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| EXPERT TIP: Avoid using truck-mounted couplers | ||
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Moderators: site admin, Joe Fugate, Spinpuff
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| Author | Post | ||
| Joe Fugate |
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   Registered Member #3 Joined: Fri Sep 08 2006, 01:59PM: posts: 145 | There are two ways you can mount couplers onto your model railroad rolling stock: body-mounted or truck-mounted. So what's the difference, and why user one or the other coupler mounting method? Truck-mounted couplers permit longer rolling stock to run more reliably on tight radius curves -- to a point. The longer the train gets, the more likely that twisting forces will be applied to the wheels through the couplers. So as the model trains get longer, truck mounted couplers will begin to cause more derailments. Also, truck-mounted couplers tend to make backup operations less reliable. Backing up a medium to long train with truck mounted couplers is almost guaranteed to result in derailments. For a great discussion of curve radius and its relationship to rolling stock, make sure and check out this Layout Design SIG's curve rule of thumb article. This piece has great insight into the trade offs around rolling stock length and curve radius. Be sure to also read Fred Wright's comments -- they will help you understand how truck-mounted couplers let you "cheat" with smaller radius curves, especially on longer equipment. THE BOTTOM LINE Body-mounted couplers give more reliable operation than truck-mounted couplers, and are to be preferred. Truck-mounted couplers can be of value for very long rolling stock and tight radius curves, and will perform reliably as long as the train is short and you don't run in reverse. It's also worth pointing out that truck-mounted couplers are not prototypical -- they exist solely to allow us model railroaders to pull some tight curve radius tricks with our equipment. [ Edited Sun Apr 06 2008, 08:44PM ] Joe Fugate http://siskiyou-railfan.net - 250,000 hits and counting!  | ||
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