[Vulcan]

Please excuse the two posts at once - I'm not building anything yet so the research is being done by the shed load and I keep coming up against things I can't find a good answer for.

I'm very keen to have fully automatic coupling and uncoupling on my new layout - and keep coming across the Micro-trains couplers. They seem to be what I'm after, but having found a supplier (MG Sharp) I'm extremely confused as to which couplers I'll actually need.

95% of my stock is Farish, I also have a few dapol models as well. Everything at the moment has the standard rapido couplers and these just don't fit what I'm after. To my eye, it seems that I'll need a combination of 1015 and 1128 to convert my Farish stock, am I barking completely up the wrong tree?

MG Sharp

Can Micro-train couplers be operated by electromagnets that can be deactivated, or do they have to be operated by their own magnets? I don't like the idea of everything uncoupling when I forget a magnet is there!

I think a couple of cheap wagons, coaches and maybe a loco may have to be purchased to experiment on - I've never converted couplings before so any advice is very welcome!

 

[upnick]

QUOTE (N Gauge James @ 25 Oct 2008, 11:40) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Please excuse the two posts at once - I'm not building anything yet so the research is being done by the shed load and I keep coming up against things I can't find a good answer for.

I'm very keen to have fully automatic coupling and uncoupling on my new layout - and keep coming across the Micro-trains couplers. They seem to be what I'm after, but having found a supplier (MG Sharp) I'm extremely confused as to which couplers I'll actually need.

95% of my stock is Farish, I also have a few dapol models as well. Everything at the moment has the standard rapido couplers and these just don't fit what I'm after. To my eye, it seems that I'll need a combination of 1015 and 1128 to convert my Farish stock, am I barking completely up the wrong tree?

MG Sharp

Can Micro-train couplers be operated by electromagnets that can be deactivated, or do they have to be operated by their own magnets? I don't like the idea of everything uncoupling when I forget a magnet is there!

I think a couple of cheap wagons, coaches and maybe a loco may have to be purchased to experiment on - I've never converted couplings before so any advice is very welcome!

Hi
N Gauge James,

Conversion to microtrains on British stock is hard though here is a link to how the couplings operate, the information you need is in the inner window scroll to find it.

http://tinyurl.com/6dmvgl

It must be remembered once converted they are hard if not near impossible to convert back.

 

[Edwin]

There is a discussion on the ngauge-modern Yahoo group about fitting these, and in particular the possibility of one becoming available to fit the NEM pockets that are fitted to more recent Farish and Dapol models. This includes some suggestions of what Microtrains part numbers to use to fit the pockets of the older Farish models with minimal modification.

My view is that the NEM version is not even a promise let alone a product. If it becomes more concrete will I consider fitting MT to the ends of all my rakes of stock, some of which have NEMs and others don't.