Couplers

What determines if a car/locomotive gets a standard coupler, a SF or otherwise coupler type? Anyone have a list of all the types?


UPDATE:

Anyone have experience with sergeant Couplers? Are they beter than kadees? How easy to modify?

http://user.icx.net/~sergent/index.htm

I think that shelf couplers have been required on all tank cars since 1983. Prior to that they were required on tank cars carrying dangerous goods.

I'm not aware of any requirement for shelf couplers on other car types. They're intended to prevent car-end punctures resulting from vertical separation of the couplers in a derailment. Since they're interchangeable with a standard coupler, you do find shelf couplers on other car types. I've often seen cars with one standard coupler and one shelf coupler, presumably because a shelf coupler was the closest replacement to hand.

Sergent couplers look a lot better than Kadee or McHenry, but keep in mind that ther aren't compatible with any other knuckle couplers except for the Sergent-compatible dummies available, which in turn are only compatible with Sergent couplers. So far I'm happy with the Kadee 58, the Kadee 118 and the McHenry shelf couplers.

i like the segents. Hope he makes some other types!

For equipment which I operate on other peoples layouts I use Kadee or McHenry couplers. They are a kind of defacto standard.

For my eventual home layout I am using Sergent couplers. The new diecast ones are easier to assemble than his original white metals. Size and appearance is almost exactly to scale. I also like the lack of the "air hose" that Kadee and clones use. Since my layout will only have about three dozen pieces of equipment I can fine tune them to my needs.

Stuart

IM waiting until he makes the other types used on modern equipment, so i can switch over all in one nell swoop. Probably do detailing at the same time.

Kindly pardon my abysmal ignorance but I have never heard of these "Sergent" (spelling?) couplers referred to a couple of posts back. I get the impression these are non-operating couplers, is that right?

Sergent Engineering couplers are operating knuckle couplers that are much closer in size and appearance to a prototype coupler than even the Kadee 58 and McHenry "Scale" couplers. They are not compatible with any other couplers (except Glatzls), whereas Kadee, McHenry and Accurail "scale" couplers are compatible with one another and with previous knuckle couplers such as the Kadee #5.

http://www.sergentengineering.com/

The Glatzl coupler is a non-operating coupler compatible with Sergent; they're an option for "transition" of a large fleet to Sergent couplers, being lower-priced than Sergents ($USD 5 for 24).

They keep looking better and better...oh how i long for Tightlocks and Shelf type E's!

What prompted my question above about the Sergent couplers is my distinct memory, waaaaaaaaaay back in the late 50s ---- when I first got started modeling ---that some plastic kits --- Athearn dummy diesels of that era are a specific example --- used to come with what I distinctly recall were molded zamac (I guess they were zamac) dummy knuckle couplers that appeared (to my 13 years old eyes at the time) to be perfect AAR knuckle couplers. I was wondering if those are still available

To judge from the answer to my question about the Sergent couplers, this is not them, but it's possible the "Glatzl" (spelling?) couplers my be. Such a coupler is certainly not terribly practical in normal operation but is fabulous on a display model.

Anone have experience with Sergents? I know shelfs are on the way, it's in the FAQ, but i think i like the F's for my CP SD40-2, and the H's for my pass. equipment.

I suspect you are thinking of the MDC a/k/a Roundhouse couplers. These were die-cast and had an operating knuckle. They uncoupled by raising the metal "air hose" which unlatched the knuckle, allowing the cars to pull apart.

If memory serves, the same coupler had an earlier life under the name DeVore. MDC supplied them in all their kits (or all the ones I ever saw) until the advent of the horn hook a/k/a X2f coupler. I don't recall anyone other than MDC packaging them in kits, but never say never.