Can you demonstrate how the link and pin coupling actually works?

Carl: Here are a couple quick shots of Sidelines cars in coupling action. Please excuse the blurriness - it’s hard to hold the camera in one hand and the tweezers in the other and still get the focus to come out right!

As you can see, it’s a very simple system, quite prototypical, but you find yourself going out of your way to avoid uncoupling. One solution to the coupling problem is to run rakes of wagons. So you only need to uncouple once to handle an impressive string of goods.

Could I fit Kadee couplers and still be able to have a 6" radius curve on my layout?

Carl: I doubt that Kadees will take a 6" radius, though you never know. I’ve seen pictures somewhere of N-scale Kadees on a micro using Roy Link On2 skips … Meantime, check out the May 2002 Review for a good piece by Roy investigating the use of Greenwich couplers in On2 … it looks very practical. He’s convinced anyway.

Emrys: Sorry to confuse matters but I can confirm that the Bachmann On30 couplings will take a 4″ radius curve … but only on the right loco. I’d suggest getting your rolling stock and then testing it before firming up on your layout design. I know it’s the wrong way around, but it’s the only way to be sure.

Where does the pin would go for the couplings on the ‘Gnat’?

Carl: These two photos might help. The close-up of Gnat front end shows three-slot coupling arrangement. Drill down through the casting (I use a handheld pin vise), then bend up a couple pins (brass pins provided with kit, but for this photo I couldn’t find them so just clipped and bent a straight pin). This is completely prototypical, the pins are often just steel bars bent over at the top so they won’t slip all the way through! Often they’re also attached to the loco with a short length of chain, so they don’t get lost (a bit of detail I keep planning to add to my model, because I lose them continually!).

The slots are to adjust the height of the coupler links, depending on where you’ve mounted them on your rolling stock (you *did* standardize the height, didn’t you?). I tend to mount mine somewhat high, so I keep the link in the top slot of the Gnat. No rules on that one, just personal taste.

The second photo shows a skip comfortably coupled to the loco, ready to move forward or backward around a 6″ radius with ease. (Hint: it’s considerably easier to uncouple by lifting the link off the skip and leaving it permanently attached to the loco!)

Just in case you should think I’m making this stuff up - about link and pin couplings - here’s a shot of a uniformed U.S. National Park Ranger demonstrating a locomotive link and pin coupling arrangement at the Golden Spike National Monument in Utah (where the two railroads met to join up and link the U.S. east coast to the west coast by rail). Same type of coupling system was also standard in Britain, especially for industrial narrow gauge railways (where it still IS the standard!)

Steve Bennett: As an addition to Carl’s answer, here’s a pic showing how to convert a fishing hook into a coupling pin - I think the picture speaks for itself and shows it better than I could describe!

These brass pins and tubes - how do you cut them?

Carl: I usually just use a razor saw and mitre box (X-acto). However, for small diameter tubes it does no harm to the knife to hold it to the tube while you rotate the piece, scoring it all around until you can break it off. When dealing with pins, I generally cut them with rail nippers or electrical wire cutters (brass is very soft metal). These are thin enough to be cut with scissors as well, or your pliers may have a wire-cutter feature up near the pivot. Whatever you use, do it inside a box or a trashbin, because otherwise one of the pieces is bound to fly off, never to be seen again!

How do I change the wheels in Sidelines wagons?

Steve: There should be enough flex in the resin for the the wheelsets from built up wagons to be sprung out. A little tip for the future is to just glue the chassis to the body at the buffer beam/headstocks, as this will leave the sides even more flexible should you wish to remove the wheels at a later date.

How do you model a tarpaulin-covered wagon?

Steve: My method for tarpaulins is to use tissue paper soaked in diluted white glue, draped over an unpainted wagon with a central support placed under it, leave to dry overnight and then remove for painting.