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I am about to give up???
Those itty bitty copper plated springs are giving me fits.
I have had a few couplers loose that little #$%@ spring, resulting in an uncoupling.
I purchased a Kadee spring pick but haven't figured out how to use it.
Even under a magnifier they are difficult to see and handle.
Any suggestions??
Mac in Havasu at 115f
I just use a small utility knife, the cheap dollar store ones with break off blade segments...
slide the blade on one end of the spring where the coils are tight together, and using that for a tool, I insert the long end onto the moveable or knuckle end, and then compress the spring a bit and slide it onto the pin on the coupler pocket end, seems to work ok so far...
I sometimes put a small wee wipe of nail polish on the pocket end only...
I tried CA, but the runny kind wound up too far into the coils.. nail polish is cheap, and you can get 'rusty' shades as well...
A putty knife seems too thick. I use a spring pick. Slide it between the coils close to one end. The spring sometimes jumps like a "Mexican jumping bean" never to be found again, but it works normally. I use the top of an Athearn Blue Box to corner the little devils. I rarely have a problem.
Bob
Check at
www.micromark.com for a tool which both holds the spring and places it back in the correct spots. As Bob said, it really shouldn't be that hard...assuming there's not a defect in the coupler that caused it to lose the spring to begin with. Some Kadee's will come from the factory with those little nibs that hold the spring just a little too short, almost too short to even notice - but the spring does.
As soon as you get enough load on the spring, usually by a hard coupling, there goes the spring. If I have to replace a spring more than twice, I just chuck the coupler. They really aren't expensive enough to got through all the grief.
Here's what I do. I thread a needle and pass the needle through the spring then loosely tie the thread to the car. I then carefully mount the spring in place, untie the thread and gently pull thread back out through the spring. Having the trhead tied to the car insures that the spring won't get lost if it goes flying.
Contrary to what most people think, the grey hair sported by many model railroaders is not due to age but to spending years trying to get those dang springs back onto Kadee couplers.
I agree with Jim, I have so far only lost one coupler spring and just decided to toss the coupler and replace it with a new one, my time is more valuable and better spent on modelling rather than messing around with tiny springs.
I agree, always keep a couple of spares on hand. It only takes a few minutes to change the entire coupler. Besides you can use the coupler with missing spring to have fun. Just leave it laying around the office or any place that it won't be recognized for what it is. People can come up with some off the wall possibilities of what they think it is.
One can use McHenry's. All you have to worry about then is busting the head off.
Like I said, any unsprung Kadees you don't want, I'll take. At $20-$25 for a package of 20 pair, I can save enough to buy another engine. If'n ya need a need a pill bottle to keep them in, let me know.
Bob
If you have any Kadee's that are missing the springs and don't want to respring them you can apply a drop of super glue to the knuckle. This will lock it in the closed position permanently. This is handy for things like strings of ore car or hoppers that will not be separated or separated only occasionally.
Not to totally high jack this thread. But on this subject, i have a few cars where the couplers dont line up. One is higher on one car than the other and the slightest dip or rise on my track un couples them. How can I fix this? Is it a wheel issue where one set of wheels is larger than others?
No, it is not a wheel problem most likely. It is a mounting issue. That is why Kadee makes offset couplers and a coupler height gauge.
I would recommend that you get one of the gauges, and see which coupler is high or low, then you can get one of the offset couplers. Most of the time you will install the centerset couplers, and that is what the standard numbers are. If your coupler is low compared to the gauge, then you would install an underset coupler, and if your coupler is too high, you would get an overset coupler.
See this link for more information
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/coupler.htm
Try Goo
I haven't been active in the hobby for over 25 years (just getting back on track) but the problem is as old as Kadee couplers. I was just reading the latest issue of Model Railroader and noticed a "Workshop" article on page 28 where the writer recommended a dab of Walthers Goo on each end of the coupler spring. I haven't tried it yet but will soon.
I read that article also and it looks like a pretty good idea. As I read the article, the key is to put goo on just the bottom half of the spring. Putting Goo on both ends will lock up the coupler.
One could just say, "Heck with it", and use duct tape to connect the cars. lol
Red Green uses duct tape for EVERYTHING. Gotta be good for little ol' train cars, though I've never tried it. I must though, even if just for a picture.
On a more serious note. If coupler springs were the most serious problem I had on my layout, I'd be a happy camper..... uh, er, model railroader.
You could always ditch the Kadees and use McHenrys. Just keep a good supply on hand for the times you bust the heads off.
Bob
One could just say, "Heck with it", and use duct tape to connect the cars. lol
Red Green uses duct tape for EVERYTHING. Gotta be good for little ol' train cars, though I've never tried it. I must though, even if just for a picture.
Bob
If the forum don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
I was at an auto parts store yesterday and saw a counter display for of all things ... Duct tape in a can!! 8 or 10 oz aerosol can Spray Duct Tape. I was tight for time so didn't really check it out but it probably is nothing more than a spray can of rubber cement based on the claim it will stick anything together.
Keep your stick on the ice Bob.
McHenry's aren't bad, but they're plastic. If you're pulling a heavy train, the shank will twist and uncouple. If you derail, the head will fly off. I always use Kadees or the metal Proto 2000 couplers (Proto Max I think). The Proto Max is a Kadee clone, is all metal, and uses the same mounting mechanism and has the same dimensions as well. They are more expensive than a kadee #5 so I don't buy them but instead cannabalize them when a walhers car gets wrecked.
McHenry's are banned at our local train club, just taking the slack out to fast on a coal train will remove the knuckle head instantly! We have even broke the head off a #5 Kaydee before on one of the longer loaded unit coal trains by taking the slack out to fast. Them little springs can get annoying, I try to watch how I handle cars when removing or rerailing, real easy to loose a knuckle spring that way. I only use Kaydee couplers of various models, along with most of thier logging car lineup! Cheers Mike
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