Model Rail magazine

[Sammo]

I was reading through the Model Rail magazine No 237 and on page 58 Fit Kadee couplers.
I was disappointed when reading the article, that it lacked proper information so I sent an email to the magazine but got no response.

This is a copy of the email I sent.


My name is Sam Barr
I refer to the article on page 58 Fit Kadee couplers

I have spent over £500 on these various couplers so I am correct in the following statements.

In your article it states on page 60 in the third column, last paragraph.

Start by equipping yourself with one pack each of Kadee Nos 17, 18 and 19. These are the three different lengths available to fit NEM pockets.

This is totally false information
In fact Kadee make 4 different NEM pocket couplings #17 #18 #19 #20
20 is the longest.

The photos 6 and 16 should also have shown others available in a box (only the #5 box is shown with one of the 9 variants.

Kadee make 3 different lengths of couplers to go into the boxes and also have 3 different heights so there are 9 different possibilities as well as the #5 shown


I have over 300 ft of flexitrack and 53 points 48 of which are electrically operated.
Several years ago I used the Peco foam underlay to lay my track on, but recently have had to lift everything and wash all of the track to get rid of the sticky brown mess that the foam turned into.

Anyway, I have recently subscribed to have your magazines delivered monthly thinking I might get some good tips, as I relay all of my track onto cork.

I am now wondering, is this particular article a one off, or are most of your articles misleading.

The quality of the photos is acceptable but not enough information is given with regards to all the available lengths, heights etc.

He should also have mentioned that Kadee do a #1030 starter pack which includes

#5
#142 #143 #146 #147 #148 #158 (2 pairs of each)
#206 Height gauge (a must have)
# 208 #209 10 and 15 thou fibre washers
#211 10 and 15 thou plastic shims for gearboxes
#231 dry graphite lubricant for the boxes
#237 tool for adjusting the trip pins
#241 tool for inserting the tiny springs into the heads if ever one got dislodged or lost
#256 plastic screws
#321 magnetic uncoupler for code 100 rail
#322 magnetic uncoupler for code 83 rail
#334 Uncoupler gluing jig
I started with this kit, it doesn't include the NEM couplers but provides information with this regard.

Well I hope I have given you some valuable information to which you may want to follow up on and maybe provide more information in your next article.

Note The # listing above is NOT all they do so more research is suggested from yourselves

After all you don't want your readers to be misinformed, do you!

Kind regards
Sam

Do yourselves think I was wrong to write this to them or do you agree. Or should I have said nothing at all to anyone?

[mahoganydog]

Hi Sam,

There is nothing worse that an article going out with incorrect information. I think you did the right thing. You never know, they might give you a mention!

Jim

[Sammo]

Hi Jim

They may not, as I've realised that the consultant editor may be the person who wrote the article. The article gives the impression, it is his layouts rolling stock which he was working on.

He also went on to say in the article, that he is leaving the tension lock couplers, on the carriages and only doing the last coupler, I have found that if you do them all then it reduces the gap quite a lot between the carriages and they still work, without problems on the 2nd radius bends, which my larger locos are limited to anyway. They may still work on a tighter radius but I don't have a tighter radius on my test track or layout.

Generally I have found that all of my rolling stock runs closer together after fitting the Kadee's
It is an expensive project, but I think it is worth it. I am still fitting them and chipping loco's, when its too hot to be up in the loft laying track.

[GWR_fan]

I feel that perhaps you may have been a little pedantic. Did the article describe itself as being the definitive article on Kadee couplers? The author may have simply been mentioning the commonly used couplers. I believe the author is intending the article to be for new users of the knuckle coupler and not for obviously experienced users like yourself.

As you pointed out in your correspondence that the author had not mentioned every type available, but perhaps being intended for newcomers he did not wish to cause confusion with information overload.

[rosenblad]

I must say I agree with GWR-fan. This article is only about fitting Kadees to the stock running on his own layout Polwyddelan. As such it simply says that there are other alternatives to the tension-lock couplers.

