My H0 scale club made a deal with Kadee on couplers. The only thing is, we had to buy 2000 pairs, minimum. If 40 members convert 50 cars, that is 50 pairs (cars converted) per member. The price varied with the total amount that the club ordered. The person in charge of this at my club indicated that some clubs buy 5000 pairs at a time. I would think these are very big clubs. Anyway, just an idea for your club or a group to do to get all those cars converted. I am not sure of further details, but I think you had to buy 2000 #5s or 2000 #58, etc. You couldn't combine the order. In my case, for my share of the 2000, I bought 20 pairs of Kadee #5s for 17 US$. Just my two cents.
So are you suggesting some of us get together and do a deal like this? I'd guess there was some sort of discount available in N scale as well. I know the logistics might be a bit of a headache, but if someone wants to take the lead and we're able to make the amount to make a discount such as that, I'd be up for 50pr of N scale.
No, but it is up to you. Kadee and Micro Trains are separate companies. Individual couplers are particularly suited to H0 scale. I do work on H0 scale cars for my club and needed a few couplers, but I have no need for extra couplers or trucks in N scale.
If you do I hope you have better luck than me. The entire batch of MT 4-wheel passenger trucks I bought had the holes drilled in the coupler bolsters but were not tapped. I couldn't find my tap but did have one self tapping screw to use as a tap with some effort. That plastic is hard, Delrin I guess. Put the project aside after completing 3 cars. Not my weekend - I'm tapped out. Ben
The MT passenger truck couplers have never been tapped that I have seen. My solution is to take a #11 xacto blade and spin it in the hole a few times to taper the hole and make the screw much easier to start. Tapping the wholes proved too tim consuming.
The old "buying things in bulk to save money". It's great when you have a large club to split the bill. Maybe they will open up a big BOXcar...errrr.....Box store and call it KadeeMART. (LOL) Sorry for the bad humour. Russ
It is often cited that Micro-Trains will not discount in bulk, other than their own offerings I suppose. About the only thing I'd be interested in from MTL in bulk would be their Z-scale 905's.
Welcome to TrainBoard Eddie! I take it we're talking about HO couplers here. This is the Inspection Pit, so I want to be sure. Best!
My club is H0 scale and that is where the Kadee couplers were purchased. I don't know about the policies of other manufacturers; I put the thread here in the Inspection Pit just as an idea for others.
