Kadee Couplers vs. Aristocraft

None so far, Joe.

What I have been considering doing is to try Kadee couplers on the loco providing they will mate with the Aristo ones.
(Can anyone who has retrofitted Kadees to the Aristo GP40 identify the best one (number) to use and what other parts - if any - are needed?)


But my trains are waiting until I finish with my Kitchen bay window project. Working on the house is like that PBS James Burke Connections series - one thing always leads to another, and another, etc.

Anyway, the bay window will enhance the viewing of my eventual outdoor layout - which is one of the reasons why I decided to do it. I envision sitting at the Kitchen table with an Aristo Train Engineer controlling the trains outdoors.







-Ted

Nick,

Thanks for your help and encouragement and particularly for the coupler number.

I would prefer not to have a transition car with different couplers on it.
In this regard, I have read that some folks say the kadee coupler will mate with Aristo's standard knuckle coupler and some say they won't.


I also understand that there is a kadee gauge of sorts that is used as a reference to determine the proper coupler installation height above the rail head. Do you know the part number of this item, too?


I am willing to give the kadees a try.

I usually do these kind of tasks during the rainy season, so I could order a few sample parts. Of course, converting to body mounts vs. truck mounts will be another issue, too.


The first thing I want to do is to see for myself if the kadee will couple to the Aristo coupler. Then see what the kadee coupler will pull apart at under a measured / destructive stress load.


Before I ever get involved with the expense and time to mass convert well over 300 items - I want to be damn sure it's all worth it.


-Ted

As to the the only person who has standardised on Bachmann Knuckle couplers? Maybe not as respondents to this thread have mostly been with respect to its subject, "Kadee Couplers vs. Aristocraft".

Until recently (since Aristo came out with the GP40s) I was reasonably happy with Aristo's standard knuckle couplers. I had found that on my layout- that is very circuitous - the couplers would typically begin to distort and pull apart (not unlatch) with about a 45 car or greater train consisting of Aristo 100 ton hoppers. (With layouts having more straights - a much larger train size should work.)


I wrote an article about it that is hosted on Greg's web site at the below link
"Aristo-Craft knuckle coupler tests & a test train"
http://www.elmassian.com/trains-mainmenu-27/ted-doskaris-vignettes-mainmenu-157/aristo-knuckle-coupler-tests-mainmenu-206


But it now seems Aristo's quality has retrograded such that the couplers are inconsistent in performance, and that is why I am now considering an alternative.


-Ted