Silly coupling design

silly moo · July 30, 2012, 06:51:14 AM

Maybe this post should go in the Angry Thread

I've just lost another coupling and spring from a Farish Mk 3 coach. I know this isn't the end of the world but I do think the open coupling box design is very silly. If the coupling becomes misaligned then the spring flies off and you end up on all fours looking for it.

We were exhibiting at a preserved railway in an engine shed with rather a dusty floor so I decided not to search for the missing spring. I will wrap a small piece of insulation tape round all the coupling boxes to stop flying springs. I'm very pleased that the newer coaches don't have the same arrangement.

Regards

Veronica.

longbridge · July 30, 2012, 07:43:49 AM

I agree as I have several old wagons that I have had to rob coupler springs from, I have just become accustomed to the fact that thats what we N Gaugers do.

Sprintex · July 30, 2012, 07:44:19 AM

Yep, familiar to most of us by now I'd think.

After having this happen twice at the 2009 NGS AGM I was determined it wouldn't happen again, and have since removed every coupling on every piece of stock and superglued the spring to the coupling! At least now it's unlikely the spring will go AWOL without a whacking great black Rapido attached to it

Paul

K-N-Gauge · July 30, 2012, 08:23:50 AM

Quote from: Sprintex on July 30, 2012, 07:44:19 AM
Yep, familiar to most of us by now I'd think.

After having this happen twice at the 2009 NGS AGM I was determined it wouldn't happen again, and have since removed every coupling on every piece of stock and superglued the spring to the coupling! At least now it's unlikely the spring will go AWOL without a whacking great black Rapido attached to it

Paul

Good one!

Sprintex · July 30, 2012, 08:27:53 AM

And as if by magic (who remembers Mr Benn?

), a tutorial appears

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=6767.msg77596#msg77596

Paul

BernardTPM · July 30, 2012, 08:49:24 AM

The open coupling box design used to work pretty well but it depended on the coupling sitting squarely in the pocket and on a fairly long 'tail' on the back to keep the spring in check. This problem has arisen because the couplings used by Bachmann Farish have both a shorter 'tail' on the back and a tendency not to sit as square in the pockets, because of the way they are moulded. If you compare the old Poole couplings with the ones now being fitted (which appear to be a standard Bachmann N part) you can easily see the differences, the older one being a much crisper moulding. This is the only area where the latest production of the old models is inferior to the originals. I've got a Cl.170 that has only ever been test run, yet is still missing a spring!
So, not necesssarily a silly design, just use of incompatible components.

fisherman · July 30, 2012, 09:12:20 AM

the superglue is a very good idea!

longbridge · July 30, 2012, 12:29:27 PM

Quote from: fisherman on July 30, 2012, 09:12:20 AM
the superglue is a very good idea!

Great idea alright, every time I get near Superglue everything seems to get stuck except the thing that is supposed to

silly moo · July 30, 2012, 04:53:04 PM

I'm going to try the superglue method, I only hope I don't use any more springs while I'm doing it.

As I've run out of springs and couplings I will have to nick them off a brakevan. The logic being that as brakevans are most often at the end of trains they only need one coupling.

Jerry Howlett · July 30, 2012, 08:12:33 PM

Quote from: silly moo on July 30, 2012, 06:51:14 AM
Maybe this post should go in the Angry Thread I've just lost another coupling and spring from a Farish Mk 3 coach. I know this isn't the end of the world but I do think the open coupling box design is very silly. If the coupling becomes misaligned then the spring flies off and you end up on all fours looking for it.

We were exhibiting at a preserved railway in an engine shed with rather a dusty floor so I decided not to search for the missing spring. I will wrap a small piece of insulation tape round all the coupling boxes to stop flying springs. I'm very pleased that the newer coaches don't have the same arrangement.

Regards

Veronica.

No help other than the standard use a plastic bag when playing around with annoying fiddly bitz... but were you at Krugersdorp ?. I am interseted to know if they still have the clerestory dining car "Phantom Pass" there. I have slides (who remembers them) from travelling on it in 1978 on a service train from George to Port Elizabeth.

silly moo · July 30, 2012, 08:50:31 PM

We were at Reefsteamers in Germiston next to the diesel depot. They had a 15F Janine in steam running on the suburban lines nearby and Garratt Lyndie Lou running in the depot.

There's nothing like having a Garratt coming past the window while you are running model trains. We all had plenty of time off from the layout to look at and photograph the real thing.

I don't know about the coach you mentioned but I can find out.

bluedepot · July 30, 2012, 09:19:24 PM

i just ordered some replacement springs as i have run out of donor vehicles to rob them from...

as well as losing a spring i also lost the dummy coupler for a class 150.... so if anyone has one or knows where to buy a dummy coupler suitable for the sprinter please let me know!

cheers

tim