I think this is the best video on installing kadee couplers that I have seen in my entire modelling life. Your video presentation has helped me immensely as I have a friend whois replacing some of his OO stock with Kadee mag couplers. I live in Sri Lanka. Thank You.
YES - finally a video that actually shows how the Kadee coulers work. Thank you so much. A small hint about wideo-making: Notice where the focus point is. You don't necessarrlily need your hands in focus as what they are doing ;-) Take care, Steen from Denmark.
Hello Steen. Yes, I talk with my hands too much! :) Sorry about that! I also repeat myself often as I forget what I said in the previous recordings. I mostly narrate as I go along, rather than do v.o. later if I can help it. Thanks so much for watching!
This is a great video for those just getting started installing and maintaining Kadees. My only comment is that I screw all my Kadee couplers to body even if it means drilling into weight and under-rated. I've found CA sometimes won't be enough to keep them on.
¡Hola buenos días Stan! Extremely informative video. I’ve not used the Kadee coupling system on my stock. Despite originally inventing railways in the historical past, it seems that, when in comes to model railways at least and, in true British stiff-upper-lip resilience or, more likely ignorance, we stuck with good old tension lock couplings. Whilst the “D” type tension locks do work extremely well, they aren’t at all realistic (IMHO anyway). After watching your tutorial this morning, I may well investigate the Kadee system. With the recent UK political break from the EU, I have been sourcing modelling stock from other European countries - some of which is a lot cheaper than I can source from the UK anyway and, the delivery charges are so much cheaper, as the product doesn’t suffer from inflated postal charges due to the new administration costs. Enough whinging! So, I will now be investigating Kadee and, how this could upgrade my shunting experience on my layout. As ever, stay safe and well Stan. Un saludo. Gary
Thanks so much for your thoughts, Gary! I wish I had your modelling building skills! Anyway, I didn't start out with this. I just uncoupled and coupled cars with a tool in-place on the layout. But after a while it seems tiresome to have to fiddle with each car every single time, and with a clumsy finger knocking a car off track, or unintentionally removing a piece of scenery along the way. So this way, about 90% of the time I don't have to handle the cars at all. Blessings! Stan
I have gotten in the habit of dressing the upper and lower faces of my #148 couplers on a small whetstone, to a smooth mirror polish. I also dress the lid of the draft gear box in the same manner. I also apply a squirt of graphite into the box before assembly. These steps ensure that the coupler will remain free in its side-to-side movement.
Adding the Kadee coupler grease inside the gear box extends the mechanics of the couplers. The J is called the trip pin. Bogies are UK single axle wheel to outside hanging suspension system (see Bachmann Thomas trains wagons and trucks). The wheel sets with truck assembly pivots on the centering pin (2/56 screw in HO scale) and is referred to as trucks. Bogies do not have rotation and slight side to side action within the outside hanging suspension system. Also, bogies are restricted to lengths of 34-38 feet, which is was trucks are more commonly used.
@@StanFerris Its like a graphite powder. It's called Grease-em. Sorry if I sounded off about bogies and trucks. Hope it helps to expand your model railroading.
"J wire" never heard that term before. always have know it as "the trip pin". but great video. i have a test track. but i need to build a new one. on the new one the track gauge would get tight and wider to check for the wheels being in gauge. i have not done the magnet on the test track. so now it must be in there. but i do use the kadee test gauge for coupler height. as yes over time the factory does make some of the coupler body's taller than others. aka: as long as either the tops are lined up, or the bottoms are lined up, or evenly split. all good to go. but no big miss alignment allowed. this way i get 99-100 % match up every-time. and yes i have used a lot of those fiber washers, files, couple box spacers, polystyrene, and even "regular" washers, etc. anything to get as close to perfect as i a mere mortal can get.
Hi Larry! Thanks for commenting, and good luck on the new test track. I mentioned "J wire" just to be visually descriptive of the tiny part, which for modelers has a completely different function than the real gladhands on prototype equipment. Thanks so much for stopping by! TU ES 73
Hello and greetings! My understanding is that the #158 has a bit smaller coupler head to look more scale size. The #148 is a bit larger and a lot of folks think it functions a bit better on models.
