Truck for ore car

Could anyone tell me if the Kadee"s coupling # 37 is the best one and if it is closer to the real one to be placed in the Roundhouse ore cars? Such couplings are made of plastic, I would like to know if the performance is good? I'm in doubt, because I think the # 34 would be more appropriate. Does anyone know a link that shows the adjustment of the coupling in these cars.

Thanks

How about if you tell us what the problem is and we'll tell you which coupler is best to fix it?

Dear Diburning,

maybe I didn't make myself clear. In fact, on kadee's site (http://www.kadee.com/conv/pdf/m224.pdf) they sugest using the number 37 kadee coupling (Medium and Underset) in the ore cars from Roundhouse. So, is the short coupling closer to real thing than the medium coupling?

Thank you

The Kadee #37 is the same length as the common #5, and is the length I'd use unless I had a good reason not to. Being coupled too close can cause problems. If you don't want to use the plastic coupler, you can use the #47 metal coupler in the 30-series box.

Just to make sure there's no confusion, the ore cars that Kadee recommends the #37 for are the all-metal kits from the 1950s. For the later ones with a metal frame and one-piece plastic body, the #5 will drop right into the cast-on coupler box.

Dear Westr,

in fact, the ore cars I have are the new ones ("metal frame and one-piece plastic body"). And I already placed the kadee #5, however, the are not real enough because the distance between the cars is big (on the HO level). So, I'm thinking in removing the cast-on coulper box from the original cars to place the kadee #37. Do you think is better to use the #37(medium) than the #34(short) to avoid problems? I also though using the 30-series box with the #5, can I do it?

Thanks for your help.

The Kadee #34 & #37 have an underset shank, which would change the coupler height. If you were going to use a 30-series, it would probably be the centerset shank #33 (short) or #38 (medium length, same as #5). I don't think removing the cast-on coupler box is going to do much for you though. The 30-series couplers are the same length as their counterparts that use the #5 box. To significantly reduce the distance between the cars, you'd need to move the whole coupler mounting back from the end of the car, but the new hole you'd have to drill would probably overlap the one that's already predrilled in the frame. Instead, I would just try replacing the #5 with the #43 short centerset shank couplers in the cast-on box. This will reduce the distance between the cars a bit. I don't know if it's realisticly possible to get the ore cars coupled as close as the ones used in the upper midwest with Kadees. When Walthers makes 4- or 12-car sets of their similar ore cars, they use short dummy couplers or drawbars between the cars to get closer coupling, with working couplers only at each end of the set.

Personally, I have a 50-car train of MDC ore cars with Kadee #5 couplers and I don't have a problem with the distance between them, but then mine are in UP, and UP's ore cars were spaced further apart than those in the upper midwest.

i don't know what you model, roadwise, but another thing to note, is most of the ore cars, are run in 4 unit sets, with a permanent drawbar, between the cars. if you go that route, you can adjust the distance, until you find what runs the minimum curves, without contact. just like the real equipment, the joints where the couplers are, will be wider spaced, then the cars connected with drawbars. in the end, that's a lot cheaper too, with 6 couplers not used, for every 4 cars.