7mm couplings options

[Simon Moore]

My first of 4 kits have arrived & i would like to know what options i have for couplings. I'm about to take my Talyllyn 0-4-2 to the kit builder & i want to weigh up what options i have for 7mm narrow gauge.

 

Modeling in this scale is totally new to me & i have no previous experience in it so any help would be extremely grateful. I'm looking for something that is cheap & easy to work with throughout all of my stock i'm not a fan of fiddly items something numb & workable will suit my humble modeling skills as i am building all the rolling stock.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[mjcampbell]

There are two commonly used options:

 

The first is the "00" style tension-lock coupler, many people use the narrower type as used by Airfix and Bachmann. It is not unlike the "chopper" style couplings used by many NG lines in principle, although far from a scale representation. They are easily available (as spares), ready made, and if you use 00 chassis you may find them conveniently already fitted. On the other hand they need ugly ramps in the track to uncouple, and are hard to uncouple by hand.

 

The other is the American style "Kadee" couplings. These are knuckle-couplers based on the US prototype couplings, they can be uncoupled with under-track magnets and even alow delayed upcoupling, also you can uncouple manually with a pointed stick, or even a wagon can be lifted out of train. Bachmann 0n30 stock comes with a compatible version of this, but for anything else you would have to buy the couplings and make/fit them yourself. Making them is not hard, they are clip-together plastic, or many come ready made. The Kadee no.5 is the most common, though dozens of variatons of length and mounting height are available. If you are using chassis with an NEM socket plug-in versions are available, and many 016.5 kits come ready to accept standard Kadees, otherwise it is a case of packing on the underside of the chassis and screwing the coupling in place.

 

There are many other possibilities, but involve assembling brass etches and the like, so probably not of interest from what you said. I don't model 016.5 myself, but you'll find many who do over on http://ngrm-online.com if you need more details.

[jc2001]

Easy - yes, cheap - perhaps not but as they say "You pays your money (and you takes your choice)"

 

http://www.zamzoodled.co.uk/

 

John (yes and they are mine)

[Mountain Goat]

Though I realize that you may have already made your coupling choice, I thought I would add to this thread to say that it is not as difficult as one may think to make ones own couplings if needed.