@@StanFerris Thank you very much!!! I thought that #158 was the longest because of the numbering, but I see that it was not, thanks for the clarification! you will understand that I must order from U.S. stores and I can not go wrong because the shipping is expensive to my country. Sorry if my english is not so good, but i try my best.
I have a question. I have the Kadee fiber washers to adjust the height of the Kadee's up to match the gauge. However the lip is too large for the fiber washers to fit over. It is a metal lip. I've tried filing the KD fiber washer hole out but it is still not big enough. Do you have a recommendation of what washers have large enough holes for HO freight cars with metal underframes?
Hi Keith. In some cases, the coupler box is held on with a screw. When I need to glue them, just a bit of CA. You don't want it getting inside the box obviously. It could be medium or fine CA, whichever one is not all hardened up in the bottle 😁.
@@StanFerris hey Mr ferris thanks for the reply,. I need to know what CA. Is?? And what was the spray after you glued the box in? , I'm sorry Just getting started I Kno very little
So sorry, Keith! CA is short for cyanoacrylate which is 'super glue.' It can be really thick almost a gel for filling in gaps, medium like maple syrup or thin like alcohol. The stuff can get everywhere and easily glue your fingers together so be careful with the stuff. There are many brands to choose from. Mine happens to be Insta-cure, and my accelerant or 'kicker' is Insta-set. Got them both at a local hobby store. Plastic cement might work also, but it melts the plastic together to bind, whereas CA doesn't seem to alter the plastic parts. The accelerant generates a bit of heat, so try not to get the glue and the accelerant on your fingers.
If I understand your question, those faux hoses are metal, and they are what the magnet in the track uses to open the coupler jaws. So you could still operate the couplers manually with a tiny stick, but they would not open automatically over the track magnet without the metal hoses. In fact, if the metal hose is bent up too far, they will also not open automatically. Hope that helps.
@@StanFerris thank you, that clarifies things for me. So the metal hose is required for the automatic operation of the uncoupler magnet. I've been debating about cutting those hoses, because of the way they look.
To help you with not loosing small parts get a white piece of cloth and put you're work on top it will be easier to see and small parts will not bounce off the table.
Yeah, I have a section of track (about 1 ft. or 14 in.) on top of roadbed with a Kadee coupler height tool mounted on it so I can check coupler height on all my rolling stock & engines. Did you know that the back of the height tool can be used to see if your car body is at the right height? You have to check the body height with no coupler in place or it will hit the back of the tool. I just found about this the other day. If the car body will just slip over the end it is at the correct height. Then all ya gotta do is add a coupler & draft box. Instead of using the Kadee magnets, neodymium (rare earth) magnets can be used much more reliably. Since I'm a DC only guy I changed out all the magnets on my open frame (Pittman) motors with rare earth magnets (neodymium) and it made a HUGE difference in current draw and now my old Mantua Pacific's will "creep" around the tracks. I also changed all couplers to body mounted Kadee couplers and changed out all plastic wheels with Walthers Proto 2000 metal wheel sets. Cost a good chunk of $$ to do nearly 100 pieces of rolling stock. Another trick I learned is after mounting the coupler draft box and Kadee coupler, put an itsy bit of super glue next to one side of the draft box and chassis and a little itsy drop of super glue on part of the screw and draft box. That will ensure that the draft box will not move nor will the screw move. Another trick is if you glue two pieces of plastic together, make sure you use an X-acto knife (I use A-proxo knife) and scribe hash marks on both pieces to ensure a good bond. I try to never glue on draft boxes and use my Kadee drill and tap for a 256 screw. I've even drilled through the metal weights to add a screw to the draft box. Guarantee they will never come off. I've also had a some screws come through (like on a flat car) and used the Dremel to cut off the protruding screw and then paint it black or same color of the body. Cheers from eastern TN
Yes, Rich, that's correct! You can shim underneath the coupler box to lower the coupler, or add some thin washers under the wheel trucks to raise the coupler height. Doh-- I guess I should have explained that. (FYI-- My new bug should be arriving this week!)
