Kadee Couplers

[Butler Henderson]

37 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

Can anyone suggest a long coupler for the Bachmann 170?

 

I put a number 19 on mine but as the unit turned, some corners forced the coupling to catch on the door sticking out bit.

 

I only need another mm, which is a shame. 

20 at a guess as that is the longest NEM

[ejstubbs]

11.68mm vs 10.76mm for the #19

[ejstubbs]

11.68mm vs 10.76mm for the #19

[DutyDruid]

18 minutes ago, ejstubbs said:

11.68mm vs 10.76mm for the #19

 

Just got home and have measured a #19 vs #20.  I must have taken a "different" measurement from yours - mine was from end of swallowtail to shoulder where knuckle head is fixed using a digital calliper - and I made the #20 thereabouts 1.25mm longer which, when you remember you are putting one on each coach, will increase the distance between vehicles by 2.5mm

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, ejstubbs said:

11.68mm vs 10.76mm for the #19

Is the 10.76mm a typo?

Kadee quote 10.61mm for the #19

 

Edit: The measurement is from the shoulder to the front inside face of the knuckle (looking at the catalogue)

Edited April 2, 2019 by melmerby

[ejstubbs]

8 hours ago, melmerby said:

Is the 10.76mm a typo?

Kadee quote 10.61mm for the #19

 

Nope, taken straight from the Kadee web site: https://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page19.htm

 

Where did you find the 10.61mm figure?

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, ejstubbs said:

 

Nope, taken straight from the Kadee web site: https://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page19.htm

 

Where did you find the 10.61mm figure?

On the Kadee website!

https://www.kadee.com/html/kadee_catalog_small.pdf

Page 14 of the catalog,  #19 = 10.61mm

 

EDIT if they are actually 27/64" then neither are right!

Edited April 3, 2019 by melmerby

[ejstubbs]

Given that metric units are something of a mystery to many of our American cousins, I suspect that the imperial* measurement is more likely to be correct.

 

We could actually be looking at a double typo on Kadee's part: I make 27/64ths of an inch 10.71mm (not rounded).  Maybe someone mistyped that as 10.61, then by a process of Chinese whispers it was incorrectly corrected by removing the 1 (which was needed) at the end and adding the 7 (which was also needed) at the front, leaving the 6 (which wasn't needed) still there.

 

* Though I'd guess that they don't call them that over the pond.  Predicably, Wiki has an exhaustive (and exhausting) article on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_customary_units

[CloggyDog]

13 hours ago, DutyDruid said:

 

Just got home and have measured a #19 vs #20.  I must have taken a "different" measurement from yours - mine was from end of swallowtail to shoulder where knuckle head is fixed using a digital calliper - and I made the #20 thereabouts 1.25mm longer which, when you remember you are putting one on each coach, will increase the distance between vehicles by 2.5mm

 

You could try a #19 on one car and a #20 on the other?

 

I do mix my NEM Kadees (on UK OO and Continental H0) to ensure close coupling without affecting ability to go round my layout's curves - so quite a bit has a #17 at one end and a #18 the other.

 

On my mid-50s-era US H0 stock, I've now standardised on the #153 scale short whisker wherever possible.

[ejstubbs]

15 hours ago, DutyDruid said:

I must have taken a "different" measurement from yours

 

Per my later post, and the ensuing discussion with melmerby, I took those figures from the Kadee web site.

 

I suppose it's even possible that Kadee have changed the spec of the NEM couplings over time...

 

If I'm bored this evening I might actually put the caliper against some Kadees I have at home to see if the number I come up with match yours, Kadees' own etc!

[Sir TophamHatt]

Does anyone have a CMX cleaner? 

The coupling that came with mine is a fair bit out. 

[melmerby]

6 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

Does anyone have a CMX cleaner? 

The coupling that came with mine is a fair bit out. 

 

Seems odd as the CMX cleaner is H0 has standard American trucks and it is supplied with a #5.

I'll check mine but offhand I hadn't noticed a problem.

[Jeff Smith]

It looks as though it is drooping and may need a thin shim to bring it horizontal.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Jeff Smith

[melmerby]

This is mine:

[Sir TophamHatt]

Hmm.

I'll see if I can add a washer or something similar to bring up the droop.

