How do you couple your Roundhouse loco?

homestyal

homestyal

Registered
Just wondering how you all couple your Roundhouse loco with central buffer and hook, to your LGB and Accucraft rolling stock?

I suspect a change of coupling on the LGB and a two/three link chain to your Accucraft..........8|
 
In an emergency, a wire paper clip is favourite! I don't have the problem, as I only use Accu couplings.
 
homestyal said:
Just wondering how you all couple your Roundhouse loco with central buffer and hook, to your LGB and Accucraft rolling stock?

I suspect a change of coupling on the LGB and a two/three link chain to your Accucraft..........8|
Click to expand...

It seems to me that, if you run mostly LGB then Roundhouse can supply this sort of coupler. If you wish to use the Accucraft chopper coupling then why not fit these to your locomotive. you would need to remove the whitemetal buffer as supplied and then offer up an accucraft chopper to mark where the holes need to be drilled. One can either drill and tap or drill and bolt through to secure. This way you can use all your own stock and if visiting another line just use a chain for drwing centre buffer stock.
 
One small point to note on Tag Gordon's advice is that there is virtually no vertical play in the Accucraft chopper coupling and it is absolutely essential to have it properly aligned with the Accucraft stock coupling height. I ad this done with my Roundhouse Russell at its last overhaul and have been very satisfied with the results. (See picture
below). BTW, the chopper height on the Accucraft Manx locos are no guide for this purpose as they are set at the 1:19 correct height, whereas the Manx stock is set at 1:22.5...

Otherwise, chains or coupling bars are the only alternative. These are less than satisfactory arrangements because (a) you cannot easily shunt stock backwards, and (b) the lack of compatible central buffers combined with the absence of brakes on the locomotives means that stopping without the stock piling into the loco is a very delicate operation.
 
I have a Roundhouse loco with the buffer beams drilled and Accucraft chopper couplings fitted at IOM 'Manx height'.

The Accucraft IOM locos have the couplings set to the true scale 1:20.3 height, the Accucraft IOM coaches have the couplings set to "16mm /1:19" height as they come out of the box - there are extra holes already provided for easy adjustment to IOM height on the 4 wheelers, and extra drawbars to easily give this height on the bogie coaches. That said if your minimum radius is 4 foot (R3) you can dispense with the couplings on drawbars and fit them directly onto the headstocks.

Happy steamings,

John
 
It's my intention is to pull IOM 4 wheel coaches (not purchased yet) with my Roundhouse Billy.
However, it would be good to also pull my LGB occasionally, but I have a wagon in mind that I can convert one of the couplings to same as Billy (after converted) that could sit between my loco and my other LGB stock.

Ermmm, what to do!
 
For towing LGB stock with loco's fitted with 3 links, I drill a hole in the top of the LGB buffer shank. Then I super-glue a short length of wire into the hole and bend it into a hook shape. The shape of the hook can be adjusted so that the chain sits horizontally. Even on my R1 curves this works fine for me. The beauty of this method is that the LGB hook and loop can be left in place for loco's fitted with a similar coupling.
 
For LGB and 16mm type Centre Buffers I use the Brandbright RSA 46 coupling (search for this on their website under Buffers and Couplings). I use these on all my Live Steam and other non Electric Locomotives that are not able to be converted to LGB Couplings. You can then take out the chopper hook in one of your Accucraft vehicles and treat it as a Centre 16mm Type with chain to couple up.
JOnD
 
All my loco's, including Roundhouse, and almost all my stock have Accucraft chopper couplings fitted. I do have a pair of LGB log wagons and as they always run together I've not bothered to replace the loop and hook coupling that joins them. This means that if I acquire anything with loop and hook I can marshal it in between them and run it straight away until I get round to fitting choppers.

I also have an Accucraft Caledonia with the factory fitted coupling at the scale IOM height, and although it looks frightening it easily couples to the rest of my stock which have couplings at standard height and has never (yet!) come adrift.

Rob
 
Mossala Hill said:
All my loco's, including Roundhouse, and almost all my stock have Accucraft chopper couplings fitted. I do have a pair of LGB log wagons and as they always run together I've not bothered to replace the loop and hook coupling that joins them. This means that if I acquire anything with loop and hook I can marshal it in between them and run it straight away until I get round to fitting choppers.