I model the Central of Georgia railroad since I used to live in Jonesboro, GA. I bought a couple of Atlas GP-7s from another modeler in the Central of Georgia livery and he had never run them. When I got them they looked brand new and absolutely no wheel wear. I got them for $75.00 each. I've never paid more than $120.00 for an engine. I started collecting HO gauge back in the middle 80's but never really thought about modeling any certain railroad. Now things have changed and I'm getting an Atlas RS-3 in the Central of Georgia livery for Christmas along with a Kadee boxcar in the CofG livery. I also just got my very first brass diesel, a Fairbanks-Morse H-12-44 in the CofG livery. Back in the 80's I mostly bought Athearn engines and I hope the Atlas engines will perform as well as the Athearn ones as they are quite robust and keep on rolling. I recently started collecting Lionel 027 as I got the very same Lionel train set I had when I was a kid from my cousin. My train set got left behind in the attic when we moved from Hephzibah, GA. I couldn't believe my cousin had the exact same one and I sure was happy to get that set. I've now collected enough to make a 027 layout with 4 steam engines and 1 Texas Special diesel F-3. I think I have a couple dozen rolling stock to go with what I have. Oh yeah, I'm a DC guy only as I hate the sound of HO gauge DCC. I will probably end up weathering my brand new engines. I just don't like seeing pristine engines/rolling stock on the layout. Cheers from an ex-Georgian in eastern TN
Instead of using a knife to make sure the cover of the coupler box is smooth, I use a woman's finger nail file...I have magnetized all of my screw drivers so I don't have to try to use tweezers to hold any screws. Even though the box will snap together, I still put a 2/56 screw into the middle of the box for safety sake.I usually drill out the hole before I take the old box off and that will make the adding of the new box 99% fool proof and will make certain that the 2/56 hole is in the right place.
I know. Kadee has some with a smaller sized knuckle for more prototypical looks, different lengths, etc. I don't have long passenger cars to worry about, so for my 40' industrial cars the standard Kadee #148 works fine all around.
For most applications, a Kadee #148 whisker coupler will work fine, as will the #5, which has a separate centering spring. There is also a #158 whisker coupler, which is a more prototypical size, and which looks better on "old-time" rolling stock. Kadee also markets a variety pack, which contains representatives of most of their most common products, and which is useful for oddball rolling stock.
Yes, Burley, you are correct as it's meant to simulate the air brake hoses, but it is a small piece of wire that is shaped like a "J" and pushes up into a hole in the coupler, and the lower bent portion gets moved by a magnet below.
Glue ? Glue ? NO ! Please drill a hole and fit a screw ! Then the box can quickly & easily be dismantled for repair / replacement / maintenance / modification !
I think this is the best video on installing kadee couplers that I have seen in my entire modelling life. Your video presentation has helped me immensely as I have a friend whois replacing some of his OO stock with Kadee mag couplers. I live in Sri Lanka. Thank You.
Faizal, thank you for such a kind comment! The older I get, the more fiddly the small parts become. 🤣
YES - finally a video that actually shows how the Kadee coulers work. Thank you so much. A small hint about wideo-making: Notice where the focus point is. You don't necessarrlily need your hands in focus as what they are doing ;-) Take care, Steen from Denmark.
Hello Steen. Yes, I talk with my hands too much! :) Sorry about that! I also repeat myself often as I forget what I said in the previous recordings. I mostly narrate as I go along, rather than do v.o. later if I can help it. Thanks so much for watching!
Kadee couplers (and the Whisker) are the best. Great video
Thanks so much! Now the task of going through all the rolling stock!
@@StanFerris haha I know what you mean :)
This is a great video for those just getting started installing and maintaining Kadees. My only comment is that I screw all my Kadee couplers to body even if it means drilling into weight and under-rated. I've found CA sometimes won't be enough to keep them on.
Great suggestion! Thank you!
THANK YOU...for sharing. Very nice review on the Kadees Stan. Watched it and very much enjoyed it.
