Wednesday 29 February 2012

How Do I Convert Old Hornby Couplings to New Type

One question that comes up frequently in relation to Hornby trains is "how do I convert from 'old' Hornby couplings to 'new' types of coupling?"

To answer this question, it's important to cover a number of topics, and I've written at least two articles (linked to at the end of this post) relating to my own experiences.

So, let's round up the main points, and hopefully answer the question in hand!

Identifying Hornby Couplings

In my experience, there are several kinds of Hornby coupling. The first (and as appears on the 'Railroad' range) is known as the D-ring, or Lima D-Ring, coupling. It's a moulded coupling, and part of the chassis of the loco or wagon, shaped like a big D.

It's also commonly found on the Hornby Thomas the Tank range.

At the other end of the spectrum are the tension lock couplings which fit into little pockets on the bogies.

There may be other kinds in between - I don't have enough experience with Hornby locos or rolling stock to be sure!

In any case, they'll either be moulded to the chassis, or fitted to rotating pockets on the chassis, or possibly on the bogie itself. The rotating pockets conform to the NEM standard.

Adding New Couplings (NEM)

NEM couplings are the new standard - they're a standard height above the rail, and provide an easy way to change between regular tension lock couplings and specific types like Kadee automatic (un)couplings.

They have a little spring clip that keeps them in place, but which can be slipped out by pushing the ends together with a pair of pliers.

Here's a selection NEM couplings from Amazon that are available for fitting to any piece of rolling stock:


However, these are only useful if your loco, wagon, or carriage, has a NEM pocket. If not, then you'll need to fit one yourself. For HO/OO modelers with a bit of skill Amazon used to have a NEM adapter that will take any of the HO/OO couplings above, but is now seemingly only available from the Amazon.de site.

Feel free to try them both:



Aftermarket NEM Solutions

Here are a few example Symoba couplings from DCC Supplies. They consist of a plate and vertical bar, onto which the pocket itself can be pushed. Usually, the kit will come with a gauge to get the correct height - it's a standard after, all - and will need to be glued in place on the chassis.

The vertical bar will then rotate from side to side, allowing the pockets on the loco and wagon/carriage to remain aligned on turns.

In certain circumstances, the operation may require a change of bogie. It's important to get the right one for the class of loco, or other rolling stock. Here is a selection from the New Modellers Shop - they're all Hornby in this case, but digging around the site ought to throw up other makes, too.

As promised, here are the direct links to my own experiences, adding a Symoba NEM pocket to a Hornby Railroad shunter, and then returning it to D-ring goodness, using the NEM pocket to change from Kadee to a Hornby NEM-compatible D-ring coupling.
For those who really want to get their hands dirty,Fine Tuning and Maintaining 00 Gauge Models contains a lot of great advice for a variety of different modification tasks. 

(Disclaimer : The links to products above go to affiliate pages, where, if you buy something, I make a modest amount to put towards funding this great hobby!)