I'm sure THIS has been asked a thousand time..... what's with the different coupler numbers ? and how do I know which to use ? Putting together a Proto 2000 freight car and all it has is horn hook couplers ! Al
The Kadee numbers designate couplers for different draft gear boxes, different shank lengths, insulated shanks, underset, center set, and overset knuckles, etc. Not all kits use the same draft gear box, or are the correct NMRA height. The different Kadee designs can help with this. Powered locomotives with metal frames tend to "fight" each other electrically when MUed and insulated shanks can stop that. You can find a complete listing of their couplers and a description of each one at www.kadee.com.
The reason why so many kits still include horn-hook couplers is because they're free! Actually, unless the kit manufacturer makes their own version of a magnetic coupler, it costs too much to include one with their kits. The die-work for the horn-hook couplers has been depreciated long ago, and there are no royalties to pay. In my opinion, Kadee still makes the best magnetic couplers. Their metal construction means they're more sturdy than those of the other manufacturers. Pat ------------------ Wishin' I wasn't so far from the railroad...
goldshark: The most common used HO KD is the #5, buy a pack (2 pair) of these as you can use it in many other applications as well. In fact, buy the bulk packs as needed. We replaced the P2K 50' autobox cars with them. Ask your local hobby retailer if he has the kadee coupler sheets, nice. And check the web site for updates. For tough conversions: ask here and at rec.models.railroad newsgroup. Someone always seems to have an answer...
