Andrew-372848 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 11 minutes ago, Dodge1965 said: Do yours look different to the other coaches? I’ll need to check. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Way back before stock arrived I had a Piko BR130 and some Arnold Ferry vans to test layout and get used to couplings etc. at first the Arnold couplings didn’t seem that great and I wasn’t that hopeful for the Hornby stock, I swapped the Arnold ones for Tillig versions and they work a dream. Since the Hornby versions seem to be absolutely fine. Making sure the heights match is important and also that the Kinetic system centres ok. I use a magnetic screwdriver from above where there is space between stock and a craft spatula from below for others and works well but it takes a bit of practice to act on the important part of the coupling. Sometimes new stock takes a little bit to bed in. Not a fan of magnetic couplings, on a permanently attached rake they might have a role but not in shunting etc (o not applicable to HST) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 I think what I said is same as Garry has also noted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skelton Junction Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 I had initial reluctance to engage from mk3 to loco but since successfully cajoling their relationship into something more committed they’ve run happily and without incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_watts1 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 (edited) I use Hunt magnetic couplings from West Hill Wagon Works and swear by them. I would suggest you get a mixed pack to start with to see which ones replace the current ones the best, but so far most of the stock uses close couplings with only the Mk1's using extra close ones. Note that magnetics are not really great for shunting only permanent rakes. Edited March 10 by david_watts1 Addition of detail. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 13 hours ago, Postman On The Rails said: Look for @Peachy you tube video on coupler reviews Great video, very informative. I'll order some of the two alternatives to the Hornby supplied couplings and see how it goes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge1965 Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 (edited) Found this on YT.. There are probably 100's out there. @Silverfox17 Don't turn your sound on !!! 🤣🤣 Edited March 10 by Dodge1965 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 17 hours ago, Andrew-372848 said: I’ll need to check. Checking the Mk3 couplings with the Pullman they are identical and as you might have suspected both coupled/decoupled together without issue. I did do this at eye level, so it looks. like my technique at layout level is lacking or I might need to use a wider implement to raise the hooks. I failed miserably installing the Hornby uncouplers which I have now removed, the sprung ramp would not stay clipped to the rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moccasin Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 9 minutes ago, Andrew-372848 said: Checking the Mk3 couplings with the Pullman they are identical and as you might have suspected both coupled/decoupled together without issue. I did do this at eye level, so it looks. like my technique at layout level is lacking or I might need to use a wider implement to raise the hooks. I failed miserably installing the Hornby uncouplers which I have now removed, the sprung ramp would not stay clipped to the rails. The uncouplers are very fiddly and I’m not surprised that you had problems. The instructions aren’t much use either. It’s worth trying again though when you’re feeling patient. Once they’re on the track properly they do stay in place and are pretty good. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Fox 17 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 17 minutes ago, Dodge1965 said: Found this on YT.. There are probably 100's out there. @Silverfox17 Don't turn your sound on !!! 🤣🤣 Ha ha, dont worry, I personally don't watch these anyway lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge1965 Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Last two... Honest, thought the last one is the best.. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HST Mainline Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Regarding couplings: Have you tried taking working couplings from some of your coaches, and put them on the HST to see if they still perform flawless? My HST does not couple without help at all. I exchanged the couplings with some from my Pullmans to see if that made a difference. It did. On my HST I found the following: The short coupler kinematic in the loco is centered by a spring. That spring pulls a bit too much on the moving part, so the moving part is slightly pointing the coupling upwards. When the TT coupling is not horizontal it becomes unreliable. At first, I thought about loosening the spring a bit, but this is a dangerous procedure because if I loosen it too much the centering mechanism will stop working. Instead, I took the least expensive part (the coupling itself) and filed ever so slightly where the hook from the next coach falls into the coupler head (red circle on the drawing). Just a tiny bit, and then try it out. Too much and the coupling will uncouple randomly, so take care here. This operation will allow the metal pin to release even if the coupling is slightly pointing upwards. Another potential improvement on the HST coupling: The metal part of the coupling has a little hook that grabs into the pocket (that we just filed at bit). On my couplings on the HST this was a bit out of alignment, causing it not to drop freely into the hole, but rather get stuck on the side of the coupling head. This can cause the coupling to jam. With the coupling