3d printed wagon couplings

[Phil Bullock]

@Enterprisingwestern pointed these 3d printed Instanter couplings out to me on the Dapol Bolster E thread. 

 

 https://www.shapeways.com/product/JZZQYBLQK/nem-oo-instanter-couplings-sample-set

 

As they are solid bar couplings they will only tick the box for vehicles that run in fixed rakes and also if they couple more closely than the tension locks.

 

So lets start with Bachmann's TEAs.

 

On Kato track the tension locks set the wagon buffer heads 1 sleeper and 1 space apart - see first photo.

 

But  hey look.... the instanters lose the space, the buffer heads are only the one sleeper apart. ANd they will give a much more solid feel to the train rather than the slack in the couplings - so looks like a result!

 

They wont go round my Kato curves which are 550mm radius - about 20 inches .... the 3ft standard on Abbotswood should be fine.

 

What else might they work on? TTAs next I think...

 

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Phil Bullock

[John76]

Phil

 

I have just taken delivery of some of these and on first sight they look really good. I went for a pack of No. 17s (19mm between NEM pockets) and I am planning to try them on a rake of kit built 16t and 21t mineral wagons. I will try and post an update when I get round to trialing them. If successful I plan to use them right across my fixed rakes of wagons. 

 

Please keep us updated with your own test results.

 

 

John  

[Metr0Land]

He does a load of different couplings and I've used several.  One minor point which may not be a problem depending on your operations, but I can't seem to propel as many wagons with this type of coupling as with more traditional ones (though I think he does make a disclaimer somewhere).

 

I've also used this type successfully for eg loco and auto trailer and bertween carriages on some realtively fixed rakes:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/A8XABY59H/oo-nem-coach-drawbar-sample-pack?optionId=63583712&li=shops