[John ks]

A couple of other ways to raise the Kadee's on the track cleaner

Change the wheel sets from 33" to 36"

Place a washer between the bogie & the wagon, Kadee make fibre washers just for this

 Edit to add following

Kadee - #208 Kadee HO Scale Red Insulated Fiber Washers (.015" thick)

 

Kadee - #209 Kadee HO Scale Gary Insulated Fiber Washers (.010" thick)

 

I have shimmed Kadee boxes with a 5 thou plastic strip(highlighted in red) across the edge of the coupler box shown in cross-section

 

John

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by John ks

[Butler Henderson]

Are the wheels in the bogie right, they look like the axles are far higher up than on Melmerbys

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Butler Henderson said:

Are the wheels in the bogie right, they look like the axles are far higher up than on Melmerbys

Different camera angle?

I took mine as near horizontal as possible.

[Jeff Smith]

18 hours ago, John ks said:

A couple of other ways to raise the Kadee's on the track cleaner

Change the wheel sets from 33" to 36"

Place a washer between the bogie & the wagon, Kadee make fibre washers just for this

 Edit to add following

Kadee - #208 Kadee HO Scale Red Insulated Fiber Washers (.015" thick)

 

Kadee - #209 Kadee HO Scale Gary Insulated Fiber Washers (.010" thick)

 

I have shimmed Kadee boxes with a 5 thou plastic strip(highlighted in red) across the edge of the coupler box shown in cross-section

 

John

 

Or fit #147 medium underset whisker coupler.

[Sir TophamHatt]

Did a bit of expermienting last night.

To be fair, the 68 that pulls it is also a little low so they both suit each other!   Put a little washer in and tightened it a bit more and it's improved a little. Had to replace the one on the 68 though as the spring popped out. Then I noticed the CMX coupler didn't even have a spring! Not sure it makes any difference but have replaced that and will test later.

Although this is perhaps the 3rd time I've had to mess about getting a spring back on. Think I'm gonna use glue on one side of it next time I start messing with the couplers.

Edited April 6, 2019 by Sir TophamHatt

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

 I noticed the CMX coupler didn't even have a spring! Not sure it makes any difference but have replaced that and will test later.

 

If yours is the same as mine the supplied coupler I think is a #5 with the phosphor bronze spring arrangement to give the self centring.

All fits into a machined receptacle on the tank.

This is where a #14x series with the built in whiskers as suggested by Jeff in the previous post could be used.

[47137]

On 27/03/2019 at 16:18, DutyDruid said:

 

...

 

I have to go up the M40 next week and have arranged to collect the coupler head to NEM363 adapter from Brackley, now need to organise to go to Gaugemaster to collect the ROCO 40287 thingy.

 

...

 

Elliott

 

Any joy?

 

I have found Gaugemaster's free delivery service reliable enough; the only snag is in working up the order to reach £15. I find this difficult (I use a funny scale), but it's probably quite easy if you use 00 or N.

 

- Richard.

[DutyDruid]

On 07/04/2019 at 08:11, 47137 said:

 

Any joy?

 

 

I've got all the bits I need, now all I need is the time to drive the pin out of the coupler head to separate it from the swallow tail and fit it to the AMF87 bits I collected from Brackley.  A friend has said he will provide me with a suitably shaped block to make this easier which I should receive this evening. 

 

Intention is to try to fit it all together while I shop-keep tomorrow, but first sight of the Roco 40287 coupler is that is indeed the same drop as a Bachmann cranked coupler.  Photo will follow when it's done.

[47137]

1 hour ago, DutyDruid said:

 

I've got all the bits I need, now all I need is the time to drive the pin out of the coupler head to separate it from the swallow tail and fit it to the AMF87 bits I collected from Brackley.  A friend has said he will provide me with a suitably shaped block to make this easier which I should receive this evening. 

 

Intention is to try to fit it all together while I shop-keep tomorrow, but first sight of the Roco 40287 coupler is that is indeed the same drop as a Bachmann cranked coupler.  Photo will follow when it's done.

I found, I could push out the pivot pin on the Kadee using a small bradawl to get it started, and then fine nose pliers to pull from the other side. The pin comes out more easily from one side than the other, as if there is a tiny taper on it, so if there is resistance try pushing the other way.

 

Edit: at the end of the day, I am hoping the Kadee will be at the proper height, and 2mm further out from the NEM socket than we would really like (because of the thickness of the Roco part); but it will work.

 

- Richard.

Edited April 8, 2019 by 47137

[melmerby]

I removed the head off an NEM coupler the other day, purely by accident.

A loco was hauling a rake of coaches with Kadees on the end when a droopy close coupling unit allowed the actuating pin to catch in some pointwork bringing the coaches to an immediate stop whilst the loco carried on.

It pulled the head, intact complete with mounting pin, clean off the mount by pulling the plastic away.