Large Scale Central

Inexpensive Link-and-Pin Couplers on Ebay

It was brought to my attention that an eBay seller ‘pasidump’ in Sri Lanka had link and pin couplers for sale.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/pasidump

He’s selling 12 coupler pockets for $6.50:

And 12 pins with 6 links for $6.50:

He also sells a pack of 150 plastic rivets for the coupler pocket for $150. Free shipping. So I ordered a pack of each and got enough for 6 cars for $19.50.

They arrived yesterday:

so I fitted one to an LGB small wagon frame. First I drilled the end plate of the wagon:

I’ll have to make up a drilling plan/jig for them - tough to get behind the pocket to mark the rivet holes. Here’s a significantly enlarged view of the coupler with rivets loaded, ready to glue to the frame:

With a liberal dose of superglue, I fitted it to the wagon:

(The rivets don’t look like they are not pushed home on the real thing - must be the enlarged pic!) And here it is next to the caboose.

Conclusions? They are quite big - larger than the Ozark metal couplers. The pins almost have a hole through - shouldn’t be difficult to drill them and make something to tie the pins to the wagon so they don’t get lost! The pocket has a big spigot behind but it is tapered - I messaged the seller and suggested a bigger, thicker spigot so I can put a pin through it behind the frame - right now I am relying on glue on the flat surfaces.

Can’t beat them for the price.

Been using these for years, great value! Wish they were a tad smaller though! I found if you drill out the central spigot, you can fit a small machine screw in, so you dont need to rely on glue.

They are a great deal. I have been using them for a few years, I wish they were smaller. He also sells wheel journals as well. Ive been using those for all my 4 wheeled cars.

I’ve been using these for a couple years now, they are a really good deal.

I have also used them for a few years. Great buy.

Nice find Pete. I might have to check those out. Still trying to rig a truck mounted link and pin coupler for the micro. These would be cheap enough to experiment with.

Alec Escolme said:

. . . I found if you drill out the central spigot, you can fit a small machine screw in, so you dont need to rely on glue.

Thanks for the confirmation Alec - I figured they could be drilled and screwed but I haven’t tried it yet.

Pete Thornton said:

It was brought to my attention that an eBay seller ‘pasidump’ in Sri Lanka had link and pin couplers for sale.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/pasidump

He also sells a pack of 150 plastic rivets for the coupler pocket for $150. Free shipping. So I ordered a pack of each and got enough for 6 cars for $19.50.

They arrived yesterday:

Can’t beat them for the price.

Pete

$150 for the rivets seems a little steep.

Tom

Instead of using the plastic rivets, one might want to try using some 0-90 nuts and bolts.

I sacrificed one for a pattern. Instead of a screw, I use a brass pin. The screw head takes up too much room in the coupler for the link to operate smoothly.

I super glue the coupler to the end beam… I drill a pilot hole after the glue has dried.

I push the pin all the way thru the end beam and then super glue a washer on it for extra security. Also I use small brass pins for the rivets.

They haven’t come loose yet.

My only gripe is the links are a tad too short. With fat fingers it’s a bitch to insert a pin between the cars, so I use tweezers.

The rivets are $6.50

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pack-of-150-Rivetes-G-Scale/151893338298

I picked up some countersink 4x3/4 screws this morning which look like they’ll fit the coupler pocket. Photos later when I get time to try one!

John, Tom, thanks for correcting the price of the rivets.

Dave - yes, I could use bolts, but there isn’t much room behind the pocket and the endbeam of the LGB car is about 1/4"+ thick. I think the single center screw may be best for these cars.

John Bouck said:

I sacrificed one for a pattern. Instead of a screw, I use a brass pin. The screw head takes up too much room in the coupler for the link to operate smoothly.

I super glue the coupler to the end beam… I drill a pilot hole after the glue has dried.

I push the pin all the way thru the end beam and then super glue a washer on it for extra security. Also I use small brass pins for the rivets.

They haven’t come loose yet.

My only gripe is the links are a tad too short. With fat fingers it’s a bitch to insert a pin between the cars, so I use tweezers.

