Uncouplers

[RichD1]

I’ve inherited a whole stack of goods wagons, mostly kit built and they all have a strange coupler fitted.

 

Can anyone identify them and were they any good? They appear to be magnetic type couplers.

 

Is it worth trying to get them all up together? Are they still made as several are missing parts.

 

From looking at them I can’t see them being as good as Kadees for the ability to push the wagons around the yard without coupling again.

 

Richard

[RexAshton]

They are Sprat and Winkle couplers and work like an inverted tension lock. They and the magnets to uncoujpkle them are still readily available from Model Signal Engineering. Their continued use on many exhibition layouts is a testament to their ease of use and reliability. They can be uncoupled either magnetically or manually.

 The photo shows two different version, the ones with the small curved tag on the top allow for advanced uncoupling. The ones without don't but can be easily modified by soldering a wire 'tag' in place.

 

[Michael Hodgson]

It is quite common for the bar these couplings engage with to be fitted to the buffers rather than as a loop as seen here.   That does look rather odd

[Torper]

57 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

It is quite common for the bar these couplings engage with to be fitted to the buffers rather than as a loop as seen here.   That does look rather odd

 

I've always thought that Spratt & Winkle couplers with that savage great hook are every bit as obtrusive as the tension lock ones they often replace.  They may have been acceptable when first produced but I think that there are much less obtrusive alternatives available now.

 

DT

Edited February 14, 2021 by Torper

[RexAshton]

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

It is quite common for the bar these couplings engage with to be fitted to the buffers rather than as a loop as seen here.   That does look rather odd

Either way works AFAIK

[RichD1]

Thanks for the advice. The trucks have had any sign of standard coupling fitting lugs removed. How easy would it be to fit Kadee couplings?

 

Richard

[D9020 Nimbus]

You would need to fit a "standard" (non-NEM) Kadee and its pocket. These are usually screw-fitted so you would probably need to fabricate something. Alternatively, I believe the pocket can be glued in place, though this is less secure.

 

However you might want to fit them, the height of the wagon base will determine what needs to be done. If you don’t have one already, you will need a height gauge—correct height is vital for correct operation.

[Derekl]

Search RMWeb for "Kadee" and you will find myriad pages of advice on fitting Kadees to all sorts of stock. Fitting to wagons is not difficult in my experience.

[DCB]

1 hour ago, Torper said:

 

I've always thought that Spratt & Winkle couplers with that savage great hook are every bit as obtrusive as the tension lock ones they often replace.  They may have been acceptable when first produced but I think that there are much less obtrusive alternatives available now.

 

DT

You miss the point, these S&W couplers can be easily and quickly  adjusted to be a standard height above rail level and  operate reliably. Standard Tension locks don't and can't, Spratt and Winkle have the tension locks disadvantage that you can't lift a single vehicle clear, which Peco  H/D and Kadees allow.

Kadees can be adjusted for height but not as quickly and easily as S&W  and are generally superior but they are a lot more expensive...  Obviously if you have 100 locos 3 coaches and 21 wagons  it makes no sense to change the rest of your fleet to S&W couplers but for a shunting layout they make an awful lot of sense.

[Torper]

3 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

You miss the point, these S&W couplers can be easily and quickly  adjusted to be a standard height above rail level and  operate reliably. Standard Tension locks don't and can't, Spratt and Winkle have the tension locks disadvantage that you can't lift a single vehicle clear, which Peco  H/D and Kadees allow.........Obviously if you have 100 locos 3 coaches and 21 wagons  it makes no sense to change the rest of your fleet to S&W couplers but for a shunting layout they make an awful lot of sense.

 

Actually, no, I haven't missed the point.  S&W couplers may indeed work well.  The point I was making is that they are visually very obtrusive.  They may well be ideal for a shunting layout provided you don't mind all your wagons having a great big hook sticking out under the bufferbeam at each end not to mention the large loop.  I personally would find it unacceptable.  Kadees I'm sure work well for vehicles that use buckeye couplers and don't have buffers, but they too look pretty awful on most UK steam-age freight stock.  Having said all that, couplers in 4mm scale are invariably a compromise.

 

DT

Edited February 14, 2021 by Torper

[brossard]

Agree with Torper.  Kadees do look awful on UK stock but then most other couplings, apart from prototypical, look pretty terrible too, not least the tension lock.  Kadee have the advantage of at least looking like railway equipment.  They also are generally fairly easy to install, are reliable in service and can be uncoupled using a magnet or manually.

 

John