You're welcome! I got some work done on a few cars as a result! :)
Thank you so much, I've been going crazy trying to figure out how to replace my horn hooks to Kadee !!
Thanks, Bob!
Great videos. Thank you. Especially enjoy your music playing!!!
Thank you very much for the kind words, Keith!
¡Hola buenos días Stan! Extremely informative video. I’ve not used the Kadee coupling system on my stock. Despite originally inventing railways in the historical past, it seems that, when in comes to model railways at least and, in true British stiff-upper-lip resilience or, more likely ignorance, we stuck with good old tension lock couplings. Whilst the “D” type tension locks do work extremely well, they aren’t at all realistic (IMHO anyway). After watching your tutorial this morning, I may well investigate the Kadee system.
With the recent UK political break from the EU, I have been sourcing modelling stock from other European countries - some of which is a lot cheaper than I can source from the UK anyway and, the delivery charges are so much cheaper, as the product doesn’t suffer from inflated postal charges due to the new administration costs. Enough whinging! So, I will now be investigating Kadee and, how this could upgrade my shunting experience on my layout.
As ever, stay safe and well Stan. Un saludo. Gary
Thanks so much for your thoughts, Gary! I wish I had your modelling building skills! Anyway, I didn't start out with this. I just uncoupled and coupled cars with a tool in-place on the layout. But after a while it seems tiresome to have to fiddle with each car every single time, and with a clumsy finger knocking a car off track, or unintentionally removing a piece of scenery along the way. So this way, about 90% of the time I don't have to handle the cars at all. Blessings! Stan
I have gotten in the habit of dressing the upper and lower faces of my #148 couplers on a small whetstone, to a smooth mirror polish. I also dress the lid of the draft gear box in the same manner. I also apply a squirt of graphite into the box before assembly. These steps ensure that the coupler will remain free in its side-to-side movement.
Sounds like a great tip!
What is the spray you put on the gear box. Enjoying your video.
Hi, Randy. When I put a little bit of super glue (CA) I often hit it with a little kicker spray that causes the glue to set up quickly.
Adding the Kadee coupler grease inside the gear box extends the mechanics of the couplers. The J is called the trip pin. Bogies are UK single axle wheel to outside hanging suspension system (see Bachmann Thomas trains wagons and trucks). The wheel sets with truck assembly pivots on the centering pin (2/56 screw in HO scale) and is referred to as trucks. Bogies do not have rotation and slight side to side action within the outside hanging suspension system. Also, bogies are restricted to lengths of 34-38 feet, which is was trucks are more commonly used.
Haven't tried the coupler grease.
@@StanFerris Its like a graphite powder. It's called Grease-em. Sorry if I sounded off about bogies and trucks. Hope it helps to expand your model railroading.
"J wire" never heard that term before. always have know it as "the trip pin".
but great video. i have a test track. but i need to build a new one. on the new one the track gauge would get tight and wider to check for the wheels being in gauge.
i have not done the magnet on the test track. so now it must be in there. but i do use the kadee test gauge for coupler height. as yes over time the factory does make some of the coupler body's taller than others.
aka: as long as either the tops are lined up, or the bottoms are lined up, or evenly split. all good to go. but no big miss alignment allowed. this way i get 99-100 % match up every-time.
and yes i have used a lot of those fiber washers, files, couple box spacers, polystyrene, and even "regular" washers, etc. anything to get as close to perfect as i a mere mortal can get.
Hi Larry! Thanks for commenting, and good luck on the new test track. I mentioned "J wire" just to be visually descriptive of the tiny part, which for modelers has a completely different function than the real gladhands on prototype equipment. Thanks so much for stopping by! TU ES 73
Hi, regards from Perú, i have a question, what's the difference between Kadee # 148 vs # 158???? I'm a noob, thank you
Hello and greetings! My understanding is that the #158 has a bit smaller coupler head to look more scale size. The #148 is a bit larger and a lot of folks think it functions a bit better on models.