[Bufferstop]

Hi Jim

They may not, as I've realised that the consultant editor may be the person who wrote the article. The article gives the impression, it is his layouts rolling stock which he was working on.

Sam bad choice of target there, if you are going to show someone they are wrong don't pick the guy who controls what we see, no matter how accurate your facts are. But you probably worked this out for yourself when you realised who wrote the article. So just put it down to the fact you can't win 'em all.

[Peterm]

He doesn't seem to have mentioned the 146 & 148 which are the equivalent of No' 5's but easier to assemble. I can't comment on your complaint because I haven't seen the magazine, but I have noticed some misinformation in the Hornby mag' over the years and not bothered to say anything; maybe I should have.

[Sammo]

The following is the reply

The heading in the mag was FIT KADEE COUPLERS


Thank you for your message, the contents of which I note. In view of your rude and abrasive tone I’m not going to honour it with any further response.

Yours faithfully,

CHRIS LEIGH

Consultant Editor, Model Rail.

[Sammo]

This is how I have replied

I was trying to advise you that you may wish to add something in your next mag
However seeing as you have taken it to heart like a mouse, you can get on with it.
I'll say no more

[mahoganydog]

There are some people in this world who just don't like being corrected or shown to be wrong. I quite like doing this when I get know-it-all-know-nothings trying it on thinking they know what things are worth. Some try and hide the price with their thumb and the best remedy for this is increase the price!

"Taken it to heart like a mouse"

Jim

[Bufferstop]

It was a bit 'in yer face' Sam, pays to find out how it might be taken before committing it to print.

[Sammo]

At time of writing I was merely pointing out that he had made a couple of mistakes which could cause a drop in magazine sales

All he had to do was put an update in the next magazine as an add on, he would have gotten away with it.

I don't think he will be doing anything and when people enquire to Gaugemaster for example, what would happen if they buy the #17 #18 #19
only to find they need a longer one and may alter the box of the NEM coupler to accept the #19
Then a week or month later realise a #20 was available which would have fitted without mods to the box. They woud feel let down and misled by what they read.

As a newbie to Kadee's I would see my A--- if I later found out that a lot more variants were available which could have saved me a lot of hours of unnecessary work.

Before I fitted Kadee's I went to there web site and emailed them for confirmation of what might suit me.
I ended up buying the kit and it all expanded from there.

It has ended up costing me a lot of money but the rolling stock which I have changed couplers on look far better and all rolling stock is able to run closer together because of the Kadee design.

I eventually will be using electromagnets to uncouple them as I have realised that my rolling stock could become detached if I use permanent magnets.

Even if only one person reads this and it has saved them something in way of what is available, or if its worth the effort to change, then I haven't wasted my time in writing this.

[End2end]

Personally I would vote with my wallet and cancel the subscription then and there making sure they know they have lost a customer.
No one needs bad advice and fake news unless your Mr (blow my own)Trump(et).
Either that or ask them if Russia hacked the article.

I gave up buying magazines. I get advertised at enough by life as it is
Thanks
End2end

[Pennine MC]

The following is the reply

The heading in the mag was FIT KADEE COUPLERS


Thank you for your message, the contents of which I note. In view of your rude and abrasive tone I’m not going to honour it with any further response.

Yours faithfully,

CHRIS LEIGH

Consultant Editor, Model Rail.

That's pretty much what I'd expect from Chris; he's one of this hobby's elder statesmen and no doubt feels he gets enough flak from Rmweb without adding to it. Whilst it may not be the reply you wanted or expected, I also thought the tone of your message was a bit 'holier and thou' and confrontational.

[Bufferstop]

You may be aware, that Dad-1 and a friend are building a small shunting layout specifically to evaluate KDs on British stock. A much more useful approach than collecting opinions. I am sure he won't shrink from telling it warts and all, with pictures and probably videos as well, and comments welcome. We don't want to find ourselves descending into the sort of battles that appear elsewhere, so i'm going to call time on the topic for now and hope for some future discussion on a more tolerant bassis. Remember our name and our aim to help the new or returning modeller. so we need to be careful about anything that might frighten them off.