:tb-nerd: Is it possible that no one started to complain about N scale McHenry couplers ? I was unable to keep coupled two engines or cars equipped with these new couplers. The worst troubles are not coupling them with Micro Trains or Accumate but with another McHenry. After a lot of troubles I substituted all of them with Micro Trains or Accumate to use the engines/cars.
Hmmm, I've seen some complaints but none as bad as yours. I don't have any McHenry equipped stuff myself yet.
No problems noted here either. Haven't seen them sold separately as yet but waiting I have a large pack on order now.
I have quite a few Athearn cars with these couplers and have not had any problem coupling to the Atlas or MT style couplers at all. The only problem that you may have is that the trip pin my be too low, if so gently take and bend it up with pliers. I wish that I could have them on all my stuff.
Can you explain the circumstances of the uncoupling? Long trains? Cars just behind the engine? tight radius curves? Bumpy track?? DO they just uncluple at random, any time any place?
I have very few McHenrys so far. When I swapped my FP45's McHenrys to my Bachmann 44-tonner I had to shim them to get them to be the right height. Have you checked their heights against a MTL coupler height gauge? Good luck!
The only thing that I can think of is the small spring that holds the knuckle in the "closed" position could be missing. That would explain why they uncouple at random. But usually with them missing, you can't get them to couple at all. But I could be way off, since I don't have any. This is just coming from years of using Kadee #5' in HO scale. When the spring on those goes missing, they don't couple good at all. And the McHenry is quite close to this style of coupler. Mike
N scale McHenry couplers work ? 2 to stewarttrains98: trip pin is too low and Icut it to remedy. to pastoolio : small spring that holds the knuckle is not missing. to SteamDonkey74 : I have checked the heights against a MTL coupler height gauge and it's a little lower on original trucks, but replacing them with Accumate solve the problem. to seanm : the uncoupling occurs anywhere and anytime but only on straight track : I operate only short trains (10/20 cars) and have no grade on my layout (of about 115 foot track) and the tightest curve radius is about one foot and two inchs. I don't use truck restraining springs and this would help uncoupling but the track is quite good and I experimented some rare uncoupling only on one point with short up and down track level and only with Kato couplers (old type 11-702) on trucks where I replaced the original rapido couplers and the height is not adjustable. mike
I have some McHenry couplers in Athearn cars. So far I had no problems at all with uncouplings, or anything else. They seem to work as well as Micro Trains. I should add that I also have very little problems with Accumates, too. What I normally do is adjusting the trip pins that are hanging too low, I have special jewelers pliers for this, similar to the ones that were sold by Micro Trains. fohrmann online
I wonder if they are sticking in one position on curves and then not straightening back out on straight pieces of track. Perhaps they are hanging up and need a bit of appropriate lubrication?
I do have a question on this, can you buy replacement springs for them yet?? could not find anything on their web site about it.
No problems here either, even with the spring missing they still couple unless you try to couple two with missing springs. That seems to be the only problem, and that's from me mishandling them.
FWIW, sometimes I have had to adjust the trip pins on Kadee/MT and Accumates as well. Nothing unusual there. Mark
I also meant adjusting MTL and Accumate trip pins. They just vary in height, but if I can fix it there is no problem.
Guys, guys, guys and gals, I don't know if you noticed but the same thing that happened, to the boys and girls over on the HO network, is happening to us. We are now all but overwhelmed with knuckle couplers of all kinds of varieties and sizes. None of which are the correct size for a N scale knuckle couplers. None of which interact well with each other and none which works and performs as well as MTL's. So, why are you buying them? Cost? Looks? Savings? Performance? I don't know why... you buy them? I buy Micro-Trains couplers because they out perform the cheapee copies. They are closer to being authentic in their appearance and they stay coupled on the downhill runs. Every time I pull off someone else's knuckle coupler I think about the out of pocket expense. I'd rather... everyone... factory install Micro-Trains, from the get go. Even if it costs me more to buy that particular train car. Ie., ConCor products. Well, that's my two cents and I take change. Must be a slow day in the train shed. Grin!
Rick, what I do is that I just leave the couplers that came with the model until they "misbehave", or I have another reason to change to MTL. This is no dogma, just my choice, or call it a compromise For older, simpler models I often use surplus Atlas Accumate trucks, as I have them anyway.
I am with Christoph here on couplers. If they work, I leave them. Once something non-MTL starts giving me grief I swap it out. Rapidos are swapped out before I even start running as I don't have Rapido equipped stuff to pull them. The only time so far I have installed McHenrys on something rather than MTLs was with the Bachmann 44-tonner, where the thread on this very forum about it included others' experience being unable to find a stock MTL replacement for the dummy coupler that would fit in the that small space. I am not opposed to McHenrys so far, but I am also not going to buy an Athearn car just to harvest the couplers. MTLs are sold independently. I use almost nothing but 1015s except when there is a coupler specific to a particular application. Adam
Christoph and Adam, I hate it when you catch me doing the same thing. Like you two, I leave them on the model until they misbehave. A true test of a knuckle coupler is who's is the last one standing. I can already answer that. Micro-Trains Lines said with disclaimer: For those with moving parts. I can't afford to jump on replacing everything I own with MT's. So far it's, 15 Accumates replaced with MTL's, I have no history with McHenry's, yet. This should give some of you a giggle or a smile...Unimate. What about Unimate? They appear to be the ones that will outlast them all. There isn't much to go wrong. No moving parts and nothing to break. Unless they hit the floor coupler first. I use the Unimates in my ABBA set-ups as it closes the gap between the locomotives. Also, in my passenger car sets where I've found it difficult to replace Kato's knuckle couplers. You can't switch cars, with them on board but your train won't break up on the downhill runs. In time MTL will replace all the couplers on my equipment. Just give me time. Perhaps, this is why I would prefer the MTL's be factory installed. err:
