Scale Model Railroad Trains

How To - Increase Realism and Improve Scale Model Railroad Operations with Replacement Couplers

Most model railroad trains come complete, ready-to-run (RTR) with couplers from the original manufacturers. Couplers join railroad cars together to form a train. Unfortunately, many manufacturers focus so much attention on the railroad car itself they fall short on the couplers. Couplers can be way too large for the scale that the model is in. Some couplers have difficulty holding the train together as it moves through curves, especially small radius curves. Other couplers have difficulty in coming apart when they need to, such as when you are building up a train to make deliveries.

Kadee and other companies have made a specialty of offering couplers that are more correctly sized, operate flawlessly, and look great. Kadee offers couplers suitable for N Scale through HO Scale to G Scale. Many of the Kadee couplers are specially made to be exact replacements for the originally manufactured couplers. Kadee also offers couplers that can be used  as a more general replacement, when a specific coupler is not available. The Kadee couplers are a precision piece of engineering and model railroad fidelity to prototype. As with all add-ons or improvements. The replacement couplers do add to the overall price of your train. After market couplers take some additional skill and effort to be installed. They are a replacement for the ready-to-run couplers. Some couplers may need shims or some cutting to be adjusted precisely for best operations. Many modelers find add-on couplers well worth it. Others can live with the original couplers. It’s up to you. Sometimes the after market couplers are smaller and shaped differently, so they can no jon up with the original couplers. You can have an engine or freight car with a coupler of each type on each end to bridge the differences.

Have fun!

Trainguy

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