Well,I never claimed to be smart.
I don't think INTELLIGENCE is an issue here,but rather as with all other aspects of any hobby,it's what appeals to the individual modeler. True shelf couplers HAVE TO HAVE the knuckle open to separate,no 5 figure "lifting the car off the track," but in HO Kadee makes a special tool to open their shelf couplers. If you want simplistic operation,use Kadee couplers. If you want something more Prototypical,use Protocraft.
I've found working with Atlas couplers as well as Kadee,I need to open the Atlas or Kadee knuckle when mating with Protocraft. The idea is to,(as in HO), convert to all Protocraft type couplers as finances permit,or in HO,convert to all Sergent couplers that have opening knuckles as on the Prototype & which mate best with themselves, but do couple with Kadee as well as McHenry couplers using the same procedure as I'm using in O Scale, as described above.
I truly think a good article covering the history of the coupler in all its forms,would be great to enlighten those modelers that aren't familiar with modern couplers. In the poll I took on another site a few years back,half those voting on whether there was a market for shelf couplers,didn't know what they were. And thank you all here,who have provided excellent information on the shelf couplers.JMO.
Al Hummel
