> Sergent couplers rule, 'nuff said.
> Andy Malette
Each coupler has a set of pros and cons. None are perfect in every
respect.
Sergeant couplers do look very nice and are the most realistic of any
available coupler. But they do have some operational limitations
which might be severe in certain cases. For example, if you plan to
couple/uncouple at a distance greater than a comfortable arm's
length, you will soon find that the couplers are not spring loaded to
center themselves automatically. Thus, when you bump the cars
together, they will not necessarily couple up like a Kadee does.
Instead, you must reach out and move the coupler to a near-dead-
center position manually and then try again. Some say: "That's
prototypically correct and the way it should be." Others will
say: "That's a pain in the you-know-where and model railroading is
supposed to be fun and manual centering is not for me!" If you have
a siding more than 20" from the edge of the layout, manual centering
will require a step stool. Plan ahead.....
When it comes to uncoupling, Sergent couplers do NOT use an under-the-
track magnet. Instead, a wand (shaped like a large pencil) has a
magnetic tip which is positioned above the couplers and lifts an
internal steel "ball" upward which then permits uncoupling. The
downsides of this method are the 20" limitation unless you have
really long arms or are as tall as Paul Stevens. If your modeling
goal is ultimate visual realism, you might cringe at the thought of
Paul Bunyon's hand reaching into your layout scene holding a large
telephone pole and waving it around over your couplers without
damaging the caboose end railings and other details. Is that a
realistic scene?
I guess the message here is to look before you jump. Kadee couplers
offer a lot to the operationally oriented layout. Sergeants look
more realistic. Each has their place and you get to choose.
Have fun...Ed L.
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