Are Hunt Coupling packs the best you can buy? Head To Head Coupling Test!

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[@stevelomas4119]

By far the best review of this product...thankyou Jenny.

[@JenniferEKirk]

Steve Lomas you’re welcome!

[@derekgrant4185]

To be fair to Bachmann, that companies joining bar is only designed for their own Mark one & two Coaches, not for realistic close couplings of Hornby or any other make.

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

Hunt couplings seem good for fixed rakes, though I'd have preferred if the bit that joins was better shaped like a bucket. Kadee probably best if you want close couple with remote uncoupling for shunting. Though not very prototypical for UK wagons generally. Screw/3link are too fiddly for me. I have had a thought about using dingham couplings between wagons and kadees between coaches and locos.

[@melanierhianna]

I can see them being useful for fixed rakes of coaches but for anything you want to auto-uncouple use Kadees.

[@heavyj4805]

fun to watch your videos Jenny, very detailed and informative.

[@JenniferEKirk]

Heavy J thanks!

[@2010ditta]

Good one Jenny..nice look around Wear Yard too.

[@rovingrom]

Hi Jenny, this was extremely useful and I'm now convinced these couplers are what I need. I'm modelling narrow gauge on On30 / O-16.5 and also Gn15 (all on 16.5mm track) and have a motley collection of locos and rolling stock from a variety of manufacturers, including kit and bashed. I have no standard couplings and don't want the hassle of trying to fit NEM pockets and/or Kadees to everything - a major job! Your pulling test has convinced me that there is no breakaway problem once a train gets a little heavier. I don't need to auto-uncouple so Hunt Couplers seem to require no more "hand of God" than fiddly Link & Pin couplers would. The prototypes for my railways are Eastern European 760mm narrow gauge using Link & Pin couplers on centre buffers. The Hunt couplers look more prototypical than Kadees, not to mention ugly tension locks, etc. So I have a question please: what is the diameter of the magnet in the "OO" Hunt couplers? I need to check that they are vaguely similar in size to the Eastern European prototypes in order to look "right". I see that Hunt Couplers plan to introduce "O" scale couplers in the future, but then they may be too large for my 7mm scale narrow gauge use. Many thanks in anticipation, Colin

[@LeslieGilpinRailways]

Looks great for fixed formations.

[@JenniferEKirk]

Leslie Gilpin they certainly are.

[@combatbunny9820]

Purchased two sets of these to try for myself.

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

Thank you we hope you like them

[@GarethFarnsfield]

I need to uncouple remotely in various places on my layout. So either keep a tension lock between first vehicle and loco or superglue two thinnish strips to the end of a litter picker. (I have one in general use to retrieve derailed stock from within my tunnel. Amazing how given all the readily accessible track, the tunnel is the favourite!).

[@JenniferEKirk]

If there is a place on your layout that it's hard to reach, that will be the place trains derail. It's the Sod's Law of Model Railways.

[@Andystrainsandmore]

Interesting and informative video, thank you for uploading. Cheers Andy 🤠

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

Jenny really did do a thorough test and we really appreciate her honest feedback, great to see them in good use!

[@knifetrain3118]

Excellent and informative review of this product Jenny!

[@jamesgilbart148]

Great new product! How well do Hunt couplings fare when pushing a long train? - tension-locks easily ride over each other leading to derailments. Following Sam's comment, it might be interesting to do a comparison with Kadee couplings.

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

hi these have been tested and reverse operation was ensured one of the main consideration in our design for these couplings

[@jamesgilbart148]

@@WestHillWagonWorks Thanks for the reply. Could the magnets be mounted on pivots so the opposite poles would always turn to face each other? - that would eliminate the one-way-only coupling issue

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

@@jamesgilbart148 We are working away on various options at the moment :-)

[@jamesgilbart148]

@@WestHillWagonWorks Sounds good! Thanks!