@@StanFerris Thank you very much!!! I thought that #158 was the longest because of the numbering, but I see that it was not, thanks for the clarification! you will understand that I must order from U.S. stores and I can not go wrong because the shipping is expensive to my country.
Sorry if my english is not so good, but i try my best.
Your English is very good. I play guitar with a guitarist from Peru, and I don't always understand him. 😄
Very comprehensive.
🚂🚃🚃🇨🇦
Thank you for the kind words!
I have a question. I have the Kadee fiber washers to adjust the height of the Kadee's up to match the gauge. However the lip is too large for the fiber washers to fit over. It is a metal lip. I've tried filing the KD fiber washer hole out but it is still not big enough. Do you have a recommendation of what washers have large enough holes for HO freight cars with metal underframes?
What type glue ore you using/ and spray activator, when replacing coupler box??
Hi Keith. In some cases, the coupler box is held on with a screw. When I need to glue them, just a bit of CA. You don't want it getting inside the box obviously. It could be medium or fine CA, whichever one is not all hardened up in the bottle 😁.
@@StanFerris hey Mr ferris thanks for the reply,. I need to know what CA. Is?? And what was the spray after you glued the box in? , I'm sorry
Just getting started I Kno very little
So sorry, Keith! CA is short for cyanoacrylate which is 'super glue.' It can be really thick almost a gel for filling in gaps, medium like maple syrup or thin like alcohol. The stuff can get everywhere and easily glue your fingers together so be careful with the stuff. There are many brands to choose from. Mine happens to be Insta-cure, and my accelerant or 'kicker' is Insta-set. Got them both at a local hobby store. Plastic cement might work also, but it melts the plastic together to bind, whereas CA doesn't seem to alter the plastic parts. The accelerant generates a bit of heat, so try not to get the glue and the accelerant on your fingers.
Nice video. Quite helpful.
Thanks, George!
This is a great video. However, one question I have...if you snip the faux metal coupler hoses, will they still function as shown in this video?
If I understand your question, those faux hoses are metal, and they are what the magnet in the track uses to open the coupler jaws. So you could still operate the couplers manually with a tiny stick, but they would not open automatically over the track magnet without the metal hoses. In fact, if the metal hose is bent up too far, they will also not open automatically. Hope that helps.
@@StanFerris thank you, that clarifies things for me. So the metal hose is required for the automatic operation of the uncoupler magnet. I've been debating about cutting those hoses, because of the way they look.
Hi Stan Thank You for your reply. I am fiddly too moving on 75, not in MPH but years🤣
Ha ha! We're not done yet! 🤣
Sure we are still full of steam and that keep us young and chuffing away. Good luck and God Bless..@@StanFerris
Blessings!
To help you with not loosing small parts get a white piece of cloth and put you're work on top it will be easier to see and small parts will not bounce off the table.
Great suggestion, Clayton. Thanks!
@@StanFerris
Be sure it's not to thin or to thick about as thick as a beach towel.
You sprayed the coupler with "a little kicker” what is that stuff and what does it do?
It just speeds up the CA glue setting.
Yeah, I have a section of track (about 1 ft. or 14 in.) on top of roadbed with a Kadee coupler height tool mounted on it so I can check coupler height on all my rolling stock & engines. Did you know that the back of the height tool can be used to see if your car body is at the right height? You have to check the body height with no coupler in place or it will hit the back of the tool. I just found about this the other day. If the car body will just slip over the end it is at the correct height. Then all ya gotta do is add a coupler & draft box. Instead of using the Kadee magnets, neodymium (rare earth) magnets can be used much more reliably. Since I'm a DC only guy I changed out all the magnets on my open frame (Pittman) motors with rare earth magnets (neodymium) and it made a HUGE difference in current draw and now my old Mantua Pacific's will "creep" around the tracks. I also changed all couplers to body mounted Kadee couplers and changed out all plastic wheels with Walthers Proto 2000 metal wheel sets. Cost a good chunk of $$ to do nearly 100 pieces of rolling stock. Another trick I learned is after mounting the coupler draft box and Kadee coupler, put an itsy bit of super glue next to one side of the draft box and chassis and a little itsy drop of super glue on part of the screw and draft box. That will ensure that the draft box will not move nor will the screw move. Another trick is if you glue two pieces of plastic together, make sure you use an X-acto knife (I use A-proxo knife) and scribe hash marks on both pieces to ensure a good bond. I try to never glue on draft boxes and use my Kadee drill and tap for a 256 screw. I've even drilled through the metal weights to add a screw to the draft box. Guarantee they will never come off. I've also had a some screws come through (like on a flat car) and used the Dremel to cut off the protruding screw and then paint it black or same color of the body. Cheers from eastern TN
Greetings and thanks for the great info!
