However, it soon became apparent that this path was not as easy as suspected.
For one, I had deliberately designed my layout to include a switching puzzle, an Inglenook yard. This meant in order to perform switching operations, cars had to include working couplers.
None of my Kusan cars do.
The equipment that has working knuckle couplers are a mixture of Lionel, K-Line, and RMT. I secured a large stash of Atlas and AHM couplers, but installing them on cars that lack couplers is proving to be a problem. Also, they have projections that hang down for uncoupling that makes their use on 3-rail problematic.
Many of my Marx cars still have their patented Tilt-A-Matic couplers. So do two of my locomotives, specifically my Alco.
I decided to set up a now manual uncoupler and perform some tests.
In a word, flawless.
The equipment coupled easily, whereas the knuckle equipped cars have to be essentially rammed into. Uncoupling is a breeze as well. Plus, there are tabs on the sides of the couplers that allow one to easily uncouple anywhere.
In other words, they work.
While they may not look realistic, certainly, they do the job.
Now comes figuring out installation on non-Marx equipment.