[@robstrains8711]

These look great the biggest issue is the manufacturer's as they are still not fitting nem pockets to all of there products which is disgusting considering the price of stock now.It is about time all the manufacturers have the one standard of nem.

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

Not just that, the lack of a standard height between all.

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

Rob we strongly agree but we are catering *Products In Testing* to cater for many other coupling fittings

[@OlivierGabin]

@@bionicgeekgrrl Agreed, also an issue. I had bought a NEM gage at Peter's spares to check the heights of all my rolling stock before buying Kadee couplers. Anyway, on a wagon or a coach, with kadees, you can trim off the original coupler and put a no. 5 or other kind with its gearbox glued or screwed to the underside of the vehicle. With a locomotive, this is not possible, but you can fiddle with a NEM coupler cut and put on the right height. Fiddly, but possible.

[@martinpattison4018]

I have looked at other videos that have reviewed these couplings and they have all given them the thumbs up. I was going to say to you, that the only pockets I have are in my trousers, but then you said that they are going to find out if they can make a replacement for them. I thought I saw one video that had a magnet stuck to the track and as long the train went over. (r them without stopping they would still remain coupled. But if you stopped over the magnet they would uncouple. Martin. (Dhaka, Bangladesh.) The pen when home with Lady Penelope in her Pink Rolls-Royce.

[@robertpassmore7300]

Ha Ha thought I would use your link to purchase some packs sold out already . Do enjoy your videos .

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

There is more coming very soon please keep an eye out on facebook or twitter on west hill wagon works, anticipated this weekend!

[@chriswalker2858]

Another great review Jenny

[@JenniferEKirk]

Chris Walker thanks!

[@melanierhianna]

Tramfabriek is in the Netherlands.

[@phoenixbwp]

Thank you for the very informative review of the Hunt Coupling! There is another coupler, that's a bar with a hole & pin casted in 3d printing material, that offers close coupling and suffers from the inability to shunt... But the choice is out there for close coupling for rolling stock!

[@ianboyd7868]

Amazing video as always Jenny. Feel like this product was rushed to market. Works great at the start but now having problems with derailing, broken couplings and damage to sprung NEM pockets. My father in law is having problems with his Bachmann Mk1 with the stepped type and derailments. The plastic seems to be extremely soft. Had a NEM one break on a curve in the NEM pocket was a royal pain in the behind to get out. The magnets are not seated equally. Some pairs you can't see the magnet. Other pairs the magnet is very noticeable.

[@paftrain1]

Hi Jenny, great video! I’ve already ordered a ‘standard’ set, so it will be interesting to see how they perform on my layout, especially with some Hornby Pullmans, which have always had a tendency to derail with the standard Hornby couplings riding up on the next coach. You mentioned peco simplex couplings - I too have some Hornby Dublo stock and wrote to peco suggesting they make their simplex couplings with NEM fittings but they didn’t seem very interested. Perhaps if you wrote to them you might have more influence than me! Best regards, Paul F. (paftrain)

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

We will be catering for other coupling mounting systems and older models soon :-)

[@frankdutton2095]

Rather than any slack between the two magnetic halves of the coupling, I suspect the change in separation between the coaches, when in compression or tension, comes from the poor fit between the NEM pocket and the coach chassis. Personally I use kadee couplings throughout my stock as I have a shunting layout. For those who only need to uncouple stock in a fiddle yard these couplings allow close running while on the scenic part of the layout and an easy way to change the coaches when off scene.

[@charlesemerson6763]

Well on first impression it looks like, for close coaching stock, this coupling may out perform my Kadee couplers for close coupling. I also noticed that they have couplers available for the older NEM couplers which again will be great for some of my older coaching stock. As for wagons I'll be sticking to Kadees.

[@Zebrails]

buffer bust on that sharp RH curve 11:29. "A" end and "B" end will need to be accepted on each wagon you have. In North America, the "B" end is where the brake wheel is. John BC Canada

[@mattyradnall3714]

Open up a paper clip and use it to uncouple the tension lock couplings.

