Transatlantic Coupling

[Nick]

I'm not sure where to post this question, so, mods, please feel free to move.

The layout I'm building has a quarry. At one time the prototype that originally inspired the plan  operated an American switcher loco for shunting purposes (an EMD SW1001). (I chose "inspired" rather than "is based on" deliberately - this is not in any way an model of an actual prototype, and I am not of the rivet counting persuasion at all.)

As a bit of whimsy, I thought it might be nice to be able to shunt the quarry with an American loco. I understand about the scale differences, etc.

So I found a loco I'd be happy with, but it is fitted with US couplings - Bachmann EZ-Mate II's, to be precise.

The wagons I have for the quarry are Grafar POAs, which are fitted with Rapido couplings in what appear to be NEM pockets (I have no experience of messing about with coupling types.)

So, my question is: can I modify either the loco or the wagons so that they can operate together? I'm not overly bothered about preserving remote operation capability.

I've read various articles and threads, but I'm none the wiser. Well, I suppose I know more about the situation now than I did, but I haven't bottomed the issue out. I haven't been able to establish whether the EZ-Mate is compatible with any UK knuckle coupler that I could fit in the NEM pockets, and it seems as though there may be an issue over ride height even if the couplers were mechanically compatible.

Equally, I can't find out if I can retrofit a Rapido coupler to the US loco. Looking at an online exploded diagram of the loco, the EZ-Mate appears to be secured by a single screw. It feels as though this would be the best option if possible as I'd only have to modify one item, not all the wagons and any other loco I wanted to use with them.

Can anyone shed any light? Or should I just abandon the whole idea?

[d-a-n]

The POA has got NEM pockets, maybe see if you can get a Bachmann EZ mate for NEM? Or you could you fit an NEM pocket to the shunter so you can fit a Rapido?

[Nick]

I'd wondered about that sort of idea. I suppose I'd like to have some idea of a way forward before buying the loco. Not that it would exactly be the only thing to end up in the stash with no obvious use!

I can't find EZ-Mates for NEM. I wonder if I can get hold of a single EZ-Mate and try it with UK knuckles...

[ozzie Bill.]

Would you be shunting a rake, or wagon by wagon? If a rake, then you can readily do a "conversion" wagon with an EZ-mate at one end and a POA on the other. Not knowing the wagon, is it a bogie or single axle? If a bogie, then very easy to convert a whole bogie over so, again, you would have a conversion wagon. Cheers, Bill.

[Nick]

Well, in principle it's rakes.

POA is single axle. The problem with the idea of a conversion wagon  is that I can't find EZ-Mate couplings for NEM pockets in N. Only in HO (I got quite excited when I found those, until I realised.) Whether EZ-Mates are in fact compatible with something else on the UK market, I don't know. Any advice gratefully received.

Bachmann sells loose EZ-Mates, but intended to be attached with a single bolt/screw arrangement. How easy it would be to remove an NEM pocket from a POA and work up something that would allow a screw-fit EZ-Mate to attach and function, I don't know.

If there is a packaged solution, I'd obviously prefer that, than trying to reverse engineer a coupling fitting I've never encountered before!

[Railwaygun]

What about the dapol couplers? They use NEM?

http://dapol.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=177_62_154_197

[Nick]

They do look awfully similar, don't they?

I've just found in a thread on "another forum" that the ride height is indeed different between US and NEM couplings. Whether that matters in that I'm not actually going to want that conversion wagon to readily uncouple even manually let alone remotely, I don't know. All I need the coupling to do is hold the wagon to the loco.

Implication on the thread, which I've not had a chance to read thoroughly, is that Dapol and MicroTrains couple and indeed uncouple, but that delayed shunting isn't reliable. That certainly wouldn't bother me in the context of a conversion wagon.

Hmmm.