Model Railroading > Coupling on Tender?

I won't be doing this for a while, but I have situation where I have a brass steam loco with passenger cars  that has to make a backup move (partly up a grade around a curve) with about 6 cars to get to a station. I'm quite sure with the usual draw-bar set-up, the tender will derail. If I can keep the wiring, I think I might try using a Kadee coupler btw the tender and loco.  I think I could clip the trip pins, and painted black, the couplers should be inconspicuous.

Has anyone tried that or another solution? It would seem a similar situation would occur with a brass steam loco backing a large cut of cars in a yard, for example.

Victor B.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/22 12:51 by wabash2800.

I'm thinking the drawbar would be better than couplers in that situation. You could add some more weight to the tender to keep it from being shoved off the rail.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Ted:

The drawbar is the problem.

Victor B.

Are there alternate holes in the drawbar that will let you experiment with the gap between the locomotive and tender?

Yes I have tried that, weight on the steam loco's tender running backwards is no good.

Victor B.

grahamline Wrote:
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> Are there alternate holes in the drawbar that will
> let you experiment with the gap between the
> locomotive and tender?

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> Ted:
>
> The drawbar is the problem.
>
> Victor B.

Couplers will cause even more lateral forces on the tender making a derailment more likely than a drawbar. I would suggest just testing the scenerio using the drawbar to see if it really is an issue or not.
 

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

I back a long train up a 2 % grade and don't derail anything.  Check the wheel gauge of the tender truck you expect to derail.

This is early 1970s brass...

Victor B.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> This is early 1970s brass...
>
> Victor B.

If the trucks are mounted correctly and are "square" and the wheels are in gauge it doesn't matter when they were built.
I would suggest replacing the original trucks with something newer that you know will be "square".

Try a longer drawbar attached to the tender floor closer to the truck centerpin.

-LD