Change to Kadees?

The 805’s are what I use. I would say they are pretty reliable as far as staying coupled to a Lionel coil coupler. I’ve converted most of my steamers but not all. The 804 is plastic. In some cases it works better in a 3 rail environment. If the trip pin comes in contact with the center rail you won’t have a short. To use the delayed coupling magnet. The trip pin is pretty close to the rail. A height gauge is a necessity. In your case with manual uncoupling. You could just snip the pin off an 805.
The newer 7 series couplers don’t seem to mate as well with coil couplers or thumbtacks. As far as an uncoupling tool. I’ve tried a few methods. A bit pricey but I really like the one from Micro Mark. Similar in looks to a screwdriver. All plastic with an LED that shines right on the couplers so you can see what you are doing.

Have really good track work and watch your grades.  I have two areas with dips and the cars come uncoupled due to leveling issues.

Use the long shank kadees.  Works better on three rail curves.

Make a special car with a lobster claw on one end and a kadee on the other.  Then you do not have to worry about connection types.

Have fun

Ron

Does switching to Kadees require body-mounted couplers? I wonder how well they would work with 042 curves and 50 foot cars? And pushing?

I also struggle with manual uncoupling of most cars lacking lever or thumbtack, but want an uncoupling tool/techinique solution rather than a coupler-replacement one.  1950s Lionel cars are readily uncoupled by a fingernail inserted under the coupler and pulling down. I plan to keep looking for/working at approaches like that.

I like passenger train switching, and the K-line cars have the metal plate style uncoupler I've yet to master manual uncoupling of. Body-mounted couplers are not a feasible solution for passenger cars given car lengths and curve radii.

I have not prioritized this problem to date, but maybe I'll experiment some and report back.

If...

• I hit the Powerball Lottery numbers,
• I found an elixir of youth,
• My latest annual physical results had a guarantee: "Good for another 25 years!",
• I had the patience of Job,
• All my buddies would certainly be there to celebrate the last conversion with me,
• My wife would tolerate this peculiar obsession,

then I'd convert the whole fleet to Kadees without hesitation!

Being in the last year of septuagenarity,....not likely.

(sigh)

KD   (no relation)

So, based on this very helpful nudge, I just went through the 90 freight cars and 29 passenger cars on the layout. All have either a thumbtack, tab, or both, except two K-line passenger cars, two 1950s Lionel boxcars, and one Williams boxcar. A 5/64" slotted screwdriver can easily be used to pull down the plate on the Lionel cars. For the K-line cars, the screwdriver is inserted behind the coupler and moved horizontally toward the center of the car. Also quite easy. The one Williams car is a bit of a pain as one must insert the screwdriver under the truck frame between the wheels to pull down the plate, which also requires a hand on the top of the car to prevent derailing.

Based on this investigation, I see no operational benefit to changing to Kadees for manual uncoupling.

I may consider replacing the trucks on the one Williams car.

A logical decision.  I thought about Kadees too but just too many cars to modify plus I have higher priorities on the layout.  I did add Kadees between my diesel cab units (AA, AB, ABA) to make them look better, but still needed to do some modification to get them to go through my O72 curves into the engine yard.

But, as KD said, if I win the big lottery........

Kadee’s for the most part are manually uncoupled. Easy enough to do. But easy enough to do on the majority of 3 rail couplers. What got me sold on Kadee’s. Was the ease in which a single car could be coupled doing switching moves at scale speeds.

All good info to consider. I believe I’ll revive a couple of freight cars with the plastic Kadee and see what I think.

P.S I may also make sure all of my freight cars are equipped with the thumbtack and or the lever option.

thanks for the input given. Much appreciated

@Ken Wing posted:

...snip... I may consider replacing the trucks on the one Williams car.

Why bother, the other knuckle will be open and should couple up quite nicely. Just a thought.

Regarding ease of coupling at scale speeds...I volunteer at the Wilmington & Western RR. The passenger cars were built in 1914 and even the SW-1 from 1940 is no spring chicken. I can tell you from experience that our couplers often behave like recalcitrant Lionel-type ones: the car moves backward but the knuckle doesn't close; we have to close the open knuckle and open the closed one to get a coupling; we have to set a handbrake to get coupling; we have to manually pull the coupler to the center of the track to get coupling. What happens in my basement fits well with this 1:1 railroad experience. Why put all the money and effort into changing to Kadees just to reduce the level of prototype realism 😊?

@Ken Wing posted:

Regarding ease of coupling at scale speeds...I volunteer at the Wilmington & Western RR. The passenger cars were built in 1914 and even the SW-1 from 1940 is no spring chicken. I can tell you from experience that our couplers often behave like recalcitrant Lionel-type ones: the car moves backward but the knuckle doesn't close; we have to close the open knuckle and open the closed one to get a coupling; we have to set a handbrake to get coupling; we have to manually pull the coupler to the center of the track to get coupling. What happens in my basement fits well with this 1:1 railroad experience. Why put all the money and effort into changing to Kadees just to reduce the level of prototype realism 😊?

Wonder when the FRA inspector will visit you "prototype operation" with some unkind words about you equipment couplers.

Such is definitely NOT the norm in railroading, thus the Kadee couplers do indeed perform as the prototype couplers do.

FRA inspectors will be onsite this Thursday for a hydro test on a 1909 steamer that has been re-tubed following its 1476 hr/15 year rebuild. I suspect they will not care about the couplers on the 1914 commuter coaches. We are an historical and educational organization, but we are also an operating railroad with truly ANCIENT equipment long, long past its design life.

@Ken Wing posted:

FRA inspectors will be onsite this Thursday for a hydro test on a 1909 steamer that has been re-tubed following its 1476 hr/15 year rebuild. I suspect they will not care about the couplers on the 1914 commuter coaches. We are an historical and educational organization, but we are also an operating railroad with truly ANCIENT equipment long, long past its design life.

And yet,,,,,,,,,,,,,your operation is carrying passengers?

safely

I've lived my life with Lionel type couplers. I have no desire to change, however 805s seem to be the one to use. We have club members with Kadees and they work just fine. I did derail a train once. A knuckle was coupled to an 805 and they derailed in reverse.

I like the look of Kadees better.