Comments: Micro-Trains recently debuted its True-Scale line of N scale coupler kits in short- and long-shank versions. Each kit contains knuckles, lip shanks, draft-gear boxes and lids, 00-90 screws, and air hoses. A hobby knife with a no. 11 blade, tweezers, a micro screwdriver, a pin vise, a no. 56 bit, and a 00-90 tap are needed to install the couplers.
I installed a set of True-Scale couplers on the Micro-Trains Airslide covered hopper (reviewed on page 69). Installation took about 10 minutes. One word of caution, though. Check the position of the screw that holds the draft-gear box in place in relation to the outer axle on each truck. On the hopper, a nub on the plastic axle hit the screw, causing the car to wobble.
If the model has two screw holes for body-mounting couplers, use the outermost hole.
The True-Scale couplers are somewhat of a give and take. You get scale-sized couplers that don’t have the “Slinky” effect common to spring-loaded N scale couplers. The scale couplers also reduce the distance between cars and locomotives.
However, you lose the ability to uncouple with magnets. Uncoupling cars equipped with True-Scale couplers can be a bit fiddly, requiring a sharp toothpick or pin.
Further, the True-Scale couplers aren’t compatible with N and Z scale Magne-Matic couplers. Micro-Trains sells conversion cars that feature a True-Scale coupler on one end and a Magne-Matic coupler on the other. There are currently four conversion cars available, ranging in price from $18 to $28.
My takeaway? If you’re running dedicated locomotive sets (think Electro-Motive Division A-B-A F units), passenger trains or unit trains that don’t require frequent uncoupling, or are building a contest-level model, True-Scale couplers make sense. But if your model railroad is designed for operation, Magne-Matic couplers are still the go-to choice.
