All I will use is a coupler pick also, I'm not going to mess with magnetics. Remember a coupler used in the 40s and 50s that a had bronze wire that stuck toward the side, and the "knuckle" was a thin piece of brass on it's edge. Squeezing the two wires toward each other opened the knuckles. Can't remember the name, don;'t think it was the Devore ones.
DJE ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Kozlowsky To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2012 11:26 AM Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} How about Manually Operated Couplers? Trevor, I agree with everything you've said. I use HO Sergents for Sn2 and I'll use them when they're available RTR in standard gauge. In the mean time, I use Prot Max couplers because they uncouple flawlessly with a KD coupler pic and they're larger than #5s. Ed Kozlowsky Sanford, Maine sscale.org From: tpm1ca <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, October 3, 2012 11:51 AM Subject: {S-Scale List} How about Manually Operated Couplers? --- In mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com, ken garber <garber.ken@...> wrote: > > For general switching, yes it would be expensive, but if you pull your > train into the yard and need to cut off the power and send to the house, it > would be adequatel. (Or even two locos that need to be split.) > > Ken Ken and others: Perhaps I'm a luddite, but I don't even like using the trip pins on the Kadee couplers. I cut them off. I do this partially for appearance sake, partially so I don't have to worry about pins interfering with brake hoses or snagging on grade crossings and switch frogs, and partially because - having done this for years now - I automatically design layouts with good reach-in access everywhere that I need to couple/uncouple cars. This is a good idea - if you can comfortably work the couplers manually, you can also reach the track to clean rails, conduct minor repairs, and all the other stuff that needs to be done to keep a layout running flawlessly (or as close to flawlessly as possible). Since the last time I mentioned "Flawless Operation" on this list it started an extensive discussion on what that means and whether it's even achievable, I'll go for broke and also mention that when (if?) Frank Sergent does his S scale couplers in Ready-to-Use die cast - as he has with his HO couplers - I'll be upgrading my entire fleet as fast as I can place an order. My layout is already designed with Sergents in mind - and the ability to operate the couplers with a magnetic wand instead of physically forcing open the Kadees with a skewer has a lot of appeal. I used the HO die cast Sergent couplers on my previous layout (an O scale Maine two-footer) so I'm comfortable using them. In fact, I prefer them over the Kadees. As for DCC-controlled couplers, include me out. For starters, pulling the pin on the couplers is the brakeman's job - not the engineer's. Since I prefer to run my layout with a two-person crew on each train, having the engineer open the knuckles using his throttle would be unrealistic. Cheers! - Trevor (ducking) in Toronto --- Trevor Marshall Port Rowan in 1:64 I model a steam-era Canadian National branch line terminal in S scale, and blog about it here: http://themodelrailwayshow.com/cn1950s The Model Railway Show Listen in as two S scalers (and recovering radio newscasters) host a podcast about the hobby: http://www.themodelrailwayshow.com/
