Couplers

[Stephen NZ]

Can I have some advice? I’ve just acquired some secondhand Kato carriages (Series 21, 5086-1), which have small knuckle couplers, but my engines all have the standard rapido style couplers. Neither the carriages nor the locomotives have alternative couplers for me to change. Is there a standard replacement coupler or do I need to find a model specific replacement to switch over? I’m thinking the changing a coupler at one of the set of carriages makes sense, so that my locomotives aren’t restricted to only one train.

[disturbman]

Rapidos are universal, if the knuckle couplers are boggie-mounted, you can just swap one of them for a random Rapido. Rapidos can have different shank length but the rest is the same for all.

 

Which locomotives do you have?

[Stephen NZ]

24 minutes ago, disturbman said:

Rapidos are universal, if the knuckle couplers are boggie-mounted, you can just swap one of them for a random Rapido. Rapidos can have different shank length but the rest is the same for all.

 

Which locomotives do you have?

Thanks for that. I want to couple a Kato 2002 C11 to it. So to clarify,  I should be able to get a pack of  Kato Assy part Z01-0041 and swap out the bogie mounted coupler on the end carriage of the set of carriages? I've added a photo of the bogie 

[Kamome]

This particular carriage has a coupler that Kato intended as an internal part of a consist. Removing this coupler will leave an eyelet type attachment which rapidos won’t attach to.

 If you wanted to couple to this either replace the bogie or put a knuckle on to your C11

 

There are usually 2 end carriages that are able to take rapidos. They have an extended U-shaped part which the rapido fits in to.

[Stephen NZ]

29 minutes ago, Kamome said:

This particular carriage has a coupler that Kato intended as an internal part of a consist. Removing this coupler will leave an eyelet type attachment which rapidos won’t attach to.

 If you wanted to couple to this either replace the bogie or put a knuckle on to your C11

 

There are usually 2 end carriages that are able to take rapidos. They have an extended U-shaped part which the rapido fits in to.

Oh I see.  I guess I could be challenging to find a new bogie for an older carriage set like this… thanks. Would you happen to know which one would be the end unit for the Series 20 for the 1997 release?. The old ones on Hobby Search all seem to use these close couplers.

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by Stephen NZ
Additional question.

[Kamome]

Anything with a larger bogie attachment like these ones. On the 20 series they have a rounded end.

 

This set of mine is from 1999.