KD Couplers verses Accumate Couplers


Greg@mnrr

Greg@mnrr

Section Hand
I been a firm believer in using KD couplers but as I do my inventory of rolling stock, I'll need a small fortune to purchase the KD couplers along with the needed metal wheel sets.

I'm working on an ore car unit train that will number over 100+ cars and here I know that KD's (not draw bars) will be the correct way to go due to the need to pull a heavy train. I'll done approximately 40+ cars that are weathered, have Chooch loads with Woodland Scenics ore attached for additional realism, KD couplers and metal wheels.

On my layout, shorter trains are the rule and I'm slowly replacing the original equipment couplers on all my locomotives with KD's.

I think that replacing any original Accumate couplers maybe not necessary since I run short trains of seven cars or less and the draw bar pull of a short train may not require the extra strength of using KD's.

I have yet had an Accumate coupler fail.

What are your thoughts on this plan?

Thanks.

Greg
 
Greg - I have at least 100+ Accurail cars and I use their coupler, with the intent of replacing with a KD when it fails. Haven't had one fail yet and many of them are 20+ years old. Just my experience. I mostly pull trains of between 22 and 24 properly weighted modern freight cars, 50' to 79'.

Willie
 
Any kind of coupler other than KD that is able to breech my security boundry of my basement is soon found out and placed, without ceremony or second thought in a trash recepticle. I won't even use other couplers for junk loads.
 
Buy Kadees in bulk, use #5 couplers instead of scale couplers for the "regular" fleet. Save the scale head couplers for engines and the good stuff.
Get creative. Buy a used car you don't really want, that has Kadees. Swap the couplers for Accumates, and sell the car for what you paid for it. I've done this many times.
 
Greg@mnrr said:
On my layout, shorter trains are the rule and I'm slowly replacing the original equipment couplers on all my locomotives with KD's.

I think that replacing any original Accumate couplers maybe not necessary since I run short trains of seven cars or less and the draw bar pull of a short train may not require the extra strength of using KD's.
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As much as I dislike the Accumate couplers I would do the same thing. When they break or fail then replace. Replacing just for replacement's sake goes against my cheapo streak.
 
If they're the same ones that are fitted to Atlas HO, the first ones I had of them had the knack of staying open after having pressure applied in reversing moves or going downgrade with a load of other cars behind them.
 
Greg@mnrr said:
I been a firm believer in using KD couplers but as I do my inventory of rolling stock, I'll need a small fortune to purchase the KD couplers along with the needed metal wheel sets.

I'm working on an ore car unit train that will number over 100+ cars and here I know that KD's (not draw bars) will be the correct way to go due to the need to pull a heavy train. I'll done approximately 40+ cars that are weathered, have Chooch loads with Woodland Scenics ore attached for additional realism, KD couplers and metal wheels.

On my layout, shorter trains are the rule and I'm slowly replacing the original equipment couplers on all my locomotives with KD's.

I think that replacing any original Accumate couplers maybe not necessary since I run short trains of seven cars or less and the draw bar pull of a short train may not require the extra strength of using KD's.

I have yet had an Accumate coupler fail.

What are your thoughts on this plan?

Thanks.

Greg
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My thoughts? If funds are limited, prioritize by replacing the worst offenders first but have a goal of eventually replacing all plastic couplers as soon as you are able. Buy Kadee bulk packs and work your way through replacing the type of couplers that are the most problematic and work through the fleet.

Here are comments from someone I respect a lot on another forum:

I had to ban Accumates from my layout. They require more force to couple than other types (something crews commented on without knowing which cars used them), and they have a tendency to wedge open when slack runs in, especially on curves. The standard head Accumates can have difficulty coupling or uncoupling from Kadee #58/158 heads.

I noticed break-in-twos with Accumate equipped cars when trains reached the bottom of grades. As slack ran in on the way downhill, the couplers would jam with the knuckles open. Once the train got to level track, the Accumates would stay jammed, causing the train to come uncoupled.

People I know who have more positive experience with Accumates tend to run short trains with mostly 40' cars. Longer cars on curves place the line of thrust farther from the track centerline, causing greater sideways force that's more likely for to force the couplers open.
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As Rob noted above, Accumates work better in shorter trains with mostly shorter cars - take that for what it's worth.

I've got a sizable fleet I have to replace a lot of Accumates and McHenry couplers on. I can afford to buy the Kadee's (I'd guess around $150 or so would get most of my plastic couplers replaced) but for me it's more a matter of time to do it.
 
