Thursday, September 25, 2008

Newcomer's non-comprehensive HO scale coupler guide...


Horn/hook a.k.a. X2f or NMRA type, neither of which is correct. Comes standard equipment with most toy and low end trains. Without it, HO might not have gotten to where it is today so speak of it in hushed, reverential tones...

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Knuckle type, magnetic or otherwise. Generally compatible with each other---if it has a plastic "whisker" on the side, toss it far, far away. Brought out in the early '60s by Kadee, then duped in a myriad of ways when the patent ran out, it has been the standard of HO for many advanced modelers for a very long time. However, operations oriented modelers like to spend money on them, then clip the trip pin for a more realistic look and enhanced ops...go figure...

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Since neither of the above shall meet, behold the Magic Mate coupler. It is designed to couple both knuckle and horn/hooks together, making for an effective transitional coupler. Some HO cars need serious modifications to change over from horn/hooks---an undesirable idea on a rare collectible---and so this makes a great way to put a train of both types together as well.

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The European hook/loop types I'll tackle another time as they are not too common stateside...

Lima...

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Marklin...

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