Hi all. We have an old plastic frame LL E8 that pulls our amtrak stuff. The coupler conversion is too much for me to try on my sons favorite engine. So we use a conversion mhc. I am constantly separating at the rapido coupling (every 15 min or so. Its a relatively shout consist. Engine - concor mhc conversion, concor mhc with mtl cuplers, kato mhc, kato mhc, then 2 or 3 of my sons freight(mtl couplers) (his consist, his call.) We're looking at maybe a kato p42, mhcs, kato 4 car superliner phase III. Best case all 8 of the cars, but money is an object. Will the kato couplers hold, or will I be looking for conversions in a month? Thanks.:tb-wacky:
Hi Marty, I haven't converted any of the Kato Superliners or MHC cars and don't have any problems keeping the train together with the stock Kato Couplers. I normally run two P42's, two Kato MHC cars, eight Superliners, and sometimes tack on two to five Roadrailers (they have Accumate couplers). Hope this helps, Brian
Thanks. It does help. I read folks experiences with couplers. I didn't want to overspend and then regret it. I'm going to the Greenberg show today. If I find another LL E8, I may just buy it and try the conversion. We like the engine, it's the rapido that lacks. If that doesn't pan out oh well... another engine, rats. Also oooohhh roadrailers, there goes my attention deficit disorder. Any leads on where I can find the time to play more?
I am a fan of Kato couplers, and wouldn't mind having them on more of my rolling stock if they were available enough. They also (usually) work fine with MTs and Accumates.
If you are having a particular pair of Rapido couplers come uncoupled repeatedly, then I would guess one or more of the following are contributing to this: 1. There are mismatched coupler heights between the two pieces of rolling stock 2. You have uneven grade transitions in your layout which cause temporary coupler height mismatches between two pieces of rolling stock as they pass that point 3. You have a body mounted coupler (on the engine?) connecting to a truck mounted coupler (on the car behind it?) 4. You have sharp radius turns (esp. 9.75 inch or 11 inch radius) which transition quickly to straight track with no easement. I have a mix of Rapido couplers, Kato, and MT couplers on my layout, along with all of the problems described above in items 1-4, so I consider myself an "expert" in this (that's an attempt at a little humor there).
By the way, I had a repair person at the "Model Railroad Shop" (located at 290 Vail Avenue in Piscataway NJ) do some conversions from Rapido to MT couplers on some good quality Concor freight cars that were made in the 1970s, and they charged a very reasonable price. You might consider taking your son's E8 there, to have them do the conversion for you. It's a fantastic store: The Model Railroad Shop They also have a couple of boxes of used equipment for sale (the contents of which vary from one week to the next).
I use to go there alot. Nice people. Where in Jersey are you? I could tell you other places if you PM me.
Marty, It's funny that I saw this post today. Some people have good experiences with Kato couplers, some people don't. I don't and today was the last straw. My solution isn't an expensive one, I am going to use unimate couplers. They are robust, but you have to hand couple (so no switching operations). I will be redoing my whole Kato Superliner and MHC fleet. Unimate couplers look realistic and are only about $2 - $2.50 for eight (you can do four cars) and come in three different lenghts. I have found the mediums hold the cars closer together than the Kato couplers and still allow for smooth operation. Definatally get the Kato equipment because they are the best! If the couplers don't work, try this solution. Chris
Marty/all, FYI, I ran into some problems with this unimate project, so I am putting a hold on it. The two test cars worked fine, but the next two I did didn't turn out so well. The couplers weren't staying in how they should, so I'm going back to the drawing board. I am issuing this warning because the conversion required cutting the plastic piece that holds the couplers in place. Also, I had better luck with the Kato couplers at the show I was at today. Go figure. Chris
I go to The Model Railroad Shop alot. It is a great place. They are very nice. I've bought some stuff there and the advice has been good. I'll ask about the E8 conversion. I couldn't find and plastic framed E8s at the show. I will ask them to keep an eye out, next time I'm in there. Thanks
Thanks. Bingo on points 1 and 4 - point 4 I will fix when I redo the Christmas layout next year. The problem started when I put a 9.75 and 11" oval in our Christmas layout. It's all O scale, but we added the N this year. I have all year to plan and do the track right. I knew there was a reason I had the 19" stuff in my box of Atlas track. I'd forgotten the advice I was given when I started in N. I am very slowly handlaying our year round N, so I'm not running into Problem 2 yet. As to point 1, it is a Model Power car that won't stay with my plastic framed LL E8, or my Concor MHC conversion car. I'm hesitant to try to alter the heights on his favorite cars, but I guess I'll be able to find replacement trucks if I mess up.
You could try a Unimate on the rear of the Life Like E unit, I've done a few, the old coupler twists off and the unimate twists on. I have to say myself and other N scalers I know have never had problems with Kato passenger car couplers in all their many forms. We've run 50+ car trains on the Ntrak layout while having a bit of fun without any uncouplings. That 50+ car passenger train by the way was pulled by a Life Like E8.
