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Replacing Square Couplers With Magnetic Couplers
Nathan posted this question:
“I recently picked some old rolling stock (N-scale) cheap, but the cars have the older style square hook couplers, so how difficult would it be to replace them with the magnetic couplers?”
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4 Responses to Replacing Square Couplers With Magnetic Couplers
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I also had older rolling stock with the Rapido style couplers. I purchase Kaydee style couplers and installed them. The work is tedious and you have to use a magnefying glass to do the job, but it was worth the effort. Kaydee has the Magnematic style and they are more realistic looking.
Most older N Scale wagon have the coupler as part of the bogie in 8 wheelers.
1. Pull the bogie off the wagon, they are either screwed in place or have a split pivot.
2. Using plastic side-cutters cut the old coupler off and discard, place the bogie to one side.
3, Take your wagon and glue in a 1 millimetre styrene pad about the size of the coupler box to the underside frame of the wagon using superglue and follow up with plastic solvent type glue.
4. Superglue the coupler to the styrene pad, ensuring that the coupler is centred on the wagon, and protrudes from the end of the wagon such that its coupling face is level with the buffers.
5. Replace the bogie and placing the wagon on the track, offer it up to a Kaydee coupler height gauge. If it is too low use Kaydee fibre washers over the bogie pivot to raise the wagon floor, or if too high, pop the coupler off the wagon and shave the styrene pad to bring it down.
The sounds complicated, and it is. If you think your wagons are worth it, and you have deep pockets you can just ditch the original bogies and buy replacements with Kaydees already attached.
It’s your choice. Have fun.
See https://youtu.be/rWWgDzu4Jr0, Coincidently this Youtube video on N Scale couplers appeared today. It might help
I recently replaced all the ‘Rapido’ couplers on all of my freight wagons with ‘Micro Trains’ magnetic couplers. All of my wagons are small 4 wheel ‘Peco’, ‘Dapol’ and ‘Graham Farish’. On all of them I had to cut or grind off the old coupler housing then drill and tap a hole at each end of the wagon. Then I had to assemble the MT couplings and screw them onto the wagon. Note; all of mine were body mount, as opposed to bogie mounted couplings.