My Draft Gear aka "Coupler Boxes"

I have always been a little underwhelmed by the draft gear available to HO scale modelers, be they the "boxes" on simple cars or the "scale" draft gear available from various purveyors. I find them to be either too wide, with ridiculously large openings for the couplers and/or too undetailed. Byron Rose created patterns for very nicely detailed draft gear included in many Westerfield offerings, but it was wider than I preferred, no doubt to accommodate Kadee no. 5 couplers (scale-sized or close to scale couplers were still in the future when the patterns were created.)

I decided to create draft gear to suit my own tastes. The main given is that it must accommodate the Kadee whisker scale sized coupler, as I feel that is an easy coupler to source and use. I set about making parts that were as narrow as possible, knowing that the widest part of the coupler is around the post where it pivots. I believe I succeeded in making it as narrow as possible yet still operable.

I recently tested a half dozen cars equipped with the parts on a layout with numerous handlaid turnouts and radii down to about 20-22". The cars were mostly forty-footers, but did include the 50' X32A. I can report that there was not a single issue related to coupler swing and the only issues encountered were the same as with many other cars where the couplers did not couple on the first attempt. The cars were operated and switched for several hours, providing a good amount of feedback about how the draft gear would function, even with 50' cars around tight curves.

I have included this draft gear in several recent kit offerings and will now move to offer them as separate parts as soon as I can produce sufficient quantities to release them. 

Coupler boxes, draft gear or whatever you choose to call them

My in progress PRR X41B has been equipped with the new prototype-sized draft gear

Yes, it's been awhile since I last posted, due to a variety of factors including illness, the holidays, work, moving stuff upstate, fostering an elderly pit bull and myriad other things. That doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything, although truth be told, I haven't done as much as I'd like. However, a little over a year ago, I made a pattern for a new scale-sized coupler box. Aren't there many of those already, one might ask? Yes, but none has satisfied my want for something a lot narrower than what the market has offered. [click on any photo to view in a larger format]

Note how narrow the opening is. These will operate down to "small" radius curves, especially if easements are used to form the curves. P.S. - I messed up on my X41B - the stringers should be 2 scale inches closer to the respective side sills; I (mis)located them too close to the center sills and they are "crowding" the middle section of the underframe!

I made a pattern that is essentially the narrowest box that I could create to accommodate the Kadee 158 whisker coupler and still have it be reasonably easy to duplicate via resin casting (and operate, of course!) At least for my wants and needs, I believe I have succeeded. The parts fit inside the boxes of the other scale and semi-scale coupler boxes. The caveat: these are not intended for hands-free magnetic uncoupling. I cannot state that they won't work with magnetic uncoupling tools, but my focus is for operators who use manual uncoupling tools, such as skewers or other similar tools. They do pivot easily and if assembled properly and not overtightened, will self center reliably.

The assembly is held in place with a single 00-80 screw

The draft gear installed on the (in progress) pilot model for the upcoming ATSF Bx-34 box car conversion parts including Duryea underframe

The draft gear for the Duryea underframe extends prototypically far (compared to standard draft gear) beyond the end sills

A third view on the Bx-34 pilot model

These will be available directly from Speedwitch in one dozen pair packs in the near future and if demand warrants, five pair packs, too. Pricing will be announced when these parts are available