[@jeaniquecotino87]

the hornby close coypling looks like the roco close coupling

[@charlesemerson6763]

It is the same.

[@stephenlittle7534]

You have done it again. A Proper Test if all the normal couples and now the new one will become the standard. Sorry I have to say that because that's what I see how easy they are. More versitile. I bet Chris was on tender hooks looking at you testing his couplers.

[@samwoodward8491]

like these but have alot of very old rolling stock. The problem i have is no nem pockets advice please on how to convert my rolling stock. Looked at quite a few you tube vidios but would like to know where to get pockets and what are the best pocets available. Keep up the great vidios really enjoy very informative . thanks sam woodward

[@OlivierGabin]

Excellent product if you want rakes that does not need to be splitted (e. g. : merry-go-round rake of coal hoppers). The only problem I see, is that they are not symetrical, you have a A and a B end which are totally uncompatible. This could have been done by making couplings with an A and a B magnet side by side on the same coupler's head. Maybe on a mark II version... For my own, I am considering kadees as the best compromise that fits my needs.

[@StationRoadModelRailway]

Very impressive. I was in the initial stages of converting all couplings to Kadee, but do I go for the Hunt couplings?

[@martinswain1050]

I prefer Kadee 's for all rolling stock except Passenger coaches with gangways were I have been using Hornby and Roco close couplings for many years between the coaches but after having seen this excellent video I think I will be using Hunt couplings between passenger coach gangways and Kadee's at coach brake ends or ends of rakes.

[@geoffwalker315]

Good close coupling (I find) is with KaDee or Fleischmann Profi.

[@Frserthegreenengine]

Hunt couplings or Kadee Couplings?

[@shannonman2]

Hi Jenny, Do Hunt say how long the Magnets last?

[@JenniferEKirk]

shannonman2 they should last for a very long time.

[@47606odin]

should try then on crossovers where the curve reverses

[@rhiwderinraytube]

Major disadvantages are that the wagon/coach will only connect in one direction due to polarity of magnets. Also you cannot shunt/decouple without using the “hand of God” !!

[@SammoKarm]

Suppose you have a reverse loop and some of the coaches have gone around that, then you want to couple up to other coaches, You could end up with same polarity which means they won't couple up.

[@GameHammerCG]

Yeah, she discusses this issue during the video.

[@hamshackleton]

Looks good - - shame you didn't try pushing a rake of wagons, such as reversing a rake into a yard. That's where mis-matched sizes of tension-locks snarl up, especially on a curve.

[@WestHillWagonWorks]

hi these have been tested and reverse operation was ensured one of the main consideration in our design for these couplings

[@hamshackleton]

@@WestHillWagonWorks - thanks for that.

[@paulshepherd9999]

How did they do at speed?

[@JenniferEKirk]

Paul Shepherd they work really well at speed - better than tension locks.

[@bobpaterson5845]

be very hand for modern block train wagon sets

[@tombore9516]

Sorry but Kadee's are far superior, then Magnet (Hunt couplings), for a start you should not be having to handle your rolling stock to uncouple it!!!! You can get your rolling closer then that with a Kadee coupling. Kadee's are more reliable, yes you might have to fiddle around to get the height the same between the couplings but once sorted they are brilliant!

[@SammoKarm]

I'll stick with my Kadee's

[@SammoKarm]

Auto uncoupling is more or less impossible. Good strength though.

[@robertgraffham6440]

Until they up their performance to a bvusiness turnover level that allows them to sell outside of UK/Ireland (and thus VAT free) They will not go far! :-(

[@davidwatts1871]

I think I need to buy some of these when available again. How long before we can expect to see Mainline/Bachmann, Airfix/GMR/Dapol etc replacements? Will they be available through retailers?

[@davidwatts1871]

My question is - what is that loco? I have some Pacifics that struggle to pull 6 coaches especially the heavy super detail Pullmans.