[neil_s_wood]

Bachmann are pretty good generally at introducing new innovation into the UK market from the US and Europe but it seems that this could possibly extend to Kadee couplings now. I ordered this set pictures above from Hattons last week to go with the DCC sound Class 66 and was just having at look at the picture today anticipating the immenent arrival of my first UK outline sound loco and associated freight wagons when I noticed that the couplers are not the standard UK outline ones but Kadees. Is this a new development? Or is it just the set that was photographed had been modified or something? Any one in the know?

 

[Jennings]

It reflects the prototype as the HTAs are fitted with buckeye style couplings (Except some with were altered to screw links for the immnigham - scunthorpe workings).

 

[alibuchan]

they supply the tension lock couplings in the box

 

[34C]

They look vastly better with the buckeye they come fitted with, but the problem with them mounted at bufferbeam height is that the buckeye was designed for HO, so the trip pin is far too high for uncoupling magnet actuation. On the 66 it is very easy to cut out the small black recess in the bufferbeam on which the dummy drawhook and hinged aside moulded buckeye are situated. The resulting space will neatly accept one of Bach's EZmate couplers, pivoting on a self tapper in the cab floor underside, with the side control springs bearing on the edges of the recess in the bufferbeam. I had to put a thin washer above the EZmate to match height with the wagon buckeyes, but it's a very quick and easy mod, and means the 66 can carry the supplied optional airdams as there is no unprototypically mounted coupler to foul it. My set are a permanently coupled up unit, but for those wanting auto uncoupling, a longer trip pin could be substituted in the buckeyes.

 

[Sol]

Bachmann do not use Kadee but Ezymate which is McHenry's under licence. While they are a clone, the Mk1 are not ideal as they use a small whisker for the spring of the knuckle & under load come apart. Mk2 have a coil spring like Kadee & even stays on better than Kadee.
The shank of the Bachmann is slightly thinner than Kadee & will slop a bit more in the Kadee box.
There is also two other clones, Stean Era from Australia & Accumate which Atlas use, both are similar not but not quite the same. Intermountain in USA also used one but now uses eithet Accumate or Kadee on their vehicles.
They have been tested a few years ago in the Model Railroader with each other & there are a few sdmall problems in inter-mixing brands depending on the situation.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (Sol @ 19 Oct 2007, 07:35) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Bachmann do not use Kadee but Ezymate which is McHenry's under licence. While they are a clone, the Mk1 are not ideal as they use a small whisker for the spring of the knuckle & under load come apart. Mk2 have a coil spring like Kadee & even stays on better than Kadee.
The shank of the Bachmann is slightly thinner than Kadee & will slop a bit more in the Kadee box.
There is also two other clones, Stean Era from Australia & Accumate which Atlas use, both are similar not but not quite the same. Intermountain in USA also used one but now uses eithet Accumate or Kadee on their vehicles.
They have been tested a few years ago in the Model Railroader with each other & there are a few sdmall problems in inter-mixing brands depending on the situation.
I have found that with some of the Kadee copy's they do come apart. Now I know why.

I'll be interested to see what it comes with when it arrives.

 

[Oakydoke]

Neil
It's not a new innovation; they have provided these EZ Mate couplers with the HTA's since they came out several years ago.
They are also supplied with other wagons such as the BRA and BYA steel carriers.

As Jennings has mentioned, some prototype HTA's have had screwlinks fitted at the outer ends of the fixed rakes, so they can be pulled by class 60's instead of the usual class 66's.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (Oakydoke @ 20 Oct 2007, 17:49) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Neil
It's not a new innovation; they have provided these EZ Mate couplers with the HTA's since they came out several years ago.
They are also supplied with other wagons such as the BRA and BYA steel carriers.

As Jennings has mentioned, some prototype HTA's have had screwlinks fitted at the outer ends of the fixed rakes, so they can be pulled by class 60's instead of the usual class 66's.
I thought it may have been a photo of a test model or something. It's a bit strange that they offer this set of wagons with Kadee look a likes but the loco that pulls them comes with the UK style couplers. Why's that then?

 

[C J Langdon]

Has anyone had any experience of using Bachmann Ezmate couplings on bachmann steam outline stock, specifically 9F, 4MT and Mk1 coaches?

 

[butler-henderson]

QUOTE (C J Langdon @ 18 Sep 2008, 19:11) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Has anyone had any experience of using Bachmann Ezmate couplings on bachmann steam outline stock, specifically 9F, 4MT and Mk1 coaches?
Simply not as good as Kadees- they are ideal for use within a fixed rake of coaches to replace the tension lock.

 

[Sol]

I have used Bachmann EZmate before but they have to be Mk2 - the ones with the coil spring on the knuckle head like Kadee otherwise the fine styrene finger of MK1 looses its strength & allows the couplings to part under load.

 

[kiwitrains]

My HTA`s keep coming apart I know my track is not completely level so looks like it might be better to fit the UK type coupling in the box and try them that way.

 

[Sol]

Kiwitrains, are they just pulling apart or one lifts over the other - poor track will allow them to lift out of each others knuckles - remedy - fix the track but is has to be really bad track to do that.
I would think they are just pulling apart - do the coupers have a coil spring on the side to keep the knucke closed like the Kadee or a stryene finger? If they are a finger, replace them with MK2 equivalent or the Kadee equivalent.

 

[Ozzie21]

Personally I toss the plastic Kadee clones in the bin. I generally fit Kadee 58 series couplers when I can. On most of UK stock I have fitted Kadee Nem series couplers in the 17 to 20 series. With the chances of buffer locking I usually stick to 18's and 19's as these are a suitable compromise. I have used the shorter variants on Mk1 coaching stock to get close coupling but to achieve this I had to change out the buffers and model them in a compressed state.

Regards
Charles Emerson
Queensland
Australia

 

[kiwitrains]

Yes Ron they are pulling apart a try with Kadee I think after reading the comments, they do look a lot better than the UK coupling dont they.

 

[SRman]

I found that the Bachmann EZ-mates work well with shorter rakes but that the flex in the plastic shanks meant that they would uncouple with longer, heavier rakes. So, for example, I fitted the earlier style of EZ-mates to a rake of six Hornby Pullmans (the newer type) and they worked perfectly. When I extended the rake to nine coaches for exhibition use, the problems began and there were random uncouplings, always at the locomotive end of the rake and on random stretches of track, straight or curved, level or uneven, there was no pattern. Changed the couplings to "real" Kadees and the problems went away.

When I investigated further, I could see that the shanks of the Bachmann couplings were dropping as the load increased, until eventually one or other would let go.