I was wondering how you were going to put the couplers on the Porsche,
How do you handle couplers that are too high or too low? Are there shims to adjust?
Yes, Rich, that's correct! You can shim underneath the coupler box to lower the coupler, or add some thin washers under the wheel trucks to raise the coupler height. Doh-- I guess I should have explained that. (FYI-- My new bug should be arriving this week!)
Thoes couplers that were glued has places to put screws on the side to screw them to the body instead of glue.
I model the Central of Georgia railroad since I used to live in Jonesboro, GA. I bought a couple of Atlas GP-7s from another modeler in the Central of Georgia livery and he had never run them. When I got them they looked brand new and absolutely no wheel wear. I got them for $75.00 each. I've never paid more than $120.00 for an engine. I started collecting HO gauge back in the middle 80's but never really thought about modeling any certain railroad. Now things have changed and I'm getting an Atlas RS-3 in the Central of Georgia livery for Christmas along with a Kadee boxcar in the CofG livery. I also just got my very first brass diesel, a Fairbanks-Morse H-12-44 in the CofG livery. Back in the 80's I mostly bought Athearn engines and I hope the Atlas engines will perform as well as the Athearn ones as they are quite robust and keep on rolling. I recently started collecting Lionel 027 as I got the very same Lionel train set I had when I was a kid from my cousin. My train set got left behind in the attic when we moved from Hephzibah, GA. I couldn't believe my cousin had the exact same one and I sure was happy to get that set. I've now collected enough to make a 027 layout with 4 steam engines and 1 Texas Special diesel F-3. I think I have a couple dozen rolling stock to go with what I have. Oh yeah, I'm a DC guy only as I hate the sound of HO gauge DCC. I will probably end up weathering my brand new engines. I just don't like seeing pristine engines/rolling stock on the layout. Cheers from an ex-Georgian in eastern TN
Greetings, and thanks so much for the interesting information!
Instead of using a knife to make sure the cover of the coupler box is smooth, I use a woman's finger nail file...I have magnetized all of my screw drivers so I don't have to try to use tweezers to hold any screws. Even though the box will snap together, I still put a 2/56 screw into the middle of the box for safety sake.I usually drill out the hole before I take the old box off and that will make the adding of the new box 99% fool proof and will make certain that the 2/56 hole is in the right place.
So confusing on what # coupler to get and there is offset and other things.
I know. Kadee has some with a smaller sized knuckle for more prototypical looks, different lengths, etc. I don't have long passenger cars to worry about, so for my 40' industrial cars the standard Kadee #148 works fine all around.
For most applications, a Kadee #148 whisker coupler will work fine, as will the #5, which has a separate centering spring. There is also a #158 whisker coupler, which is a more prototypical size, and which looks better on "old-time" rolling stock. Kadee also markets a variety pack, which contains representatives of most of their most common products, and which is useful for oddball rolling stock.
i is told its called a air hose not a j thing.
Yes, Burley, you are correct as it's meant to simulate the air brake hoses, but it is a small piece of wire that is shaped like a "J" and pushes up into a hole in the coupler, and the lower bent portion gets moved by a magnet below.
@@StanFerris yeah, im learning still all of this train stuff too
i like crsr. he does great stories about trains
Glue ? Glue ? NO ! Please drill a hole and fit a screw ! Then the box can quickly & easily be dismantled for repair / replacement / maintenance / modification !
Screw is definitely the top-drawer way to go! (But I haven't had issues either way.)