Micro-Trains magnetic knuckle couplers in N scale
The text and figures in this article are mostly scanned from Micro-Trains' descriptions and instructions or copied from the web pages of dealers like Walther's and N Scale Supply (I suspect those are originally from Micro-Trains, too). A few comments:
- The Micro-Trains conversions from inches to millimetres are sometimes in error. I have corrected those errors I found.
- The tools that Micro-Trains provide are not of very high quality. Especially the 00-90 tap is not good, suited only to thread cutting in plastics.
- The distances from the car end given in the instructions for drilling the mounting hole for the couplers can be increased a little (as an example from 3.2mm to 3.6mm) if you run on large-radius curves and want the cars to couple a litte closer.
WHY USE MICRO-TRAINS KNUCKLE COUPLERS?
If you run American equipment the answer is obvious: It looks like the real thing, only that it's a little larger than scale. Furthermore, the couplers work very reliably. There are a few other makes that will couple and uncouple automatically with the Micro-Trains couplers, Atlas and Intermountain working couplers to name the best. It seems, though, that the reliability suffers when the couplers are mixed.
Intermountain, among others, also makes non-working couplers but they can only be used for fixed consists.
If you run European equipment Micro-Trains couplers can be used as well. They are much smaller and much more reliable than the extremely large and ugly Rapido couplers.
HOW THE MAGNE-MATIC SYSTEM WORKS
To Couple:
- Nudge the cars together.
To Uncouple:
- Stop train with coupler directly over uncoupler, coupler knuckles will open.
- Back train slightly to disengage couplers, magnetic force of couplers draw couplers off center. Pull train forward, couplers are in delayed position.
- Reapproach and push uncoupled car(s) past uncoupler to desired location.
- Withdraw, leaving car(s) in place, couplers return to normal coupling position.
BODY-MOUNTING OR TRUCK-MOUNTING?
Micro-Trains cars are generally supplied with truck-mounted couplers. Truck-mounted couplers are fine for small-radius curves but if you try to back a long string of cars through crossovers and complex turnout areas, you may be in trouble. What happens is that because of the large forces needed to push many cars, the trucks are skewed relative to the track and the wheel flanges therefore tend to snag on any track misalignment, for instance crossing noses.
With body-mounted couplers this does not happen as the trucks are allowed to swivel freely. That's why you will have less derailments with body-mounted couplers. Of course you'll have to use larger track radii than you can using truck-mounted couplers. As my planned layout is to be set in the 1950-1955 era my locomotives and cars will be much shorter than today, so I opt for a minimum track radius of 500mm (19.7in). This way I can safely use body-mounted couplers.
This on the other hand means that I have to convert much of my rolling stock but this is not as large a disadvantage as it may first seem. Micro-Trains cars are easy to rebuild as the truck-mounted couplers can simply be cut off and new body-mounted couplers installed. I also swap the standard wheelsets for M-T's low-profile wheelsets. Other manufacturer's cars may be more bothersome to convert but as many non M-T cars are supplied with inferior couplers and trucks I'll fix that at the same time.
COUPLER TESTING PROCEDURES
- Place car on track, and check coupler height using Micro-Trains #1055 Coupler Height Gauge (Fig. 1) If coupler sets too low or high. adjust by shimming or removing material from coupler mounting platform/truck-body bolster.
- Check trip pin height with Micro-Trains #1058 Trip Pin Height Gauge. Lay gauge across rails and roll trip pin up to it (Fig. 1). Pin should just clear gauge, but not be so low it fouls on turn-outs and crossover rails. If trip pin is too short or long, adjust by pulling or pushing up or down in coupler shank.
- If couplers cross the wrong way over uncoupler, locking closed instead of open, adjust trip pin angle. Trip pin should line up with knuckle part of coupler Remove pin by carefully pulling straight down while holding coupler knuckle. Twist pin top so it angles outward slightly more, then reinstall. DO NOT twist trip pin while it is still installed in coupler.
MICRO-TRAINS BODY-MOUNT COUPLER TYPES (pdf files)
- #1015 Short Shank/#1016 Medium Shank
- #1019 Truck or Body Mount Coupler
- #1021/#1022 Low short profile coupler
- #1023/#1025 RDA Universal body mount coupler
- #1026 Body Mount Adaptor Draft Gear and Coupler
- #1027 Short Shank Body Mount Coupler
- #2004 Underslung Short Shank Coupler
MICRO-TRAINS TRUCK-MOUNT COUPLER TYPES (pdf files)
You will notice from the exploded views that the coupler spring is placed differently in the #1015/#1016, #1019 and #2001/#2004 couplers than in the #1023/#1025 and #1027 couplers. This means that in the #1015/#1016, #1019 and #2001/#2004 couplers the spring is not deflected when the coupler is in tension (when cars are dragged), only in compression (when cars are pushed). On the older types of couplers it is the other way around, this can lead to some serious bouncing back and forth in a heavy train. I have read in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/n_scale/ that this problem is much less with the new types of couplers.
