In a recent YouTube video Chris noted that his hopper cars from the layout of Carl Appel (of Norfolk and Ohio fame) had an early type of Kadee coupler on them. These have been seen on a few cars in this site — for example in my own article on Appel hoppers — but I have never specifically written about them.

Founded by twin brothers Keith and Dale Edwards (from which the name Kadee is derived), according to an article on the Kadee website (here) the original coupler that they introduced in 1947 was the K type. They would couple automatically, but needed a mechanical ramp to uncouple (or you just lifted a car, like with dummy couplers).

The knuckle design is a bit different than the modern Kadee type we are familiar with. The modern type will couple easily (manually) with Lionel and Scale-Craft OO dummy couplers, but the original Kadee type won’t — but still will couple fine to modern Kadee couplers all these years later.

Searching further in my magazine collection, the first advertisement I found for this product was in the December 1952 issue of Model Railroader. Then I had an idea, how about checking the Model Railroad Magazine Index to see if I could find the original review? I had not checked this resource in a few years and actually the original one (that was on the Kalmbach website for some years) is gone. It was replaced by a new index project that was started in 2021, one that is still in progress, but has good coverage at this point. Check it out here.

Using that resource, I quickly found the original review of the Kadee coupler was in the September, 1952 issue of MR (pages 53-54), and it had been first advertised in the May, 1950 issue of MR (page 55). This image is that first ad and it shows a key feature, that these have a straight pin that goes down from the knuckle in a different manner than the modern type of Kadee. These did not have the magnetic uncoupling feature, and instead were uncoupled using a manual ramp.

Turning to the first review, MR gave it an extended one (twice as long as the other two product reviews found in the same issue) and they were quite enthusiastic about the new design. This photo is from that review. Automatic couplers were something that everyone wanted, but realistic ones had been a huge problem to develop for HO. The review begins,

The Kadee HO couplers are semi-scale automatics that really perform! Tests failed to establish a single normal operating condition under which they would not couple!

These couplers have the same number and type of parts as others in this category — a one-piece coupler head and shank, a working knuckle, draft gear box and cover (die cast in hard metal), a spring and an uncoupling pin. The manner in which they are put together, however, is where the tale hangs.

The Kadee couplers employ a slightly L-shaped knuckle that is spring-operated. The knuckle is kept in a normally closed position by a torsion spring wrapped around a boss on the pivoting end of the knuckle. The uncoupling pin is installed in the angle of the L formed by the knuckle, and uncoupling is accomplished by moving this pin to one side, rather than up and down.

They further note that “A little more time and care are required to install the Kadee coupler, compared to other types, but we felt that the results were ample reward.” Yet later in the review,

Not once during these tests did a Kadee coupler let go when it wasn’t supposed to! We found that a car on a siding could be coupled onto a train by a contact so gentle that the car wasn’t moved! No matter where cars were spotted — on curves, tangents or switches — every one was picked up on first contact.

Automatic uncoupling could be achieved by use of a diamond ramp which would open the knuckles. Or, they note you can manually pop the couplers apart with a “toothpick, pin or pencil.” (A small screwdriver works well). Appel, in his use of these for OO, left the pins off and would have had to uncouple manually, but they would couple automatically which had to have been a huge step forward for realistic operations.

Kadee developed successive versions of this coupler over the next few years, the classic versions being illustrated on these envelopes. These date to after 1956, when they moved operations to Oregon.

Model Railroader reported first on the new, improved magnetic Kadee couplers in October of 1959 (page 21) and reviewed the improved design in May of 1960. This is the start of the classic type used so universally today. These quickly became the de facto standard for American OO operators, as they worked great and were sized so that they would couple manually with Scale-Craft and Lionel dummy couplers. Plus were almost exactly OO scale size.

To close, while I have used a few of the early style couplers on cars I have rebuilt, you can be fairly certain that if you find a classic OO model with the early Kadee couplers it likely dates to before 1960. And Carl Appel made much use of these, a topic I will look at in a future article.