Accumates. Is there a problem?

I recently purchased a dozen Atlas boxcars with accumates, and haven't had any trouble with them.

I am starting to think that they offer a real alternative to MT couplers, but I know some of you switch these out to MTs and I am wondering why?

On another forum I have heard about them suddenly falling apart. This is not good news, but I am wondering if this is a common occurance that I just haven't experienced yet.

Anybody else had any problems with them.

 

Dan,

Most of my problems are with trucks that I installed 2 1/2 years ago. Recent cars have behaved much better.

My biggest problem is that the Accumates do fly apart, quite often, sometimes in the middle of a train. I've alleviated but not eliminated the problem by inspecting each one carefully to make sure it is fully assembled--sometimes the cover piece is not seated fully. I've also resorted to the old MT trick of fusing them together with a small soldering iron. I'd guess that 40 of 400 trucks (about 200 cars) have flown apart so far. If I can recover the parts, they are easy enough to put back together--but sometimes I can't find the "thumb" so about 20 cars are now sitting on my work bench. That's a lot of fiddling.

I've also found the trip pins to be too low on many trucks. I've started snipping them off which, if you're not careful, will also cause them to fly apart.

As I mentioned, recent cars seem far better. I think only one truck out of about 100 new cars had any problems. Perhaps Atlas is paying more attention to assembly quality?

 

I think they improved them. I haven't had the problems I'd had in the past.The trip pins were to low & would catch the track,ballast,switches or anything in the way.I just pulled off the pins since I don't do the magnet uncoupling thing.

 

My beef w/ Accumates is that they tend to uncouple on long trains on grades & curves.

My vote goes to MT hands down for operations.

 

Why I don't use Accumates:

1) I run very long trains on NTrak. Accumates separate at around 40 cars, usually between the locos, or between the last loco and the first car. I've run 130 cars with 4 locos for 4 hours without a disconnect with MTs on everything, for comparison.

2) I switch at home on a little Unitrack layout with MT magnets. The Accumates are a lot less reliable both coupling and uncoupling, and the spring is too stiff for the "delayed action" feature to work, so you would need a magnet every place you wanted to drop a car.

3) My roster is heavily transition era in content. The Accumate couples the cars a couple of feet further apart than an MT coupler. Even Atlas' own O guage cars with toy train trucks and couplers don't stick out as far as Accumates do on the same cars offered in N Scale (OB wood box cars, the 2-bay hoppers and reefers, for instance).

4) The Microtrains truck pulls easier, and that is a consideration since I use truck mounted couplers and stock plastic wheels almost exclusively.

5) I've had Accumate couplers re-kit themselves in the box during the 10 mile trip from home to the NTrak club. I've had them drop uncoupling pins. This appears to be less of a problem with current production, but I still see it happening with the club members who use them.

So, I swap out the Accumates as soon as possible. I also tend to buy items that come with MTs installed when available.

Of course, if you run short trains, don't switch (or use a pick to hand-uncouple), run mostly modern stuff that would have cushion draft gear, and don't mind having to work them over to keep them from coming apart, then you will probably think Accumates are OK.

 

The newer ones seem to stay coupled on level surface but it's a hit or miss on a downward grade - especially if you have to slow to a stop and then start up again. Even if they do stay coupled, I don't much care for the unrealistic spacing between cars as the shanks are too long. I don't know what the manufacturing reason is for this. I switched everything to MT even though the accumates look more realistic (minus the shank). I hear that other manufacturers have recently shifted away from accumates and gone to MT because of the associated problems.

Brian

 

At the Wiregrass Train Show in Dothan, AL, recently I ran a seven car train in which at least one or two cars were equipped with Accumates for hours at a time and had no trouble with unwanted uncouplings, nor uncoupling magnetically, which was only done a few times, mainly to alternate locomotives.

Two years ago, I had problems with Accumates "exploding" - not this time. I've fixed the old ones with gel Superglue and the latest ones stay together.

I may eventually replace them, but I'm in no hurry. Replacing the Accumates is now way down on my "to do" list.

 

I keep the accumates on my Atlas and IM engines because the screw mounting seems to keep them together and they don't have the "pistoning" effect that the slinky MT's have. Otherwise, I replace all of the accumate trucks/couplers on freight cars with MT. On long freights, the accumates just didn't prove reliable.

Regarding low trip pins, I've found them to be mostly caused by warpage in the main coupler portion (the knuckle) right where the shaft meets the knuckle. This is also the cause for the "droopy" look that some Accumates have. That droop often causes the end of the trip pin to be below track level, leading to the dreaded "tail hook" effect.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

I snipped a couple off the trucks and body mounted them, for closer coupling.

Mag uncoupling is not a big thing on my layout as I am a walkaround guy that uses a pick for uncoupling.

Seems that I am hearing MT is still preferable, but depending on your operation the latest Accumates are adequate.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll see how things go with what I got. I'll experiment with the 5 pairs of trucks I bought and see what happens.

 

I do NOT like the Accumates.

My biggest beef is the design (the coupler hangs out waaaaaaaaay to far) and the look of the coupler in general. Give me MT's anyday.....

And, maybe I'm alone on this, but I LIKE the prototypical "slinky" affect and have never had a problem with it...... go figure.....

 

That is what I thought. Snipping them off and body mounting them allows you to place the coupler back enough to not make the long shank obvious.

I also snipped off a couple and trimmed off that extension molded between the coupler box and the truck bolster. This resulted in a better looking install. This was simple to do and much quicker then assembling a MT.

[ 31. December 2004, 19:53: Message edited by: Dan Crowley ]

 

I have even started snipping off the MT trip pin. Seems to work okay if you are a pick uncoupler. Sometimes I body mount the MT coupler after cuttng it off the truck. It is a nice project and allows you to lower the car a little. Looks better to me. I need to do body mount some Accumates, too, as most of mine are still subject to coming apart (older type).

 

This is bizarre. I must be living in the Twilight Zone. I've had just the opposite experiences with the MTs and Accumates. Not the exploding thing, but with magnetic uncoupling. The Accumates have behaved far better than the MTs that I've replaced. The MTs just don't want to pop over a magnet. I had to take some of them and work them over a bit with dry graphite to loosen them up enough to uncouple.

Plus that whole slinky thing drives me nuts.

 

I am not even going to think about this topic since I installed my first successful MT coupler last week. If it ain't broke, I ain't gonna fix it.

 

I like MTs, period. I have had trouble in the past with false uncoupling and I use no magnets. I do think however they have been
improved.
Jeff

 

I don't have many items with Accumates left on them. I don't like the length. I've had some pop apart. I replace them with MTL as soon as I can. I don't use the magnetic feature, so can't comment on that comparison.

I'm glad that Atlas chose to go with knuckle couplers and quit using the Rapido. At least I can run a car immediately out of the box if I want to. However, the old Rapido trucks gave you the option of using an inexpensive Unimate dummy knuckle coupler, and I've been quite happy with Unimates ( now made by Red Caboose).

 

Atlas has stated it it was done that way so the coupler box can take rapidos.