Couplers in Z Scale

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently working on converting my European rolling stock to magnetic uncouplers. My first idea was to try out using Micro-Trains couplers. I converted several cars and then went on to test them on 195 mm curves.

The Good:

Cars look very tightly coupled

The Bad:

Conversion is a bit of a pain

The Ugly:

Buffers tend to lock and derail cars...

Unfortunately it does not appear that there is a longer shank coupler available.

Has anyone had experiences with using other couplers in European rolling stock, or converting standard Marklin couplers to magnetic uncoupling?

Ive tried using some more scale looking hook and loop couplers that I got in Germany. They are tiny bits and are more fumbly and harder to work with than MTL (unless you are assembling them by hand in which case they are a bit easier.) Thing is you literally have to hook and unhook the cars together. (This is what happens in real life on European trains, some guy ducks down and goes between the cars and throws a link on a hook where it is tightened by a turnbuckle kind of screw, taking the slack out.
You can only get those European cars so tight on your model as the real cars have a spring in those bumpers, they are made to push and rub against each other.
There are some other cottage industry metal hooks out there that are like the Maerklin ones,just a bit smaller and closer fitting, and I do believe because thy are metal the Germans can use a magnet to uncouple them. I will see what I can find online about those.

Great! Thanks...

Here's a link to my blog with pictures of how the cars look coupled with MT couplers.

I wonder if wider radius of curves is going to solve the problem...

adventuresinzscale.blogspot.com/

4-Wheel Lightweight Passenger Trucks By Micro trains they have a longer shank but I don't know if they would look good because they are for passenger cars. Look on the Micro Trains web site under Z scale Trucks.

This might be an interesting exercise, but there are a couple of issues with them. First they should be 36" wheels (not the freight standard of 33"). I haven't measured, but the issue can be fixed my swapping out out the wheels. More importantly, the bolster pin is outboard of center, which is why they need the longer shank. These might would with the longer >60 ft) rolling stock.
You might want to check out the AZL truck #AZL-90004 which has a longer shank.

Hope this helps,
Mark

Thank you for all the ideas. I did some experimenting and here are the results so far:

- Marklin European Cars with MT couplers run smoothly through 490mm radii (this implies that they will work correctly on turnouts and cross overs)
- I don't know what is the next lower radii which will work, but I'm planning on experimenting.
- MT passenger trucks with couplers are meant for "modern - era" rolling stock, will not really work with european freight cars or "older - era" rolling stock.
- With 490mm radii it might be more efficient to body mount couplers.

More as I experiment

kmal, My last two room sized Z layouts used no curve smaller than 490mm. The performance of the same era locos and rolling stock performed much more reliabling on 490mm than on other layouts using sharper curves. I understand that many of us have to have less radius, but larger is better in Z as in other scales.

I think the vast majority of us would like body mounted couplers. Probably not in my lifetime however. Main reason may be the plethora of 2'x4' layouts in Z scale. Good luck and keep experimenting. Jim

So the layout I'm planning on building is going to be modular. Right now there is three modules planned:
- staging left,
- branch line through station
- staging right