I want to replace the couplers on my 3rd Rail passenger coaches. The OEM couplers do not open but they don't keep the cars together either. The cars can be pulled apart without the couplers opening. It almost looks like a magic trick. I haven't been able to figure out why the geometry of the these couplers allows them to slip apart.
Can anyone suggest a coupler that will work well on 3rd Rail coaches?
Thanks
Rev Richie
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Are the couplers climbing over each other? Do they have too much up/down play?
Have you asked Scott Mann (3rd Rail) about this? He seems to be quite responsive to concerns regarding his products. Warranted, or not....manufacturers should be given (courtesy?) the first chance to respond to a problem with their products....IMHO, of course.
This might be an unfortunate by-product of overseas manufacturing and its fluid nature....sometimes the change in source requires revisiting some old 'learning curve' issues about things we taken for granted as standard practice/design......like lobster-claw couplers, etc. Tooling/expertise in China is sometimes not a stable investment for a manufacturer. There's not a lot of proprietary technology (?) left in lobster-claw O gauge couplers.....cloning designs is the modus operandi. And, yet, there ARE subtleties about the design/materials that can make/break a seemingly ho-hum item...like lobster-claw couplers. Etc., blah, blah.
Tiny rubber bands? Sometimes they're the Band-Aid of couplerdom,,,,,at least to keep the train all together!
Frustrating, I know.....
The couplers do not ride up or down. There is no 'play'. They just pull apart and never open.
I emailed 3rd rail when this problem was first noticed. I do not recall who responded but it was not at all helpful. Maybe I should try again and direct my email to Scott Mann.
Thanks
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