Roco type coupler for highly detailed hst, where is it?

[OP6]

Hi, I have recently bought a new mould highly detailed hst in beautiful gwr gloss green livery , my first hst train, ,along with the new mould mk3 sliding door coaches to form the castle rake, and was wondering, who ,in their right mind at Hornby, decided it would be a good idea to use tension lock couplers on this train? Especially given the price this staff cost. Never have I had some many problems with a new train as this one and it is due to one thing :the wrong couplers.

It is tolerable in pull mode (if one can tolerate the huge gaps between the coaches) but a complete disaster in push mode: derailments all the time, coaches toppling to their side for no apparent reason and so on. I have now changed the coach couplers to the supplied " alternative" roco type and that has rectified the problem( makes me wonder why they were not installed in the first place) but not when it comes to connecting the coaches to the power cars. My question is where do I get a corresponding roco type coupler for power cars? If it was available this train would be perfect.

The supplied tension lock couplers simply do not work in push mode. They are medium width that have to push against the small standard width tension lock coupler on the coach, and sooner or later what happens is the smaller one collapses under the bigger one, thus removing articulation and derailing the train . How was this not picked up during testing is beyond me.

It's all well and good that the newly released version of hst has new coupler arrangement , but that doesn't help me who spent a lot of money on the previous version. Are hornby going to release a suitable roco coupler to address this problem? They supplied the roco couplers for the coaches but not the locomotive? Why not?? And no I don't want to be buying any magnetic home made, 3 d printed ones, I need the correct one from the manufacturer who designed the model in the first place!

[CORKY.]

As another HST fan, I share your frustration, pushing, as opposed to pulling has never been a strongpoint with other set ups. When you consider that the whole concept of the full size HST was to run in both directions, you would hope that the model would.

[ntpntpntp]

Do the the power cars and coaches all have some form of NEM pocket with a KK self-centering mechanism these days or is that asking too much?

I have German N gauge long ICE trains and other loco hauled sets + driving trailer and I can send them around my layout's tight end curves with the power car or loco pushing at more than realistic speed if I feel like it (mostly to entertain kids at exhibitions) grinning Usually these sets run with just the standard N couplings between the stock but sometimes I use solid bar couplings to create semi-permanently coupled trains. I assume an 00/H0 equivalent bar coupling is available for the NEM pockets?

[atom3624]

Hunt magnetic couplings work quite well.

All depends on how gradual the curves and well laid the track is.

Al.

[ellocoloco]

@OP6 - Does your power car have a NEM 362 mount? If not you can't use Roco type couplings. Looking at the picture of the coaches, I reckon you could get them even closer using proper Roco couplings -40270/1 rather than the Hornby clones.

@ntp - There are solid bars available for OO/HO, but awkward to use. the Roco type (and others) form a solid link for use in a kinematic NEM 362 mount.

[OP6]

@ elocoloco

Yes it does , but the issue is this pocket is a good bit lower on the power cars compared to the coaches so I can't use the standard roco type coupler hornby supplied with the coaches. They should have produced one with a step to accommodate the power car nem pocket design. As far as I am aware they haven't. So this train is incomplete.

I am happy with the supplied roco couplers, they haven't opened on me so far .I don't mind the gaps between the cars, I don't want them to be too close either so the corridor connectors touch on the curves.

[What About The Bee]

Hi OP6

While you wait for Hornby to produce the required item, perhaps you would consider making the step coupler yourself.

Determine the vertical step you need. Get two couplers. Cut one to obtain the NEM clip, cut the other to obtain the Roco coupling less the NEM clip. Install the vertical step, using small screws to connect all three parts, to inhibit shear of the pieces. Viola! A step coupling, of the desired flavor.

Eventually (?? maybe ??) Hornby will produce the required part. You can substitute the factory produced coupling when (?? if ??) it arrives.

Personally, I would be more satisfied with my own rather than the factory item, as it would demonstrate my mastery of the situation. Your mileage may vary of course.

Bee

[OP6]

@corky

Agree, the model should have been designed with solid couplers just like Pendolino, 393 and 800 azuma. All those trains work brilliantly in both pull and push modes. What is so different with hst? Just doesn't make sense Hornby designed a beautifully detailed train with a great running performance but overlooked the couplers.

[OP6]

@ what about the bee

I don't wait for hornby to produce it, I am not that naive, they won't. Their new hst design has the nem pocket on the loco body rather than the bogey, so as far as they are concerned, the issue is resolved.

Something like what you describe could probably be fashioned but the stress on it would be quite high and it will likely fail.

I am going to use hornby standard medium size tension lock coupler on the coaches connecting to power cars, I hope them being the same width will stop them collapsing in push mode.

[OP6]

@atom3624

With the supplied fitted tension lock couplers this train in push mode derails on the straights, never mind the curves.

[OP6]

@ntpntpmt

That's exactly what the new mould sliding door mk3 coaches have and it works. The downside is that placing the nem pockets on the bodies of the coaches (which are quite light) rather than on the bogeys (slam door old mould) makes coaches prone to tipping over as the centre of gravity is raised.

[atom3624]

@OP6

I fitted the Hunt magnetic coupling set to my Super Detail Virgin HST and I can reverse, but not at any speed without standing alongside the controller.

I do understand the tension lock coupling issues - presumably that's with the couplings flexing through the long mounts having difficulty maintaining the same height.

Al.

[ellocoloco]

Could this Roco adjustable height close coupling - 40286  be the solution to the issue?

(Edit: OP6 - You have previously confirmed that the model has an NEM pocket. The Roco coupling above will only work if the loco has a coupling mount to NEM standards 362 or 363. Most OO producers have some sort of problem when it comes to understanding NEM standards. Having a small box into which dovetail coupling will fit does not mean NEM compliance)

[OP6]

@ellocoloco

Great find, yes this might work! If the bit holding the coupler is turned upside down so the adjustable area goes up rather than down, to march the hst power car coupler design. Will try to get one to confirm.

As to whether it will fit into hornby nem pocket, there is only one way to find out.

In the meantime I have used a medium width tension lock coupler on the coaches connecting to power cars and the result is very good: very stable push operation with no derailments .