Alternative mounting for Kadee couplers on LGB 0-4-0 Porter?

[Lylat1an]

I want to have knuckle couplers on my Porter, but Kadee's site says to mount the front pilot upside down to make them fit and its underside is hollow.

Has anyone found a more aesthetically pleasing way to make their couplers fit?

Perhaps Kadee's "Sill Mount" or "Pilot Pocket" mounts would work along with an offset coupler?

 

[Greg Elmassian]

An offset coupler is never aesthetically pleasing... except on a Shay!

In practice they do not work well, model and prototype.

Can you post a picture so I don't have to find a good picture of the front of the loco? I am with a group of people who actually make a business of bolt on Kadee conversions.

Greg

 

[Lylat1an]

 

[Paul2727]

One of the problems with the LGB porter is that they still use a version of the old toy-train chassis that fitted the OTTO and the weird little diesel. So the coupling mounts are a separate part from the chassis. Now while the OTTO and the weird little diesel had reasonably substantial coupling mounts, the porters are a rather spindly and hollow affair and have a cut out to enable the LGB coupling to sit at the right height. I adapted an Otto front mount to mount the couplings onto Brooklyn my porter hybrid. (Shown here as thumbnails.) which allows the use of both claw and LGB couplings with no issues. While not prototypical is suited my needs well. I think what I'm trying to say is; It may be easier to make a complete new buffer beam which fits the couplings you want to use and be stronger than the original. Its only held on with 2 screws so could be easily swapped without damaging the loco.
Paul.

 

[Lylat1an]

One of the problems with the LGB porter is that they still use a version of the old toy-train chassis that fitted the OTTO and the weird little diesel. So the coupling mounts are a separate part from the chassis. Now while the OTTO and the weird little diesel had reasonably substantial coupling mounts, the porters are a rather spindly and hollow affair and have a cut out to enable the LGB coupling to sit at the right height. I adapted an Otto front mount to mount the couplings onto Brooklyn my porter hybrid. (Shown here as thumbnails.) which allows the use of both claw and LGB couplings with no issues. While not prototypical is suited my needs well. I think what I'm trying to say is; It may be easier to make a complete new buffer beam which fits the couplings you want to use and be stronger than the original. Its only held on with 2 screws so could be easily swapped without damaging the loco.
Paul.

Thank you, though I would like to preserve the prototypical appearance if possible.

 

[Paul2727]

Thank you, though I would like to preserve the prototypical appearance if possible.

Hi, Showed my version as an example only. There's no reason you couldn't make a more prototypical looking buffer beam which takes kadee coupling better than the original but uses the original beam mountings.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yes, take out the non-prototypical loop coupler first... then you need to see what will bolt in where...

I agree with Paul, get rid of the non-prototypical plastic beam, and replace it with a piece of fine-grained hardwood and then perhaps the height is ok for the Kadee sill mount.

But at least a picture with the coupler out please.

Do you have the measurements of the Kadee coupler centerline?

Greg

 

[Lylat1an]

According to Kadee's documents, the centerline is supposed to be 1.125 inches above the rails.

The top of the pilot is barely an inch above the rails, and it's centerline is about 3/4 of an inch above the rails.



I suppose I could make a new beam that's a little taller, but I imagine that it would still need to have an offset coupler to make up for the 1/4 to 5/16 inch gap.

 

[Paul2727]

Hi,
Paul here again.
I did a little research about the real locos that the LGB porter is based on when building Brooklyn..
Bear in mind that we are dealing with LGB's rubber ruler. After all the original model was made to be part of a toy 'train set', so being able to couple it to their rolling stock was a necessity, so obviously compromises had to be made.
So. The locos it were based on were narrow gauge 'light' locomotives built and therefore much smaller than their standard gauge counterparts.
it appears that the majority of them were fitted with either link and pin couplings or various adaptor pockets for different couplings. So it appears that
even Kadee claw couplings would not be that prototypical if fitted at the buffer centre-line..
With the heights you have given, it would place the coupling part way up the smoke-box door, Which would be OK if you wanted to portray a removable coupling / adaptor socket.
I would check the coupling heights against a wagon or loco already fitted with your choice of coupling. It's often easier to see what's going to be possible that way, rather than relying purely on measurements.
Another suggestion is that you you could run it with a short adaptor / match wagon with different couplings on each end. This was quite a common practice. Plus, if you wanted you could fit the wagon with power pick ups to give you a smoother ride over the switches.
See examples of actual locos below:
regards,
Paul.
NB: It's interesting to note that the real ones all seem to have pipes / lines to the cylinders rather than the grease pots on the model. Some seem to have front or rear steps under the buffer beam. It also stands to reason that over time any number of modifications may have been made by the owners of such locos, and as the old saying goes 'there's a prototype for everything.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/97/c3/89/97c38972abd3b608cad104d22ee735f4.jpg

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6008c73e-4b70-44e2-b005-7c966e3c7801/dazm1rz-aa7687e9-9586-4f5a-8b3a-038abcf15642.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNjAwOGM3M2UtNGI3MC00NGUyLWIwMDUtN2M5NjZlM2M3ODAxXC9kYXptMXJ6LWFhNzY4N2U5LTk1ODYtNGY1YS04YjNhLTAzOGFiY2YxNTY0Mi5qcGcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.ivJIH_b0oxlhu0SOky8oLDzgnBgi5FpsDkWSXSWDpaE

https://saveitforparts.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/porter-0-4-0.jpg

 

[Lylat1an]

I know 2 surviving prototypes from Youtube, they both have Link & Pin couplers as well.

(They come up as 1889 and 1890 Porters)

I've built a 'firewood trailer' (I'm not sure if I should call it a tender since it won't carry water) on a 2-axle HLW flatcar to carry a battery and Dead Rail receiver. I can probably convert the rear coupler on that to a knuckle and keep the Hook and Loops between it and the loco.

Instead of another car for height comparison, I think I should invest in a height gauge.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

One thing all newbies go through it "coupler angst"....

So you need to figure out if you want to standardize so everything couples to each other, or live with the fact that only certain locos will couple with others.

Once you have figured that out, if you decide to standardize, then you will also need to standardize on coupler height.

This can be driven by economics, the scale of the loco, how close to prototype you want, etc.

An example: I run mostly 1:29 and model mainline trains. So I needed to standardize and I went Kadee. Now I wanted remote uncoupling, so you HAVE to use their specified height because of the magnetic trip pin.

But I know people who standardized on USA Trains knuckle couplers, and USAT has a much lower standard coupler height. This person was mostly USAT, so he only had to modify a few cars that were USAT.

I know another person who loves all steamers, and buys different brands, and the coupler heights were all over the place (LGB, Bachmann, etc)... He decided on a prototype height based on 1:20.3 and did all the couplers that way.

So, you might want to think about your long term plan, and modify locos as you go.

Greg

 

[JimmyB]

One thing all newbies go through it "coupler angst"....

So you need to figure out if you want to standardize so everything couples to each other, or live with the fact that only certain locos will couple with others.

Greg

Greg, never a truer word said