Q: I have gone to train shows and garage sales and bought many N scale cars with all sorts of different couplers. I am trying to create my own standard and stick with the majority of people with N scale rolling stock. I know there are many vendors out there. Can you help me sort them out? — Doug Burns
A: You’re right, Doug. Most modelers pick a specific brand of coupler and adopt it as their standard. It’s possible you’ve encountered many different types of couplers at train shows and garage sales, so let’s take a look at the different N scale couplers that are out there.
Rapido, an early manufacturer of N scale models (not to be confused with today’s Rapido Trains), let other companies use its coupler design. The wedge-front coupler, which was used on most N scale models (except Micro-Trains) through the 1990s, pivoted up and down. This allowed one coupler to ride over the other for coupling. Although the Rapido did a good job of keeping cars coupled, it was oversized and didn’t look like a prototype knuckle coupler.
Following on the success of its HO scale knuckle coupler, Kadee introduced an N scale version of its Magne-Matic operating knuckle coupler in the late 1960s. The spring-loaded coupler is split in half vertically. The knuckle is on the top half of the shank, while the rest of the coupler head is on the bottom half. The coupler opens and closes in a scissors action.
In 1990, Kadee split into two companies, Kadee (HO and larger scales) and Micro-Trains (N and Z scales). For many years, the only way you could get factory-installed Magne-Matic couplers was by purchasing a Micro-Trains freight car.
Today, Micro-Trains produces coupler conversion kits for many current and former N scale locomotives and freight cars. The company also offers a variety of truck-mounted couplers, as well as assembled couplers and coupler kits designed for body mounting. You can familiarize yourself with Magne-Matic couplers by purchasing the N scale coupler starter set, item No. 1050.
Similar to what happened in the HO scale market, the late 1990s saw a growth in automatic N scale couplers from other manufacturers. Accurail (Accumate, found on Atlas models), Bachmann (E-Z Mate), and McHenry (Athearn) all offer plastic knuckle couplers. In recent years, other manufacturers have developed proprietary couplers. Examples include Broadway Limited Imports, Jacksonville Terminal Co., Kato, Rapido Trains, and ScaleTrains.
For the most part, all brands of N scale couplers perform well while coupling. However, you may find occasional cross-compatibility issues when uncoupling. That’s why N scale modelers, especially those who host regular operating sessions, select a specific brand and use it exclusively to avoid such problems.
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