few hours doesn't tell a whole story. If someone could respond quickly it would be appreciated. This topic is coming up at our club meeting on September 8th. Basically it is Kadee's or nothing.
Personally these are the only couplers I leave on *some* rolling stock, they work very well providing you are not switching with them, if you have a unit train or loco's assigned to a train then leave them on & be happy. I've never broken one, and have never had any issues with factory fitted ones from Atlas. You can also pull the pin out of the bottom easily if you don't like them (easier than cutting them off KD's! ) I don't retrofit them to stock though. If i'm planning to switch with the item of stock, the accumates come off and a Kadee goes on it, the accumate doesn't seem to work as reliably in switching using fixed magnets in my experience. The EZmate suffers from loosening knuckle springs over time, making them useless, and the McHenry I have broken knucles off one! I don't like the over-flexible plastic shank on those two either... Just my opinions folks...
My new Atlas Tank & Pressureaide also came with the Accumates but I changed over the the #5 MR did a July 2001 review.
Thanks for the info on the Atlas Accumates. I will have some basis for keeping them in on some locomotives. A.J.
I'd better welcome JohnK to Trainboard before I go any further (and you are welcome here, my friend! ) To further muddy up the waters , I've started to go towards Kadee's number 58s on my HO rolling stock. They cost the same as Kadee's number 5s, but are very- very close to scale-size. They operate just like the number 5s, and will couple up to the number 5s as well as the Kadee clones. Between the 58s and my new love for metal wheels (especially from Reboxx), my rolling stock is looking & running better (wheels are for another thred..). JohnK, best thing you can do (in my opinion) is forsake the McHenrys and go for Kadee's good ol' number 5. THose McHenrys just don't hold up over time as well as Kadees.
