[the volebender general]

New member, Hi to everyone on the board.

I have been deciding how to couple my stock. I have decided that i shall use kadee or roco on my passenger stock and locomotives. this leaves the freight and goods stock to do.

my question is this: How instant are Smith's instanters? Does the instant refer to the fixing to the buffer beam or the coupling and uncoupling?

Any input would be most welcome

Michael

 

[Gary]

Welcome to the board.

I don't know if this thread at Model Rail Forum helps? :-

Couplers and looks

Just to remind all new members that there is an absolutely top knotch search facility at Model Rail Forum and this could help you dig up quality information from the archives.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[LMS 10456]

Hi.
"Instanter" refers to the type of prototypical coupling used on Britsh Rlys
Basically a 3 link with the middle link pear shaped enabling the closer coupling of fitted goods stock.
Cheers.
Pete

 

[the volebender general]

Thanks for the info LMS.

Did check the old link too. Lisa P4 suggests I may need tweezers for instanters, oh dear.

Could someone post some pics of specifically - Smiths instanters- (not discussed in thread above Garry) to see the actual size of the slots.

TVBG

 

[Rail-Rider]

Acknowledgements to Scalelink
Pic of Smiths Instanter Kit

Not a great picture, but might help.
Better may be found by more Googling on Smiths Instanter Coupling.

 

[the volebender general]

Many thanks Rail Rider for taking the time to post that pic. Very Helpful. I did google but found only suppliers and order pages. Nice to see the whole pack spread out.

The pic is suggestive. Hook and link on fixed rakes of goods wagons. Hook only on Loco's to reduce tweezer factor. What do you think?
TVBG

 

[Rail-Rider]

Very welcome - I'm as interested in this as you are!

I'm slightly uncertain as to official policy on linking to other sites, but I THINK this next will be OK and Doug will soon sort it if it isn't!

Electric Nose
You will see a very clear pic there - I wish I dare re-post it here, but don't want to push my luck too far!
If you click on the first pic, you will get a much larger and even clearer pic.
The quality is first rate.

If you then mosey around the site, you will find several more excellent photos of Instanter couplings, as the owner specialises in their use, in combination with a mixture of Kadees. I have a feeling that what you are wanting to do is uncannily similar to what this fellow has done and is still doing. I recommend a good look round.

Happy Exploring!

 

[the volebender general]

How stupid am I.

I have looked at Electric nose in the past, and found him to be very helpful if a little rude to Digitrax users. However, I have never thought to double click an image! The link you have posted shows the detail perfectly once it fills the whole screen.

think I will buy a pack or two.

My main issue is that I have spent a lot of effort designing a layout that will have double headers being taken on or off trains. Thus while I'm happy with fixed rakes of wagons I will need to link and unlink locos. I think it will simply be a matter of testing the Smiths coupler and see how I feel about it. It certainly looks the part.

TVBG

 

[Rail-Rider]

They look great and they are prototype practice.
They have to be pretty good or Electric Nose wouldn't be using HUNDREDS of the fiddly wee fellows!

But, for myself, I don't think I could handle the tweezers and those tiny links in anything but perfect lighting. The thing that tickles me enormously is the hugely ambitious use of sophisticated digital control, together with hand operated chain links!
It's good to laugh.

 

[the volebender general]

Quite right Rail Rider,

A computer and a DCC system and when the Frieght arrives i shall be fiddling with tweezers!

However, somehow, taking a loco off by hand, or switching a MPD yard by hand feels right to me. But switching out buffet cars from a rake or changing mainline points does not.

Have no rational argument for this, and will not pretend there is one.

As they always say in the end; 'its my railway'.

regards

TVBG

 

[dr5euss]

I think the electric nose chap uses instanters in the rakes, and then kadees on the end of the rakes and on the locos etc. This is only useful if you want to keep the whole rake together, and not uncouple them all of course.

 

[Rail-Rider]

You are absolutely right on that - his reasoning seems based on limiting the use of auto couplings to the more commonly needed make and break rakes of vehicles. The combination of couplings seems like a good compromise.

 

[the volebender general]

Agreed Rail Rider and dr5euss,

My thinking was as follows.

The fixed coaches can be set at any height the kadee or roco coupler works within the fixed rake. Easy job.

If i have Kadee on locos then they all have to be set at the correct guauge height. Then the front and end of each rake has to be set at the correct height. Then the kadee on the brake vans has to be set at the correct height.
Not so easy or fun!

Now Kadee USA have no idea what Hornbys NEM socket height is. I have chatted with their USA technical Dept (Sandy, I think, who has some Hornby models!): about a a 'step down', my term, NEM Kadee for Hornby Bachman oo, they suggested in return the possiblity of a NEM oo kadee with a longer pin.

My thinking is that we will not get either; because their is no standard Hornby Bachman NEM socket height even on new releases- I really do not Know though as I cannot check all new models. But I/we have to get on with something.

So I was thinking as above - Smiths on buffer beam of locos and vans and freight and end of coaches - pretty easy-
Hence my interest - This is blown out of the water of course if Smiths are a bugger to use.... see above.

Good discussion here

TVBG

 

[Makemineadouble]

All the stock I have is on Kadee's and it's a pleasure. Hornby's NEM coupling boxes are at the right height. Bachmann has also cleaned up their act with regard to couple height and NEM's. The Std class 4 tank is probably the worst example of poor heights, but their are ways around that too.
I just don't know how people have the patience for three link couplers, probably oright if you have two wagons, a guards van, shunter and a plank of wood for a layout. But for operational sized layouts, kadee's the only way to go.

 

[mdjr78]

QUOTE (the volebender general @ 7 Jan 2006, 15:12)Now Kadee USA have no idea what Hornbys NEM socket height is.
You probably mean: 'Hornby has no idea what the NEM socket height is'. Because it is in the norms of Morop: http://www.morop.org/de/normes/nem362_d.pdf (sorry, it's only in German).

regards,
Werner

 

[the volebender general]

mdjr78,

Very, very funny. No more German. I have a hell of a time with incomplete Lenz manual coverage!

MMD,

I was hoping you would take the time to contribute to this thread. Hope things are going well in Dorset and you are not longing for the smell of Lion's piss on the back gate.

Thanks for updating me on the NEM height point. Funnily enough I had the Standard tank down as my first job!!!

I have a new box containing a Q1 and some Bachman MK 1s I shall put your thesis ('have got their act together')to this test as soon as I have finished wiring 6 or 7 more feedback decoders.
If true OK, its a go'er - if not, I will still order the Smiths.
TVBG