on its own: Make sure you can "flick" metal part with your fingers from below (like the uncoupler track does) without it getting stuck. It has to move freely up and down. Last thing: When the couplings move together, the metal pin slides up the coupler head of the opposing coach. If the angle of the metal hook is slightly off, this procedure will be either very hard or impossible. You can help the coupling by bending the metal hook a tiny bit, until the coupling couples without problems. All in all, I think it comes down to the HSTs coupler kinematics being ever so slightly out of alignment (mainly because the spring is pulling too hard on the mechanism). Instead of messing around with the spring and the HST itself, your cheapest option is to sacrifice a coupling to see if you can make it perform better. My HST now couples flawless and works with the uncoupler track totally without me helping it. A little filing and a little bending of the hook did it for me. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 5 minutes ago, HST Mainline said: Regarding couplings: Have you tried taking working couplings from some of your coaches, and put them on the HST to see if they still perform flawless? My HST does not couple without help at all. I exchanged the couplings with some from my Pullmans to see if that made a difference. It did. On my HST I found the following: The short coupler kinematic in the loco is centered by a spring. That spring pulls a bit too much on the moving part, so the moving part is slightly pointing the coupling upwards. When the TT coupling is not horizontal it becomes unreliable. At first, I thought about loosening the spring a bit, but this is a dangerous procedure because if I loosen it too much the centering mechanism will stop working. Instead, I took the least expensive part (the coupling itself) and filed ever so slightly where the hook from the next coach falls into the coupler head (red circle on the drawing). Just a tiny bit, and then try it out. Too much and the coupling will uncouple randomly, so take care here. This operation will allow the metal pin to release even if the coupling is slightly pointing upwards. Another potential improvement on the HST coupling: The metal part of the coupling has a little hook that grabs into the pocket (that we just filed at bit). On my couplings on the HST this was a bit out of alignment, causing it not to drop freely into the hole, but rather get stuck on the side of the coupling head. This can cause the coupling to jam. With the coupling on its own: Make sure you can "flick" metal part with your fingers from below (like the uncoupler track does) without it getting stuck. It has to move freely up and down. Last thing: When the couplings move together, the metal pin slides up the coupler head of the opposing coach. If the angle of the metal hook is slightly off, this procedure will be either very hard or impossible. You can help the coupling by bending the metal hook a tiny bit, until the coupling couples without problems. All in all, I think it comes down to the HSTs coupler kinematics being ever so slightly out of alignment (mainly because the spring is pulling too hard on the mechanism). Instead of messing around with the spring and the HST itself, your cheapest option is to sacrifice a coupling to see if you can make it perform better. My HST now couples flawless and works with the uncoupler track totally without me helping it. A little filing and a little bending of the hook did it for me. Many thanks for this detailed description of the coupler workings, I have never quite understood the mechanism. I'll try and follow your guidance, however I do find working with the smaller items in this scale quite difficult so I'll need a day when my hand/eye coordination is working! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge1965 Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 So i went up into the loft and removed all the foam and got 98% of the track connected. Enough to do a few test runs with 7 coaches. I had no issues coulping up and no disconnects with the coaches. The HST run perfect and was a fab end to the weekend... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dodge1965 said: So i went up into the loft and removed all the foam and got 98% of the track connected. Enough to do a few test runs with 7 coaches. I had no issues coulping up and no disconnects with the coaches. The HST run perfect and was a fab end to the weekend... Yes indeed it is extremely sure footed and very smooth at lower speeds too. That's going to be one fab layout you have there!! Edited March 10 by Andrew-372848 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postman On The Rails Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 7 hours ago, Moccasin said: The uncouplers are very fiddly and I’m not surprised that you had problems. The instructions aren’t much use either. It’s worth trying again though when you’re feeling patient. Once they’re on the track properly they do stay in place and are pretty good. I had problems but realised eventually when you lay them flat you need to centre them to keep them in position Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge1965 Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 6 hours ago, Andrew-372848 said: Yes indeed it is extremely sure footed and very smooth at lower speeds too. That's going to be one fab layout you have there!! Thanks very much, I’ve had a lot of help this past year from @Rallymatt.. I had a basic idea, but he is the mastermind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Ha ha … I just got your ideas into a workable soloution. For someone who has not done this before you have some great ideas, that’s what I love about the hobby, anything is possible 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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