RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted March 12, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 12, 2012 Can anyone give me some tips on keeping these assembled when in use as mine seem to fall apart at the first sign of use and its driving me mad.Is it possible to solder the legs to keep them secure perhaps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merfyn Jones Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Can anyone give me some tips on keeping these assembled when in use as mine seem to fall apart at the first sign of use and its driving me mad.Is it possible to solder the legs to keep them secure perhaps. Smiths for trains of 3 or 4 wagons. Romford if you want to hang any weight behind the loco. Merf. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Hi Robin, As Merf says, the Romfords are good if you want to pull a lot, but are a bit chunky. I like the look of the Smiffs better, and FWIW I glue all my loco screwlinks solid discretely with superglue so they can't be used. 3 links are easy to drop in for multi-working, and the wagon 3 link strength isn't an issue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killybegs Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Can anyone give me some tips on keeping these assembled when in use as mine seem to fall apart at the first sign of use and its driving me mad.Is it possible to solder the legs to keep them secure perhaps. You could try Exactoscale www.p4track.co.uk/ , expensive but very good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukedog Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hi Robin, As Merf says, the Romfords are good if you want to pull a lot, but are a bit chunky. I like the look of the Smiffs better, and FWIW I glue all my loco screwlinks solid discretely with superglue so they can't be used. 3 links are easy to drop in for multi-working, and the wagon 3 link strength isn't an issue. Similar method here too. I super glue the "eyes" in the centre of the coupling but NOT the shackle to the hook, I can still use the coupling, effectively as a single link working coupling. Cheers! Frank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tomlinson Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I've not experienced a problem with these on freights up to 22 wagons - admittedly quite light wagons around 30g each. Presumably the difficulty you're having is the end pieces coming away from the middle on the little points that stick out. I'd suggest you try forming the end pieces round something curved so that they effectively have to be sprung open a bit to fit over the little points on the central piece, in effect making the end pieces into something like an omega shape. This should help them to grip as firmly as possible whilst allowing rotation around the central piece. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted March 14, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2012 Re the opening problem. I squeeze the hoop part with pliers to close it up (at the eyes), I find they are typically very loose and can pull off the etched piece, squeezing them cures the issue and still leaves them moderately flexible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted March 14, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2012 You could try Exactoscale www.p4track.co.uk/ , expensive but very good. Wow they look good - will they work with 00 ?? I'll get me coat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted March 14, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 14, 2012 You could try Exactoscale www.p4track.co.uk/ , expensive but very good. Are they ready assembled for that price ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killybegs Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Are they ready assembled for that price ? I'm afraid not !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Bigcheeseplant Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 There is the Masokits ones you need to assemble them but they are to scale and dont fall apart as the pivots at the central section are soldered pins. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted March 16, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 16, 2012 The thing is with the Smiths product is that the etching on the spigots on the centre pieces seems to be variable. Having said that, I've had nearly 40 pretty heavy (50 - 60g+) P4 wagons on the DRAG test track, with one of these couplings near the front taking all the weight of the rest of the train, and no problems at all. I really don't like the overscale appearance of the Markits couplings (OK, that's my personal view), so for assured strength, I'd use the Masokits ones. I've assembled a few of these in my time, and as PMP says (and shows), they do look great. I've also found the Markits ones to be quite stiff and lacking in flexibility, making them a bit awkward to reliably couple with a coupling hook under exhibition conditions. Bear in mind, however, that despite the scale or near-scale appearance of the Exactoscale and Masokits products, coupling and uncoupling with these under exhibition conditions isn't everyone's cup of tea!... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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