Couplings

[warren lodge]

Could anyone give me an idea as to what Kadee coupling would be suitable to fit to Bachmann and Hornby wagons,using the nem coupling?

There seems so many different ones,that I’m not sure which would be best.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Warren

[brossard]

There aren't that many different NEM Kadee couplings.  #17 - #20, in increasing shank length.  I always used #18 on goods wagons and generally #20 on coaches (although there are much better methods such as Hunt couplings) today.  I never found much use for #17 since they are quite short.

 

If your curves are tight, you might need longer.

 

John

[Dungrange]

Kadee produce four different couplings for use in a NEM pocket that is mounted at the correct height: #17, #18, #19 and #20.  #17 is the shortest and #20 is the longest.  The tighter your radii the longer the coupling needs to be and the the length will also vary between wagons depending on where the NEM socket is mounted relative to the buffers on the wagons.  It's very much trial and error - start with a #18. If the buffers are too far apart, switch to a #17, if you get buffer lock or derailment on curves, then switch to a #19 or #20.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Dungrange

[warren lodge]

Thank you all for your advice about Kadee’s I think no 18 is probably the most suitable.

I will probably need to get a hight gauge to make sure everything matches up

Warren

[BR60103]

Warren: Check some of the other threads on Kadees for tips on using the height gauge and other ideas.

 

If you have a bunch of wagons, start with a packet each of 18, 19 and 20. A 17 if you have spare change.

 

I find that the 20 will replace screwed on couplings if you drill a hole in the shaft in the triangular recess.

 

[warren lodge]

Thanks for all your help,it’s very much appreciated,

Warren

[melmerby]

The biggest problem with using the NEM series Kadee couplers is the often incorrect NEM pocket height on UK models, also the position of the pocket with relation to the buffer beam.

Many are correct, others are not.

The Tension locks that are used in the pockets to get the correct position means that there are at least 3 lengths and 3 vertical positions (stepped shanks) for the couplers.

 

The length can be got right with the 4 different Kadees available but the Kadees are only correct for the "proper" height.

Vehicles with incorrect heights will require a certain amount of cobbling to get the coupler to the correct height.

On most vehicles with incorrect height mounts, I hack them off and fit #146 (or similar) to the underside of the floor

 

Here is an example of Bachmann "NEM" tension couplers, the LH one is stepped (because the NEM pocket is about 3mm too high), the RH one is straight (for the correct height NEM pocket.)

 

A search through the topics for "Kadee" will return at least 5 previous threads on the topic, where all this has been discussed and re-discussed many times over.

Edited April 21, 2022 by melmerby

[BR60103]

And if your NEM pocket is at the wrong height, none of the other types of NEM couplers will be correct, either.

 

One of our Platelayers was playing with 3D printing to make a pocket that would replace some of the wrong ones.  This will still be left as an exercise for the student.