R8220 NEM Hornby Couplings

[Budgie]

Does anybody know how many of these you get in a packet? According to their website these cost £5.70 a packet, and they seem to be included with all Hornby bogie coaches. I'd rather not have them and pay a bit less for my coaches.

 

Note that these are the non-automatic close coupling jobbies, not the usual tension locks.

[RFS]

You get 10 to a packet and that costs less than £5 if purchased off Ebay. Of course, mass-produced and only 2 included with the coaches, the cost per coach to Hornby is going to be very much less than that.

 

If you don't want them you can always sell them on Ebay yourself.

[Bernard Lamb]

But you only get two with a coach so the cost is far lower.

Some of us do use the things and I find it handy to have a choice.

You can always use up the standard ones on kit built wagons if you are a tight whatsit like me.

Bernard

[Stevelewis]

Personally I find these alternative couplings very good, they give more positive coupling than the hook & loops, and there is no 'loose coupled freight train' effect!

 

I rarely use hook & loops these days anyway, I standardise on Kadees, or the Hornby alternatives on coach rakes.

[Budgie]

Thanks for the info. I use Kadees too, and I have been thinking of using these couplings within fixed rakes, but not if they cost over 5 quid a pair list price.

[tender]

For fixed rakes i'm thinking of using symoba 104, ribu 85505 (bar) or Bachmann (pipe) couplings. I've tried the symoba 104 and they give very close coupling (almost touching) on Hornby maunsell coaches.

[Stevelewis]

For fixed rakes i'm thinking of using symoba 104, ribu 85505 (bar) or Bachmann (pipe) couplings. I've tried the symoba 104 and they give very close coupling (almost touching) on Hornby maunsell coaches.

 

Just a note on the Bachmann BAR couplings:

 

Bachmann couplings on the MK 1 coaches are set at a different height than NEM standard, ( hence the stepped hook & loop couplings) therefore if using the PIPE couplings on other types of rolling stock it will probably be nescessary to adjust the 'bend' in them slightly, particularly if coupling a MK 1 coach to another type.

 

Heating the bar couplings in hot water quickly facilitates adjustment

[Adrian Wintle]

Thanks for the info. I use Kadees too, and I have been thinking of using these couplings within fixed rakes, but not if they cost over 5 quid a pair list price.

 

The R8220 retail pack is 10 couplers.

 

Adrian

[Dogmatix]

Just a note on the Bachmann BAR couplings:

 

Bachmann couplings on the MK 1 coaches are set at a different height than NEM standard

 

They are also set further back, requiring a longer coupler or bar. Hornby's Roco couplers have longer shanks than the standard Roco ones, and can be used on Bachmann Mk 1 and Mk 2 coaches, but sometimes the couplers have to be squeezed together a bit to get them to lock.

 

An alternative is the Roco 'adjustable height' coupler, which has two parts: an adapter which plugs into the NEM pocket and has a vertically elongated dovetail 'socket', and a coupling head with a matching dovetail 'plug'. This results in a longer coupling length, which happens to be just right for the Bachmanns - and thanks to the height adjustability, also at the correct height for coupling to other stock fitted with Roco couplers. A tad more expensive, though, at €5 per pair.