Let's Talk Couplers...


M

Marlin338MX

Well-Known Member
I'll admit that I don't know anything about couplers. All I know is that I have the old plastic style couplers from the 1980's or earlier, and I don't even know what they're called.

Are these old couplers compatible with any of the newer style couplers? Bachmann simply calls them "loco couplers" on their parts diagram.

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I have no intention of replacing all of my couplers, but some might be missing or broken, and I need to replace those.
 
Most folks call them horn-hook couplers. And yours are broken or modified to remove the pin that sticks down for uncoupling. You should keep all couplers the same so they can hook up. If you have "no intention of replacing all of my couplers", the OK.
 
Thanks Dennis. The couplers and engine in the pic above are brand new in the box, but bought in the 1990's by my dad. Obviously if I can't find the same old style couplers to replace any missing or broken ones, then I'll have to use newer style couplers. I haven't found any broken couplers yet, and most of my locomotives and rolling stock are new in box. I'm just trying to think ahead and have a plan for the "what ifs".
 
Marlin - If you intend to keep using that style of coupler and need some replacements, just PM me with info. I have hundreds of them from when I replaced them with Kadee over the years. If you have cars with both horn-hooks and Kadee, you can make "conversion cars". That is cars with one of each style on opposite ends that allows you to string together both old and new rolling stock with one another.
 
santafewillie said:
Marlin - If you intend to keep using that style of coupler and need some replacements, just PM me with info. I have hundreds of them from when I replaced them with Kadee over the years. If you have cars with both horn-hooks and Kadee, you can make "conversion cars". That is cars with one of each style on opposite ends that allows you to string together both old and new rolling stock with one another.
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Thank you Willie! I was wondering if the Kadee couplers attached to the railcars and engines the same way these old couplers do.
 
Marlin338MX said:
I was wondering if the Kadee couplers attached to the railcars and engines the same way these old couplers do.
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In most cases yes, they all mount on a post in the coupler mounting box. Replacing body-mounted horn-hooks with Kadees in most cases is simple. Cars with truck-mounted couplers can also have Kadees installed and they have a chart somewhere on their website. Most modelers will cut off the truck-mounted couplers and use a Kadee coupler box and maybe a few shims to make a body-mounted one. Correct height is most important, get a gauge if you choose to convert. Height discrepancies can be fixed with overset or underset Kadees; or low couplers can be corrected with Kadee washers on the truck mounting post to raise the car height. Many older Athearn Blue Box cars need the red (.015") washers.
I and many others recommend replacing all couplers with Kadees if the budget can afford it. The horn-hooks work well in all situations except backing up on curves. Uncoupling can be tricky, but so is Kadee until you've had some practice. Use of the "conversion cars" as I described earlier can help if you can only convert a few cars at a time.
 
santafewillie said:
In most cases yes, they all mount on a post in the coupler mounting box. Replacing body-mounted horn-hooks with Kadees in most cases is simple. Cars with truck-mounted couplers can also have Kadees installed and they have a chart somewhere on their website. Most modelers will cut off the truck-mounted couplers and use a Kadee coupler box and maybe a few shims to make a body-mounted one. Correct height is most important, get a gauge if you choose to convert. Height discrepancies can be fixed with overset or underset Kadees; or low couplers can be corrected with Kadee washers on the truck mounting post to raise the car height. Many older Athearn Blue Box cars need the red (.015") washers.
I and many others recommend replacing all couplers with Kadees if the budget can afford it. The horn-hooks work well in all situations except backing up on curves. Uncoupling can be tricky, but so is Kadee until you've had some practice. Use of the "conversion cars" as I described earlier can help if you can only convert a few cars at a time.
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Thanks again for the information on the Kadee couplers. I'm not against upgrading to Kadees, it's just not a priority at this time. I'm sure they are a big improvement over these old horn hooks.
 
Marlin338MX said:
I'm not against upgrading to Kadees, it's just not a priority at this time. I'm sure they are a big improvement over these old horn hooks.
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They are an improvement in looks. The horn hooks always served me well. In fact the couple better on curves than Kadees. I found uncoupling them to be the hard part.

By the way - Technically these are designated X2F couplers. It was an attempt by NMRA to create inter-manufacturer compatibilities in the late 1950s. It had gotten to be a huge mess with each vendor (Varney, Globe, Ulrich, Red Caboose, etc. coming up with their own designs). The X2F never became a standard, but the industry embraced it. MY opinion is that it was one of the best things to happen to the hobby in HO scale "EVER". I know I would not have been a happy child had my new Athearn box car not been able to hook to my AHM, Marx, and Roundhouse cars.
 
I've managed to couple a UK tension lock coupling to a Kadee, it was fine as long as it was being pulled, stopping not so much, the hook would always pop out of the Kadee and uncouple, but it was fun to try.
 
Iron Horseman said:
They are an improvement in looks. The horn hooks always served me well. In fact the couple better on curves than Kadees. I found uncoupling them to be the hard part.

By the way - Technically these are designated X2F couplers. It was an attempt by NMRA to create inter-manufacturer compatibilities in the late 1950s. It had gotten to be a huge mess with each vendor (Varney, Globe, Ulrich, Red Caboose, etc. coming up with their own designs). The X2F never became a standard, but the industry embraced it. MY opinion is that it was one of the best things to happen to the hobby in HO scale "EVER". I know I would not have been a happy child had my new Athearn box car not been able to hook to my AHM, Marx, and Roundhouse cars.
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Thanks for the information, and the history lesson!
 
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