Kadee couplers

Oh, by the way. I'm using 0-72 track primarily with some 0-48.

Thanks.

805 are on 99% of my cars.  Can't go wrong with any of them really, it all depends on your application.  Good to have a pair of each model so you can experiment.  And by the way Modeltrainstuff.com has the best prices right now.

Most O Scale mfg that focus on the 2 rail market, make their products with mounting holes that fit Kadee coupler boxes, if they include coupler mounting capability, ie direct fit.    Atlas on the other had, has mfg their cars with the mounting holes slightly closer together than the Kadee mounting hole.     So there is no direct mounting without some adjustment.    The simplest approach, although a little crude, is to use a #43 drill in a drill motor and elongate the hole in the rear of the coupler box toward the front.     The slot only needs about 10 -15 thousandths.   

Atlas 2 rail cars have both wheels on each axle insulated, so you can use a metal box and a metal coupler without worrying about a short caused by uninsulated wheels on opposite sides of coupled cars.    

I personally like the 805s better than the newer ones for operations.    The newer 84n types look better.    However, I had a large fleet with 805s prior before the new ones came out.     For me the 805s  uncouple more easily manually during operating sessions when working with other 805s.

Thank you very much. 805's it will be

I prefer the looks of the 740s as once coupled, I usually do not switch out cars.  In fact, I often trim the trip pins off anyway.

Thanks!

- Mario

Someday, you may get tired of the 805 knuckle springs flying out! Other than that, I do like them. For some reason, certain ones loose those springs and others don't? I can always tell when a train unexpectedly drops it's cars during sessions. Only maybe once a year though.

I like the new 700 series coupler's looks better. I believe it's something like $1 more a pair. So bulk cars get 805s and engines mainly get 700's. If I had more cash, I'd stick with 700's. Everything adds up and the hobby is expensive. So some of my older Atlas cars, still have their old stock couplers for now. I replace them as they fail me. They drop out about once a month!

I’m using the 700 series because they hide the inner spring and prevent it from falling out.

The 743’s have the shortest shank, but I’m mostly using the medium shank 740’s just in case the 743’s aren’t long enough to negotiate O-72 track.

I agree that ModelTrainStuff is the best place to get these from right now. They’re nicely priced and ship fairly quick.

If you need to couple onto hi-rail couplers, the 805/804's work better than the 740's. However, because of the look and the way the knuckle springs are set up, the 740's are much better. I use the 745's almost exclusively, except on MTH 6-axle diesels, where I use 743 short-shank/short box because I got tired of grinding boxes down.

I've had to retrofit a few Atlas 2-rail cars with failed couplers and what I've found is that you can finagle a 745 (metal coupler/plastic draft box) in place using 2mmx8mm machine screws and a fiber shim (MicroMark). The trick is to place the main screw (the one that goes through the box and the coupler shank) first, then the rear screw. The other option is to enlarge the main screw hole using a 3/32 drill. The shim brings the coupler down to the right height.

From a curve handling perspective, check the 2-rail specs for the Atlas cars as Atlas lists the minimum curve RADIUS the car can negotiate (double that number for the "O-##" three-rail curve). A 40-foot car can actually sneak through a 24" center line radius curve (O-48) being pushed/pulled by a small diesel or steam switcher, but remember that Lionel FasTrack is measured to the OUTSIDE rail. and is a bit sharper than 24" radius.

Hope this helps.

Guys, I have some MTH Premier 2-rail F7's in which I have done the 2 to 3 rail wheelset conversions but I haven't yet added the couplers to the front of the A units.  Which Kadee coupler do you think is best for this application?  Will I need shims to attain the correct height?   Thanks in advance!

@AGHRMatt posted:

If you need to couple onto hi-rail couplers, the 805/804's work better than the 740's. However, because of the look and the way the knuckle springs are set up, the 740's are much better. I use the 745's almost exclusively, except on MTH 6-axle diesels, where I use 743 short-shank/short box because I got tired of grinding boxes down.

I've had to retrofit a few Atlas 2-rail cars with failed couplers and what I've found is that you can finagle a 745 (metal coupler/plastic draft box) in place using 2mmx8mm machine screws and a fiber shim (MicroMark). The trick is to place the main screw (the one that goes through the box and the coupler shank) first, then the rear screw. The other option is to enlarge the main screw hole using a 3/32 drill. The shim brings the coupler down to the right height.

From a curve handling perspective, check the 2-rail specs for the Atlas cars as Atlas lists the minimum curve RADIUS the car can negotiate (double that number for the "O-##" three-rail curve). A 40-foot car can actually sneak through a 24" center line radius curve (O-48) being pushed/pulled by a small diesel or steam switcher, but remember that Lionel FasTrack is measured to the OUTSIDE rail. and is a bit sharper than 24" radius.

Hope this helps.

Ah, yes!  I totally forgot about that!  Thanks @AGHRMatt!

@The GN Man posted:

Guys, I have some MTH Premier 2-rail F7's in which I have done the 2 to 3 rail wheelset conversions but I haven't yet added the couplers to the front of the A units.  Which Kadee coupler do you think is best for this application?  Will I need shims to attain the correct height?   Thanks in advance!

I have a set of F7's and used 743's on the pilots without shims. However, I stuck with the scale wheels. Your best friend is a Kadee height gauge.

Thank you, Matt.  I do have the height gauge. What mounting screws did you use?

I am old school and have about 100 sets of 805s that I still plan on using.  They seem to be the right compromise for most all my equipment.  Yes, the springs are a PITA, but I came from HO #5s so they are are lot easier to replace than the HO counterpart. 

I am a stickler for a lot of items on detail, but for whatever reason the 805 satisfies the "good enough" side of me.  Props to all of you that understand how all the other styles work!

However, I would like to find something akin to the Type-H tight lock coupler for my remaining 3RS (mostly NJT and Conrail).  I find on my club layout there are a few dips that occasionally exceed the vertical height of the Kadee coupler.

@The GN Man posted:

Thank you, Matt.  I do have the height gauge. What mounting screws did you use?

Go to https://www.microfasteners.com and get a few packs of 2mmX8mm machine screws in stainless steel, plus a pack of 2-56x3/8" machine screws (I got these in black). The MTH locomotives and freight cars use the 2mmX8mm. Go to https://www.micromark.com and order yourself a couple of packs of fiber coupler shims. You'll be good to go.

@Engineer-Joe posted:

Someday, you may get tired of the 805 knuckle springs flying out! Other than that, I do like them. For some reason, certain ones loose those springs and others don't? I can always tell when a train unexpectedly drops it's cars during sessions. Only maybe once a year though.

I like the new 700 series coupler's looks better. I believe it's something like $1 more a pair. So bulk cars get 805s and engines mainly get 700's. If I had more cash, I'd stick with 700's. Everything adds up and the hobby is expensive. So some of my older Atlas cars, still have their old stock couplers for now. I replace them as they fail me. They drop out about once a month!

Is that why there’s so many spares in the package.  LOL.