| New number | Old number | Description |
| 001 02 000 | 1015/16 | RDA body mount couplers: 2 pr. short shank & 1 pr. med. shank |
| 001 02 001 | 1015/16B | RDA body mount couplers - Brown: 2 pr. short shank & 1 pr. med. shank |
| 001 02 003 | 1015-1 | Assembled RDA body mount couplers: 2 pr. short shank |
| 001 02 004 | 1015-1-B | Assembled RDA body mount couplers - Brown: 2 pr. short shank |
| 001 10 001 | 1015-10 | Bulk Pack of unassembled RDA body mount short shank couplers, 10 pr. |
| 001 10 002 | 1015-10-B | Brown - Bulk Pack of unassembled RDA body mount short shank couplers, 10 pr. |
| 001 02 006 | 1016-1 | Assembled RDA body mount couplers: 2 pr. med. shank |
| 001 02 007 | 1016-1-B | Brown - Assembled RDA body mount couplers: 2 pr. med. shank |
| 001 02 008 | 1019 | Truck or body mount coupler & draft gear box, w/ underset mounting for 89' TOFCs, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 009 | 1023 | Assembled RDA universal body mount coupler, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 010 | 1023-B | Brown - Assembled RDA universal body mount coupler, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 011 | 1025 | Unassembled RDA universal body mount coupler, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 012 | 1025-B | Brown - Unassembled RDA universal body mount coupler, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 013 | 1026 | Body mount adaptor draft gear & coupler for flat cars, gondolas, 57' TOFCs, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 014 | 1027 | Body mount short shank coupler, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 021 | 1021/1022 | Low, short profile couplers - Bach. 4-8-4 Pilot, Life-Like E8A Pilot, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 050 | 2001 | Kato Japanese Prototype - Black, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 051 | 2004 | Body mount coupler - Kato Dash-9, 2 pr. |
| 001 02 052 | 2004-1 | Assembled body mount coupler for Kato SD40-2 & Snoot Nose, 2 pr. |
| New number | Old number | Description |
| 001 30 012 | 1128 | Universal Coupler - Short T-shank coupler & adapter for split 1-piece truck mounted draft gear box, 2 pr. |
| 001 30 013 | 1129 | Universal Coupler - Medium T-shank coupler & adapter for split 1-piece truck mounted draft gear box, 2 pr. |
| 001 30 014 | 1130 | Universal Coupler - Long T-shank coupler & adapter for split 1-piece truck mounted draft gear box, 2 pr. |
| 001 33 030 | 1133 | Bachmann: newer locomotives & cars equipped, w/ #9722 (medium coupler) & #9723 draft gear box, 2 pr. |
| 001 33 031 | 1134 | Bachmann: newer locomotives & cars equipped, w/ #9722-1 (long coupler) & #9723 draft gear box, 2 pr. |
| 001 42 000 | 1135 | Life-Like: "Made in China" (F7, GP38, F40PH & their other diesels equipped, w/ the same Blomberg Truck Side Frames), 2 pr. |
| New number | Old number | Description |
| 001 30 002 | 1048 | Con-Cor (Rowa, Rivarossi): 2-8-8-2; Importex Int'l (Bemo): 2-8-8-2; MRC: 2-8-8-2 Mallet |
| 001 30 003 | 1049 | Arnold: S2 Switcher; Atlas: GP9, GP30, F9A, E7A (powered), or Davenport & Saddle Tank 0-6-0 Switchers; Con-Cor: U-50 or Gas Turbine, w/o Tender; Minitrix: Fairbanks Morse H-12-44; Rivarossi (formerly Atlas): GP7, GP9, GP30, FP9A, FA-2, GG-1, or FA-1 (powered) |
| 001 30 004 | 1110 | AHM: FA-1 (powered); Atlas: GP-40; Con-Cor: EF-70 or SD-45; Life-Like: GP-40 or SD-45; Model Power: RSD-15 or Century 420; MRC: Alco C-420 or RSD-15 |
| 001 30 005 | 1113 | AHM: 0-6-0T Saddle Tank Switcher; Life-Like: 0-6-0T Side Tank Switcher; Model Power: PMI FP-45 Diesel |
| 001 30 006 | 1114 | Atlas, Con-Cor & Rivarossi hvy. wt. pass. cars; Model Power: PMI FP-45 diesel |
| 001 30 007 | 1111 | Con-Cor: SW 1500 Cow or Calf (early models, powered or unpowered); Dimi-Trains: SW 1500 Cow or Calf (early models, powered or unpowered) |
| 001 30 008 | 1109 | Atlas: EMD SD-45 or Alco RSC-2; Con-Cor: Alco 636; MRC: Alco FA-1 or FA-2 |
| 001 30 009 | 1104 | Atlas: Industrial diesel switcher; Minitrix: Decapod 2-10-0 (tender only), U30 CG diesel, GE U-28 |
| 001 32 000 | 1107 | Atlas: EMD E-8 diesel |
| 001 32 010 | 1108 | Atlas: Fairbanks Morse diesel |
| 001 32 020 | 1112 | Atlas: Plymouth WTD diesel switcher |
| 001 33 000 | 1115 | Bachmann: EMD F9 A or B unit (older style w/ metal gear box) |
| 001 33 020 | 1131 | Bachmann: F-7 A & B units (converts one A & one B or two B units) |
| 001 35 000 | 1101 | Con-Cor: PA-1 (powered) |
| 001 35 010 | 1102 | Con-Cor: PB-1 (powered) |
| 001 41 040 | 2000 | Kato: E8 & E9 diesel loco A unit |
| 001 41 050 | 2000-1 | Kato: F loco, A unit |
| 001 41 060 | 2002 | Kato: USRA 2-8-2 Mikado & tender |
| 001 44 000 | 1103 | Minitrix: EMD F-9 (powered) |
| 001 44 010 | 1105 | Minitrix: 0-6-0T Donkey |
| 001 47 000 | 1046 | MRC: 2-8-4 Berkshire |