I also have an Accucraft Caledonia with the factory fitted coupling at the scale IOM height, and although it looks frightening it easily couples to the rest of my stock which have couplings at standard height and has never (yet!) come adrift.

Rob
Click to expand...

The problem with differing chopper heights as between the Accucraft IOM locos and the Accucraft IOM stock is not that the choppers won't couple, it is that because of the height difference, the loco tends to lift the vehicle immediately following it, so de-weighting the front axle/bogie. This leads to derailments especially on switches and crossings, reverse curves below R3 and so on. Note this can also be a problem with the chain and coupling bar solutions unless the lengths are very carefully adjusted.

Graham Hewett
 
I also have an Accucraft Caledonia with the factory fitted coupling at the scale IOM height, and although it looks frightening it easily couples to the rest of my stock which have couplings at standard height and has never (yet!) come adrift.

Rob
[/quote]

The problem with differing chopper heights as between the Accucraft IOM locos and the Accucraft IOM stock is not that the choppers won't couple, it is that because of the height difference, the loco tends to lift the vehicle immediately following it, so de-weighting the front axle/bogie. This leads to derailments especially on switches and crossings, reverse curves below R3 and so on.

Graham Hewett
[/quote]
Never been a problem so far, but then I don't have any sub-R3 reverse curves.

Rob
 
pghewett said:
The problem with differing chopper heights as between the Accucraft IOM locos and the Accucraft IOM stock is not that the choppers won't couple, it is that because of the height difference, the loco tends to lift the vehicle immediately following it, so de-weighting the front axle/bogie. This leads to derailments especially on switches and crossings, reverse curves below R3 and so on. Note this can also be a problem with the chain and coupling bar solutions unless the lengths are very carefully adjusted.

Graham Hewett
Click to expand...
That's an interesting post Graham. Do you find this with the leading coupling on the first IOM coach set to IOM height to match the loco, or do you mean it lifts if you 'make do' with the leading coupling on the coach at the factory setting of the lower '16mm' height? I can see how the latter would lift but it is only two screws into factory drilled holes to change the coupling to IOM height.

I have all my locos (Roundhouse, I P Engineering, or Accucraft) with Accucraft chopper couplings at IOM height, I have all my IOM rolling stock with Accucraft chopper couplings at IOM height, I then use an item of L&B or W&L rolling stock with the couplings at each end set to the different heights as a 'converter wagon' to put any other type of stock on the back.

Happy steamings,

John
 
John

It's what happens when I "make do" by coupling the Accucraft Caledonia to the Accucraft IOM stock, both fitted with couplings at the factory settings. I use a chain wrapped round the two hooks and the shank of the chopper. I did consider making a translator van (and a second one for LGB-Caledonia, and a third one for LGB-Manx chopper etc) but, hey!, this getting close to the position on the MER where it was alleged that the works had separate coupling bars for nearly every combination of motor and trailer.

I entirely agree that one way round the problem would be to adjust the couplings on all the Accucraft rolling stock. I would then be able to couple it to Caledonia - but - I wouldn't be able to couple any of it to my Countess...

Life is full of difficult choices!

GH
 
pghewett said:
I entirely agree that one way round the problem would be to adjust the couplings on all the Accucraft rolling stock. I would then be able to couple it to Caledonia - but - I wouldn't be able to couple any of it to my Countess...
Life is full of difficult choices!

GH
Click to expand...
Ah, right, yes, it does indeed get a tad complicated Graham! I think in your situation I'd settle for one end of one item of IOM rolling stock to be set to IMR loco height, then you can either run with it at the front of a rake if using an IMR loco, or put it at the back if using a non IMR loco (or just park it in a siding).

Would MER staff please note reference to 'a good choice of bars' has nothing to do with the Mines Tavern at Laxey!

Happy steamings,

John
 
Is it not possible to lower the Cally's coupling to 'your' std height by the drilling and tapping of a couple of juditious holes in the drag beam?

edit.
Alternatively a small thickish brass plate screwed to the original holes with the lower holes drilld and tapped in it.
 
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