I prefer Kadee couplers. I have replaced most all plastic couplers with Kadee's and in fact have been replacing the standard #5's with the 158's which are closer to scale. All of my freight equipment have Kadees. I only have a very few locomotives which have not been changed, and they are switchers that I haven't been able to find a Kadee for. If you are pulling a long train up a grade, plastic couplers have been known to fail not being able to handle the weight of the train. The switchers can handle the weight of a heavy train on a grade so I am not getting too excited about changing them out, but would like to at some time because I feel that the Kadees operate better as I do use magnets for uncoupling.
 
montanan said:
I prefer Kadee couplers. I have replaced most all plastic couplers with Kadee's and in fact have been replacing the standard #5's with the 158's which are closer to scale.
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Kadee 158 semi-scale head looks much nicer than #5. The only down side is the 158 has a smaller vertical profile and if couplers are mismatched and cars hit uneven track, the train may separate. Number 5's are a bit more forgiving in that regards.
 
I haven't had any problems at all (yet) with the 158's. I am anal about having the coupler height matching the Kadee gauge, plus I do have easements on all of my grade changes and my track is even except for where the track drops from the quarter of an inch roadbed to the "ground" where all of my industries are. Even in these cases I haven't had any problems.

They do look quite a bit better.
 
When you start getting into real switching, compare accumates and KD's I havent done this yet, but the club I was in was all Kadees, but that was during the horn hook time. The manufacturers I believe moved out of the Horn Hooks but I think they were looking for a little more economical compatible coupler that works... good enough... So your new cars today come with a compatible knuckle coupler that mates with the kadee than the horn hook, but still some models come with horn hooks stuck away in the box...just in case...

My layout isn't in real operating shape yet, so the fake Kadees stay for now. But every case I keep running into...Kadees still own..., and back before Kadees were about there were realistic knuckle couplers out there that worked but there were also othe coupling mechniasms going on, but Kadee came up and started ruling the biz... 8-D
 
Kadee was the first company to come out with a reliable, decent looking coupler. I can well remember the days when the old horn-hook couplers were what usually came with locomotives and rolling stock. I am guessing that manufacturers had to come out with something that would mate with the Kadees. McHenry, Accumate and others I am guessing are a lot less expensive to make, But with very few exceptions, I do have Kadees on everything. I find that they are a lot stronger and more reliable if you enjoy switching, which is what my layout was built for

I have a friend in Missouri who has a layout that takes up his entire 2,500 square foot basement. During operating sessions, long trains, 50 or more cars can be operating and with the grades on the layout, strong couplers are needed, He will only allow visitors to run equipment with Kadee couplers on his layout. With sometimes as many as 20 trains running at the same time, you sure don't want to have coupler problems.
 
I can't remember if it was an Accumate; or, a Bachmann coupler that broke for me that made me toss everything that wasn't Kadees, I rather think it was Accumates! For ore cars, I am considering draw bars for groups of three cars to put some Kadees back in the inventory.
 
NP2626 said:
I can't remember if it was an Accumate; or, a Bachmann coupler that broke for me that made me toss everything that wasn't Kadees, I rather think it was Accumates! For ore cars, I am considering draw bars for groups of three cars to put some Kadees back in the inventory.
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For ease in handling, I'd probably drawbar two cars together. That would effectively halve your need for Kadees, and it is a lot easier to pick up a pair of cars, than three at once, with much less chance of damage.
 
bnsf971 said:
For ease in handling, I'd probably drawbar two cars together. That would effectively halve your need for Kadees, and it is a lot easier to pick up a pair of cars, than three at once, with much less chance of damage.
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Very good point!
 
NP2626 said:
I can't remember if it was an Accumate; or, a Bachmann coupler that broke for me that made me toss everything that wasn't Kadees, I rather think it was Accumates! For ore cars, I am considering draw bars for groups of three cars to put some Kadees back in the inventory.
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Just FYI, some of the real railroads put draw bars between sets of 4. I don't know if this only was done when they converted them for taconite usage or if that was a common practice before that time also.
 
I can't see making a group of three being a problem, grab the two on the end and the center one will float in between. My cars pretty much stay on the track all the time; so, there is little need in lifting them, anyway.
 
when i was at the big E show a few years ago i went to the kadee booth & confessed my sins of trying other brands but have come back to them
the guys at the booth loved it infact they gave me a free pack for being creative :)
 
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