What screw on tension hook coupling suits a Mk1 suburban coach

[GeoffreyN]

I have just returned from Köln where I found hidden away a nice boxed OO Bachmann Branchlines Mk1 suburban brake 34-627 for 15€. The only problem is that the coach has no couplings. My german wasnt good enough to ask for a good look at it.

I have not had these coaches before. There seems to be a place on the bogie for a coupling to be screwed onto it. Sort of two small lugs and a central hole.

I have tried a unscrewing and screwing a coupling from an old bachmann wagon but this fails miserably if attached to a loco. It works if attached to my hornby autocoach and manages the fleischmann profi 1st radius curves OK.

The locos I intend using to pull this Mk1 suburban are either a Dapol 14xx or a Replica Railways 57xx

What screw on tension lock couplings am I looking for for this coach so it can be coupled to my locos.

[Bigmet]

For R1, I would suggest the old Hornby metal 'full size' type, as these coaches do have quite long buffers, and they will need plenty of clearance if you plan pushing them around tight curves.

[Bufferstop]

For a loco on R1 use the original Triang/Hornby large D without a hook. The original hook is too long in the shank for the narrower tensionlok loops. If they are pushed together with any degree of force the long hook rides up over the root of the D then gets tangled with the hook on the other coupler. the result is derailment as soon as the combination tries to straighten up. The older pressed metal D coupler is preferable to a plastic one as the two side pieces can be carefully bent to set the right level for the rest of the stock.