Post by BAZman on Jan 31, 2023 20:04:03 GMT -5
A Seller asked our group at a train Show about draw-barring his F3 A-B. I asked why he would want to. He's had the his ABA periodically decouples because the coupler pockets pop open resulting in coupler pieces. I asked about radii, as 195 and even 220 could have leverage stress negotiating straight to curve or 'S' crossovers on back to back turnouts. Also, did the rear F have the fixed pilot?
He was running Rokuhan 245 270m curves. No fixed Pilot on the rear loco, converted to the coupler truck. Not long trains, no grades.
So I asked then to show me how he couples, thinking hard bashes or maybe 'drop over' coupling (which stresses the top attached coupler cover to potentially fall off. We were not able to do it at the show so I took it home to look at the couplers. One pop'd open for draw barring, the others together. Nothing unusual. So I re-built the on-loco coupler and sealed the top cap with Faller glue. VERY thin spread around the three sides. Then the other 2. Let them dry overnight and I could not get them to pop open. Checked them for smooth movement. Bashed together a couple of times, then ran multiple turnouts. All good.
Gave him back the next day and told what I did but that should not be needed as virtually no-one has posted about this.
He was running Rokuhan 245 270m curves. No fixed Pilot on the rear loco, converted to the coupler truck. Not long trains, no grades.
So I asked then to show me how he couples, thinking hard bashes or maybe 'drop over' coupling (which stresses the top attached coupler cover to potentially fall off. We were not able to do it at the show so I took it home to look at the couplers. One pop'd open for draw barring, the others together. Nothing unusual. So I re-built the on-loco coupler and sealed the top cap with Faller glue. VERY thin spread around the three sides. Then the other 2. Let them dry overnight and I could not get them to pop open. Checked them for smooth movement. Bashed together a couple of times, then ran multiple turnouts. All good.
Gave him back the next day and told what I did but that should not be needed as virtually no-one has posted about this.
