Kato E261 Coupler Issue

[EMUHunter]

Hi all, I recently bought a used E261 set and am having trouble with the couplers since I can't get them to connect nor figure out how they work. According to the manual, they should attach when gently pushed together, but I haven't gotten that to work since they just bounce off each other.

 

The replacement part in the manual is part #741461C3 . The ones on the train look the same, so it doesn't seem like they've been swapped for dummy couplers, but I've never seen nor dealt with couplers that look like this so I can't say for sure. Does anyone have advice on what to do in this situation?

[katoftw]

Between all cars or just end/cab cars?

[cteno4]

Many of the emu sets require a manual forced pressure, not the gentle bump of a rapido coupling. Have you tried to push the cars together with a bit of manual pressure until you feel a click?

 

jeff

[Giugiaro]

I'd also like to warn to the fact that coupling these is a bit more finicky than doing so with a Rapido.

 

Both cars need to sit on straight track and both couplers need to face each other colinearly.

If any of the couplers happen to be facing in a different direction, forcing them to couple can result in the coupler being disassembled from the unit, like how it happened to me with my Series 7000 on Sunday.

 

The ones I struggle the most to couple are the ones that came with the RhB stock. Either both pins are perfectly aligned or they will refuse to snap together.

[Yavianice]

since you also have a used train: make sure the couplers are attached to the body correctly (and not partially detached), and the coupler moves freely (some KATO couplers you first have to "pull out" before it moves freely). 

[Wolf]

Remindes me of my E259 NEX, hell thats a b*** to couple ... I usually couple them holding them up a bit from the track. Usually that helps me "hit" the spot to get them together.

Cheers

Wolf

... who currently is trying to acquire an E261 himself as well ...

[EMUHunter]

 

Thanks for the tips, it turns out that I wasn't applying enough force. This was between the regular cars, I'm pretty sure the end cars have dummy couplers. Perhaps the instructions should say "Gently push until you hear a click" instead...

 

Either way, it's a good-looking coupling system, just a bit nerve-wracking sometimes due to the force required.

[cteno4]

These kinds of couplers do take some getting use to, there a number of variants of this kind to push until click coupler systems on Japanese trains. After a while it’s not so nerve-wracking.

 

jeff

[disturbman]

I do find Kato new automatic knuckle couplers by Kato stiffer than the Tomix equivalents; perhaps their new Shibatas have a similar "issue".

I wouldn't recommend you try the Taiwanese versions, they are even harder.

Edited August 25, 2022 by disturbman

[cteno4]

Remarkably over more than a couple of decades on a few hundred trains, I don’t think I’ve ever broken a coupler! Just thinking about that with how tiny some of these are and the force you need to impart sometimes on some of them, that’s pretty remarkable.

 

jeff

[katoftw]

I've only had one broken. The old style shibata type with the big clip underneth. And it came from the seller like that.

[cteno4]

Yes I’ve also had a couple of used trains with couplers that worked but were funky and I discovered something cracked or not right and replaced.
 

I was just shocked my huge mitts have never broken any!

 

jeff