Model Railway Forum

Hope this is the right section to post this question.Anyone have experience of changing OO gauge tension locks to three link couplings? As you may know, I am building an industrial themed micro with gentle curves and just 2 on-scene small radius streamlinePeco points. There will be some uncoupling on-scene and some in the fiddleyard. I like the look of three links but will I be wasting my time with them in terms of size? Any thoughts much appreciated.

All I can say is that I now model O gauge and 3 link at that scale is just about manageable, can’t imagine what it would be like in OO.

I have five 00 wagons with 3 link couplings. The look great when in motion, no real problem reversing them either.
PITA coupling or uncoupling them. I would like to know where I can purchase the three link couplings.

Here’s one place.


https://www.petersspares.com/smiths-lp1 ... it-form.ir


Just google OO gauge 3 link couplings. Simples.

http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/index.html may be of use.

The spawn of Satan when running an exhibition layout, and there is always a crowd when you fluff them

Richard

Quite a few O gauge modellers use OO tension lock couplings. Might not look so good but much friendlier.

I use three link on my gauge O and as I have got older and my eyesight got worse I must admit I do struggle. I stick with tension lock on OO and would not go three link now.

Mmmmm, this has given me an idea. I have a permanently coupled train of loco plus 5 coal wagons on a Back and Forth shuttle at thr back of my new layout and I think these might add some realism.

Two questions: How do they behave when being pushed ie train in reverse and do they stay coupled in both directions? Reason I ask is when the layout gets finished and the back scene goes up, this piece of track will be difficult to access if constant de-railing occurs.

Sprung buffers help and you can get buffer lock on curves if the buffers are small. I can push several wagons around my second rad layout without any problems. I did have one second hand wagon that needed larger bufferes, I used drawing pins.