ONE FOR RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

[Gavin Sowry]

Often decried both here and elsewhere, is the reliability of Bachmann knuckle couplers. Today, the Wellington Group ran a train coupled throughout with Bachmann couplers. It was far too long to fit completely in any photographs. Here's the head of that train...

ONE FOR RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

it consisted of 35, that's three five, thirty five, bogie wagons. That makes 70 Bachmann couplers holding hands.... and, they didn't let go, either.

 

[chris m01]

I have always got on fine with Bachmann and USAT knuckle couplings - I use both types and the seem to go together fine as well as being pretty reliable although I typically only runs trains of circa 18 foot length. They have coped with 35 bogies on my undulating line without problem.
Only time I have had a mass uncoupling incident was when there was a snail between the rails - its shell uncoupled every wagon.

 

[chris m01]

Like the trestle bridge

 

[funandtrains]

The newer ones have metal pins which work better. The problems with Bachmann couplers tend to occur with light wagons on tight curves as the pulling force on light wagons causes the rear axel of the front bogie to rise up dropping tipping to coupler down and the opposite on the rear of the wagon in front which causes the couplers to pull out of each other. If the wagons are weighted this is not such a problem.