Couplers
Unlike weights, the cou-
pler treatment differs
depending on the role
of the car.
Through hopper trains
operate essentially
as unit trains on the
layout. They move in
solid blocks and never
need to be uncoupled,
reversed, or switched.
These cars are almost
all equipped with non-
operating knuckle cou-
plers. Several coupler
varieties are used, depending on the model.
Most of the four-bay hoppers on the railroad are Bowser PRR
H21 hoppers. These were originally offered with Rapido cou-
plers, and of course, I bought a bunch just as soon as I could, all
with these non-scale couplers. Fortunately, AccuMate offered
a reliable T-shank knuckle replacement, now sold by Red
Caboose. These fit perfectly in the Bowser coupler pocket and
are an easy change.
Additional three-bay and four-bay hoppers from other Eastern
roads including C&O, B&O, and NYC are available from Athearn,
Atlas, Bluford Shops and others. A few of these break up the
monotony of the PRR hopper blocks. They are all equipped
with Micro-Trains trucks/couplers and low profile wheel sets.
Comme-N-tary Column - 3
3
3: AccuMate (Red Caboose) T-
shank couplers fit easily into the
Bowser trucks.
A few of the PRR cars have a body-mount M-T coupler on one
end (more on these later) to allow easy coupling to locomo-
tives, cabooses (cabin cars), and the other hoppers.
The hoppers used for the Cresson turns are almost all two-
bay cars, and most of these are Bowser PRR GLa models. By
the time these models came out, Bowser had switched to a
knuckle coupler. Quite a few other manufacturers, including
Atlas and Micro-Trains, also offer a variety of two-bay hoppers,
with a variety of knuckle couplers.
All of these are designed to operate on narrow N-scale
curves. In order to do so, the cars couple at greater-than-
prototype distances. The cars on the Cresson jobs also need
to operate reliably in reverse in cuts of up to a dozen cars.
The best way to achieve this (in any scale) is to equip the cars
with body-mount couplers. Fortunately Leonard White came
up with a solution that addresses both issues.
Most of these two-bay cars have a dimple designed to fit the
screw mount for M-T 1015 magnetic body-mount couplers. The
car knockers began equipping the fleet with these couplers;
they are reliable and good-looking. Soon, however, the shops
found an easier, less-expensive solution.
AccuMate (now Red Caboose) also offers a body-mount non-
operating knuckle coupler. This one-piece coupler fits perfectly
when screwed to the same dimple designed for the M-T cou-
pler. As it turned out, there is no need for a coupler box. There
is enough play in the mounting and the coupler that the cars
move through the yard’s #5 turnouts without difficulty.
The Cresson fleet ended up with a mix of cars. Most have
AccuMate/Red Caboose non-operating couplers, and a few cars
have M-T body-mount couplers at one end to allow uncou-
pling from the engine or cabin car. This solution produced
MRH-Jun 2013
