I started coupling N gauge rolling stock using `experimental' home made hooks & fine chain to give a more prototypical look to some of my goods stock without chunky `standard' couplings filling the gaps between & below the wagons. This cost approximately 40 pence per wagon and worked well, but I had to use 5 links instead of the prototypical 3 links used by the real railways. I was then told of proper etched brass scale coupling hooks & dummy screw couplings by Maurice Pearce, I purchased one fret (70 hooks & 70 screw-couplings) of `Scale Link' couplings (SNF030) for a little over 5 pounds and a 1 metre length of `near to scale' chain for just over 3 pounds from Maurice. These have made a vast improvement to the look of the vehicles & locomotives I have converted so far, and only cost a few pence more than my `home made' couplings which did work but looked far to `chunky' I think I'll use the home made ones on my OO models instead.

I purchase the coupling chains as a 1 Metre length which is already chemically blackened and very close to scale. I cut each 4th link of the chain to produce 3-link coupling chains, these are simply hooked onto each wagon and fixed by applying a small amount of slow setting super glue on the end of a track pin to the bottom inside face of the coupling hook, dropping the chain in and lightly pushing the chain into place with a cocktail stick or track pin. Using slow setting super glue allows time for positioning of small detail parts before the glue `takes hold'. I use `Humbrol super glue thick' which sets in 30 - 45 seconds. The chains on `old stock' are also brushed over with a couple of different shades of brown acrylic to simulate rust, which will come off as the couplings are used, so the most used wagons will simply have more black chain showing than those that have been on less workings.

I am looking into the possibilities of mechanical and electro-magnetic means of controlled uncoupling of chain link couplings, my findings will be added here `as they happen'.

UPDATE: Dec 2002. Magnetically controlled uncoupling with hooks & chains is realtively simple but by no means easy! First make a small pivot arm with about a 30 degree bend in it, an etched brass coupling hook on one end and a small weight on the other end below the wagon. The pivot point is situated just behind the bufferbeam and consists of a fine dressmaking pin fed through a hole in the pivot rod, bent over and fixed to the underside of the wagon with epoxy. Note: the pivot rod should be made from a small piece of brass as this does not want to be attracted by the magnet, a small piece of steel is fitted below the hook end of the pivot rod for the magnet to get hold of. A fixed magnet (or an energised electromagnet) will pull the steel towards it, pulling the pivot rod and hook down and raising the weight on the other end of the pivot arm, the chain will then drop off the hook, if it gets stuck on the curved end of the hook this can be filed down taking care not to take off too much as You dont want it to uncouple when the hook is at running level. I won't give anyone false hopes, this is a Very fiddly exercise which did take quite a bit of time to get working right but it is worth the effort just to prove it can be done in N gauge! :-)

I have already fitted most of my locomotives with chain couplings on the front bufferbeam, retaining the standard coupling on the rear, this will allow both standard and converted chain linked wagons to be hauled by each locomotive. The locos have a `Scale Link' coupling hook fitted with a screw coupling hanging from it (swinging freely). The screw couplings are purely aesthetic as all chain coupled stock have 3 links of fine chain with which to make the connection for hauling the train. I have retained two locomotives with standard couplings on both ends for workings requiring the loco to `run round' a train of `standard coupled' stock. Once I get the controlled uncoupling hooks working I will be able to haul a train with chains to its destination, Uncouple the chain link coupling and run the loco round it's train, using the standard coupling to re-couple to train, using the standard coupling for hauling the train on its return journey back to the `fiddle yard' where I will `run the loco round' it's train again and manualy recouple the loco on the Chain coupled end of the train ready for it's next working.

The REAL railways did it this way for centuries, and the parts are available in N gauge. So there is no reason why we can`t do it in N gauge! Is there?!

For further information on Scale Link couplings and other detailing goodies currently available in N gauge contact Maurice Pearce at Osborn's Models. Or your local model shop.