Yes, I use forceps with the LGB link and pin couplers I have on one of my trains.

I worked on the next car today. Most of the pins were a tight fit in the pockets, so I ran a drill through the pocket. I also drilled out the pins so I could attach them to a chain - the little b** get lost at the slightest provocation.

Following Alec’s suggestion, I got some #4 x 3/4" screws at Ace Hardware, cut off the coupler back pin, and drilled out the coupler to take the screw. I twisted a larger drill in the hole to make a sorta countersink.

The blue piece is a drill jig. Didn’t work - I still couldn’t get the rivets in to the holes, so I cut them short and glued them in without worrying about whether they are in the end beam.

A cheap necklace provided the chain, so I worked on the links with nippers and tweezers to get them attached. An 00-90 bolt attaches them to the stell frame.

Only 10 more ends to go . . .

I have been using these couplers for over 10 years now and have had no problems.
I just glued them to my buffer beams with contact cement (stuff used to glue laminate to bench tops) making sure that there is glue behind the buffer beam where the spigot protrudes and have not had any separate from their mount.

Another method that I have heard of is melting the rivets with a soldering iron.

When I matched them up to the wagons I bought with LGB link and pin couplers they are compatible and not really noticeable unless the couplings are inspected closely so in my opinion is all in all they are a very economical coupling method.

These couplers are designed for use with Pasidimp’s wooden small wagons which I use as a base to construct my sugar cane train wagons and a small crane (see picture).

I have not used the rivets on the sugar train couplers the glue between the faces (buffer beam & coupler) is sufficiently strong train made about 10 years ago and is my favourite train to run.

To overcome derailments tipping the whole train over I use fishing swivels instead of the links to overcome the whole train on its side scenario.

I have found that the pins can work their way out during a running session but I solved by using split pins (cotter pins).

Actually after some more thought I may have used countersunk screws through where the spigot was on some wagons on another train, I not at home at present will look at them when I get home in a couple of weeks time.

I use long nose pliers to remove them if need be.

My first thought seeing the pins (rivets) was to distress the sides so glue can anchor them…

I’m working through the next 4 cars. Biggest problem is the alignment of the holes for the pins behind the coupler pocket, as the holes for the rivets are inaccessible. Given that the screw provides a very strong fit, I started cutting the top two pins flush with the back of the pocket; gluing them with a small dab of superglue gel. (partly because my little wagon frames are solid behind those holes, whereas the lower ones are not. Tough to get everything centered and drilled accurately (in a condo without a workshop!) The next couple of cars I will be drilling the holes for the two lower rivets and drilling for the center screw after the rivets are holding the pocket in position. We will see. . .

OK. 4 more cars finished.

I took photos as I worked on my technique for installing these coupler pockets so here’s the scoop.

I’m working in a small apartment, and my “workshop” is a 2x4 piece of plywood in a 4’x4’ closet. Not much room for fancy tools, and I make do with a Dremel on a stand for most drill jobs. Here’s the jig for keeping a frame upright as the ends are drilled:

On the left is the side of a variable square, and it lets me hold the frame more-or-less vertical as I drill the end. As I noted in the previous post, I drilled the holes for the 2 rivets first. Then, with pins in the coupler pocket, I drilled out the center hole for the screw (which is what’s happening in the above photo - you can see the rivets.)
I had already drilled the pockets out with a clearance drill for the screws, which made the center hole larger. If doing it again, I’d drill the pocket and the frame simultaneously, while the rivets hold the pocket in place on the frame. (You still have to hold the pocket and the frame or it will start revolving.)

Several of the rivet holes in the pockets had flash, so I cleared that with an Xacto.

Then to insert the rivets I used tweezers and pushed the rivets home with my nail:

The top 2 rivets were cut down and filed so they are flush at the back of the pocket.

Then after applying a little glue, the pocket is moved to the frame, using my fingers to hold the rivets in place. The screw is then driven home.

And that’s really all I have to tell you. More chain and pins are needed, but the basic system for installing them works well.

Here is Graeme’s traveling crane picture…

Shall have to save Graeme’s traveling crane for inspiration.