Scale Trains 5188 Hoppers In at MBK

[peteski]

Well, outside of the couplers they sure are nice cars!  I got 4 of them and they look and track great - I really like them.  Perhaps all of these comments will cause ST to think about either a new coupler, or at least to make it easier to do a conversion.

I think that Scale Trains coupler boxes are designed for drop-in MTL 1015 coupler retrofit. At least that is how my Big Blow Turbines were.

[davefoxx]

I chimed in about the Scale Trains couplers in another thread, and I'll say it again here: It really puzzles me as to why a new model train manufacturer that touts the extreme leave of details and accuracy in their models actually designs a brand new knuckle coupler which is nowhere near being accurate (or even close to scale).  I don't get it!  If they had a budget for R&D of their own new N scale coupler, why haven't they made one which was as small as possible and still compatible with other brand couplers.  For example, the MTL Z scale coupler is much smaller than other fully functional couplers, yet can still couple to other N scale couplers. Why didn't Scale Trains didn't make their coupler closer to the MTL Z scale coupler?  If they wanted to make it look more realistic then they shoudl have taken the same route as the Goemon Coupler. It has a look of the AAR coupler, but functionally it is an MTL coupler.

Maybe it has to do more with function than scale looks.  The smaller the coupler, probably the less reliable it may become, due to some problems that may even be the fault of the modeler (e.g., poor track).  The manufacturers then have to become concerned with complaints about the performance of the couplers causing a perceived impression of the entire car's quality and, hence, the loss of sales.  There's probably many more model railroaders out there that do not care about scale-sized couplers than there are asshats here who do care.  You're outnumbered, so getting a factory-installed working scale-sized N scale coupler is probably unlikely to see the light of day.  The ScaleTrains coupler was probably an attempt to appease both camps, but it sounds like it's a fail on the scale-sized side.  Just a guess, and I hope I'm wrong.

DFF

[ridinshotgun]

Maybe it has to do more with function than scale looks.  The smaller the coupler, probably the less reliable it may become, due to some problems that may even be the fault of the modeler (e.g., poor track).  The manufacturers then have to become concerned with complaints about the performance of the couplers causing a perceived impression of the entire car's quality and, hence, the loss of sales.  There's probably many more model railroaders out there that do not care about scale-sized couplers than there are asshats here who do care.  You're outnumbered, so getting a factory-installed working scale-sized N scale coupler is probably unlikely to see the light of day.  The ScaleTrains coupler was probably an attempt to appease both camps, but it sounds like it's a fail on the scale-sized side.  Just a guess, and I hope I'm wrong.

DFF

It is more than a failure in size, it is a failure in operation too and the weakest point of their n scale items. 

All of the carbon black hoppers I received have had the couplers break because of the excessive force required to get them too couple.  And forget any type of switching because of that.  I have a decent number of the 4785 hoppers  and one of the C39-8's on order but I think they may be the last of what I buy due to operation issues with couplers and installation issues with MT couplers.  The coupler pockets were cast wrong on the CB hoppers and ST admitted to this.  Supposedly fixed the issue in later runs but I see it popped back up for someone with these new hoppers.  I am dreading having to work on the 4785's to get the couplers switched over.

It is too much effort to get a string of consistent usable runners at the price point they are asking and I am getting extremely picky about what kind of cars I spend the limited funds I have available for rolling stock.

[peteski]

Maybe it has to do more with function than scale looks.  The smaller the coupler, probably the less reliable it may become, due to some problems that may even be the fault of the modeler (e.g., poor track).  The manufacturers then have to become concerned with complaints about the performance of the couplers causing a perceived impression of the entire car's quality and, hence, the loss of sales.  There's probably many more model railroaders out there that do not care about scale-sized couplers than there are asshats here who do care.  You're outnumbered, so getting a factory-installed working scale-sized N scale coupler is probably unlikely to see the light of day.  The ScaleTrains coupler was probably an attempt to appease both camps, but it sounds like it's a fail on the scale-sized side.  Just a guess, and I hope I'm wrong.

DFF

Well, judging by the posts here, even those standard Scale Trains couplers aren't really working well.  And supposedly this is a 2nd (better-working) iteration of that coupler.  As far as size goes, I heard many good things about reliability of the MTL Z scale couplers (or the Lee English couplers too).  I also suggested something like the Goemon coupler which is basically same size as the very reliable  MTL couplers, but with some extra details added so it looks more realistic.  I still don't know what Scale Trains designers were thinking - doesn't  look very well thought out.

[MetroRedLine]

I’ve got my first batch already. Beautiful. The printing is fantastic, the details are well done. I just need to swap the couplers out for 1015s. The ST couplers are harder to couple than MT TrueScale.
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That's interesting. I had previous experience with ST couplers from the ET44s, which are tricky to mate with MT and other couplers (including other ST couplers), but these new 5188 hoppers seem, at least to me, to mate up ALOT easier than the ET44s. As in, I can just push the ST cars into another and it would mate on contact. So I wonder if they tweaked with the design a bit.

[peteski]

That's interesting. I had previous experience with ST couplers from the ET44s, which are tricky to mate with MT and other couplers (including other ST couplers), but these new 5188 hoppers seem, at least to me, to mate up ALOT easier than the ET44s. As in, I can just push the ST cars into another and it would mate on contact. So I wonder if they tweaked with the design a bit.

I spoke to Shane at the 2018 Springfield show and he said that the Big Blow set I own from the original run has the original couplers (which kept on losing the knuckle springs), and that they since that time tweaked them.  That is what I mentioned in my earlier post here.  But judging by the posts here, there are modelers who don't think that even the tweaked couplers work well enough.  I don't own any of the more recent Scale Trains releases, so I can't compare them to the ones which came on my Big Blow (and which are sitting in my spare parts bin since replaced them with MTL couplers).

[jpwisc]

I got all my couplers converted (1015s and 1025s to test both out), so I weathered up all the cars and discovered something else. Not only are the ST wheels wide flange (already mentioned), but the wheels are slightly larger than the other 36” wheels on the market. IM and BLMA are .223”-.224”. The ST is .227” making them a little too large for my Minuteman 36” wheel painting jig. The axles are .550” long, so the FVM 3602 should make a good replacement.