Coupler Compatibility
- Thread starter railfan
- Start date
TrinityJayOne
N gauge fan
Yes, but some are thought to be more reliable than others.
SilverBlade
Member
If you buy any Atlas go ahead and get the M.T. couplers to convert them right then. The trip pins on the Accumates are set too low and snag on the uncouplers (at least if you use magnets anyway).
railfan
junk collector
I can imagine. Makes me want to build a helix just to hear it happen!
railfan
junk collector
Thanks for the info Silverblade.....I've read accumates aren't the best.
All couplers except Rapido are supposed to interchange. Some brands are more/less reliable than others, especially when used with couplers of another brand, but they WILL all hook together.
Despite their good reputation, in the last year, I've had more issues with new MT couplers than I have with Accumates......sad fact is, none of them are 100%. Sometimes a little TLC will help, sometimes not. At our last show, I had a bunch of new cars I was trying out......I don't fiddle at the shows, so if a new car has problems it goes in a fix pile.......at the end of the show I had 6 cars that gave me trouble. 1 had Accumates, 1 had McHenries, and the other 4 were MT equipped. The McHenry had a lost spring and got replaced with MT's, The Accumate was a trip pin issue.....I removed the trip pins, problem solved. One MT was also trip pins, 2 were molding flash on the couplers themselves that was causing binding. The last was a passenger truck, and I still haven't managed to get it to work....I've adjusted and treaked everything I can think of and it still won't stay coupled.
Bottom line is if you don't use magnetic uncoupling, the trip pins on couplers serve no real function (unless you like the look) and removing them will improve reliability. So save your money.....try your cars before you automatically replace the couplers. At $4-5 for replacements you'll go broke if you automatically change.......but don't be afraid to change out problem causing couplers.
Despite their good reputation, in the last year, I've had more issues with new MT couplers than I have with Accumates......sad fact is, none of them are 100%. Sometimes a little TLC will help, sometimes not. At our last show, I had a bunch of new cars I was trying out......I don't fiddle at the shows, so if a new car has problems it goes in a fix pile.......at the end of the show I had 6 cars that gave me trouble. 1 had Accumates, 1 had McHenries, and the other 4 were MT equipped. The McHenry had a lost spring and got replaced with MT's, The Accumate was a trip pin issue.....I removed the trip pins, problem solved. One MT was also trip pins, 2 were molding flash on the couplers themselves that was causing binding. The last was a passenger truck, and I still haven't managed to get it to work....I've adjusted and treaked everything I can think of and it still won't stay coupled.
Bottom line is if you don't use magnetic uncoupling, the trip pins on couplers serve no real function (unless you like the look) and removing them will improve reliability. So save your money.....try your cars before you automatically replace the couplers. At $4-5 for replacements you'll go broke if you automatically change.......but don't be afraid to change out problem causing couplers.
That is why I call them AccuHATES!
And they also dont hold a long train together well on a hill. I have to put all my accuhate cars towards the back of the train.
TrinityJayOne
N gauge fan
I find the opposite with mine, it's the McHenry ones that give me grief.
Recently I was swapping the engines over on a 15 car train and accidentally had my three F45s drag around the ABA F7 lash-up that I forgot to uncouple from the other end. Not a single Accumate let go, although I was more surprised that the F45s moved the whole consist without a hint of struggle. I swear you could pull down a house with those things...
Anyways, I have one Athearn car in particular that just refuses to hold on like it should. Even at the end of the train with only a caboose behind it I've had it get left behind. On inspection it looks fine but clearly something is off.
I replaced the McHenrys on my F45s with MT short shanks (1015-1) and haven't looked back. They refuse to let go of each other unless you want them to regardless of the stresses involved.
Rapido couplers are pretty crap if for some reason you wanted to use them. All the Graham Farish stuff my brother has have these, and not only do they look ridiculous they'll uncouple at the drop of a hat. They also don't connect properly a lot of the time and you need to slightly tilt or lift one carriage to get the couplers to mesh. Never have this problem with knuckles!
Recently I was swapping the engines over on a 15 car train and accidentally had my three F45s drag around the ABA F7 lash-up that I forgot to uncouple from the other end. Not a single Accumate let go, although I was more surprised that the F45s moved the whole consist without a hint of struggle. I swear you could pull down a house with those things...
Anyways, I have one Athearn car in particular that just refuses to hold on like it should. Even at the end of the train with only a caboose behind it I've had it get left behind. On inspection it looks fine but clearly something is off.
I replaced the McHenrys on my F45s with MT short shanks (1015-1) and haven't looked back. They refuse to let go of each other unless you want them to regardless of the stresses involved.
Rapido couplers are pretty crap if for some reason you wanted to use them. All the Graham Farish stuff my brother has have these, and not only do they look ridiculous they'll uncouple at the drop of a hat. They also don't connect properly a lot of the time and you need to slightly tilt or lift one carriage to get the couplers to mesh. Never have this problem with knuckles!
