MicroTrains True Scale Couplers

[Tony Galiani]

Has anyone tried these yet?  I bought a couple of packets (short shank and long shank) to try out but am intimidated by the small size.  Years ago, I had the chance to operate some Japanese themed layouts where the rolling stock was equipped with MicroTrains couples and they worked well and looked good.  I was thinking of converting my stock to these - standard MicroTrains for anything I wanted to couple/uncouple during operations and True Scale Couplers for those trains that would run as a unit.  Thinking my planned Nostalgia Train would look good with these.  Curious as to how others have found these to work on their layouts.

Cheers,

Tony Galiani

[brill27mcb]

8 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

Has anyone tried these yet?  I bought a couple of packets (short shank and long shank) to try out but am intimidated by the small size.  Years ago, I had the chance to operate some Japanese themed layouts where the rolling stock was equipped with MicroTrains couples and they worked well and looked good.  I was thinking of converting my stock to these - standard MicroTrains for anything I wanted to couple/uncouple during operations and True Scale Couplers for those trains that would run as a unit.  Thinking my planned Nostalgia Train would look good with these.  Curious as to how others have found these to work on their layouts.

Cheers,

Tony Galiani

 

Tony, you can read 38 pages of discussion here:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=39941.0

 

Some basic points: They are body-mounted, not truck-mounted couplers. They do not mate with other Micro-Trains couplers, like the Z-scale couplers can. Do not expect to do switching operations with them. They do not couple or uncouple easily. With such a small coupler knuckle, the smoothness of the track and rail joints becomes more critical, so that they don't uncouple by riding up and over one another. They are a great improvement in scale appearance. Some people just use them on the back of a caboose or an observation car, or the front of a locomotive that will not be coupled there, just for better visual appearance. They help address the "slinky effect" of Micro-Trains couplers caused by the longitudinal spring on each one. They can shorten the empty distance between pieces of rolling stock, which improves train appearance.

 

Your planned approach sounds like a good one. Be careful of any tight radii.

 

Rich K.

Edited September 25, 2020 by brill27mcb

[Tony Galiani]

Good to know.  Thanks for the info.

Tony