Bob, Do you drill that hole all the way through the uni-trak roadbed. It seems that if you do it's a long way down to the plywood or whatever, definately longer than the thickness of two magnets (1/8"?). What do you fill in with to get it up to the height you want. Or is it just an "indentation" that you are drilling out of the plastic of the plastic roadbed?
I remembered a “Totally Hidden Uncoupler Starter Set” that I had sent for years ago. I played with it for an evening to see how it worked before putting it in a drawer to be forgotten for a dozen years. It was sold by S&L Enterprises. The magnets went for (in 1994 money) around $1.50 each plus $2.50 shipping and handling. So the Radio Shack magnets are the way to go at perhaps ½ the price depending on how many we’re talking about at a time. They are also called “rare earth magnets” and appear to be the same in all respects. One thing that their system does is place them on a small thin metal plate which is in turn glued down under the track on the layout. Then the magnets can be moved around a little to get the uncouplers opening right without actually over doing things - power wise etc. That could be incorporated into the mounting plan if yours don’t just snap in as Mark says about his Atlas track. It gave me an idea and I put some code 55 track on a cookie sheet on the table. The magnets then clung to that so firmly that I had to actually try to move them around. It let me experiment very easily with the system. By the way, if you drop one of those little magnets in your small tools catch-all drawer, you can block out a little time to find it. 2nd time through, stroking and eyeballing every scrap of metal from the drawer, did the trick. I chuckled for the 20 minutes it took me to find it. I found it in the slot on a pair of vice grips. Keep those little guys on the table guys!
Marv: As I said before, I drill a 13/64" hole through the Unitrack road bed. The first magnet PARTIALLY sits in the hole. It DOESN'T go down to the foam or plywood base. The second magnet sits on top of the first magnet. I don't fill the 13/64" inch hole with anything. The magnet sits in that space. It's not an indentation. I make a hole through the roadbed with a 13/64" dremel bur. This whole procedure isn't very complicated and doesn't take long to do. Stay cool and run steam.....
First post here, folks. I just tried PSG1790's dual magnet/unitrack method, and I'm having a bit of trouble with it. I'm using Radio Shack 1/8" rare earth magnets (#64-1895 2 pack), which I realize might be different from the 13/64" described above. Here's the problem: as I run two MT-equipped cars over the magnet installation, the trip pins are both pulled towards the centerline of the track, and therefore there is no uncoupling action. If I do the same thing with a Kato uncoupling magnet, the pins are pulled to the outside of the track, and uncoupling happens as you'd expect. My question: has anyone else seen this? Perhaps it is the 13/64" vs. 1/8" magnets, but they aren't that much smaller. I'll see if I can try some of the larger size tomorrow to check that. Otherwise, I can't see what else would cause the problem. "Polarity" was discussed above, but there's really not much to do about that. I'd appreciate any ideas - and thanks for all the good ones presented so far, I've learned a lot already. Mike
Polarity is dependant on lines of magnetic force. Try flipping them over or placing them on their sides. They could have different pole face position to those mentioned above.
I tried flipping them over and experimenting on the side. Whatever I do, the trip pin is attracted to the magnet (and towards the center of the track). There is no portion of them that doesn't attract the trip pin. I note that the Kato strip-type magnet attracts the pins toward either edge, but not the center. It seems to be constructed of two magnets on the outer edge, separated by a non-magnetic strip down the center. The trip pins are attracted towards their closest respective rail, and uncouple. The only thing I can think of - related to the Code 55 examples above - is that maybe the slightly larger magnets are able to magnetize the rail somewhat and the pins seek that instead of the magnet itself. I'll try to find some of the 13/64" variety that PSG1790 describes. Thanks for the tips, though. Mike
Mike: Welcome to Trainboard. I've been using the magnets for two years with no problems. Stay cool and run steam.....
Bob, Thanks - I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing differently that's holding me up. I'll try to find some 13/64" magnets and see if that changes. I've got a bunch on Kato ramps, but I'd prefer the more unobtrusive look of the button magnets. Mike
Poles DO make a difference - In my opinion I realize there are two different styles of mounting magnet uncouplers being discussed for these types of magnets on the same thread, but I wanted to share some observations that I had made for the double magnet method installed on Code 80 Atlas track. The magnets in the picture below are Radio Shack Rare Earth Magnets item number 64-1895. I have yet to try the other magnets from the other manufacturer. I have both ACCUMATE® and MT couplers installed on my rolling stock. I have and would recommend installing the magnets to where both poles are the same when facing up for a few reasons. Although the magnets are not marked for north and south, you can make sure that they are both the same pole facing up by one of the following methods. Of course, we all realize when magnets are together, they will attach themselves to the opposite poles. Mark one end with a ‘Sharpy Marker’ or a pencil. Flip the magnets around by holding the magnet with the dot up so you can tell when you place the other magnet on top of it. After placing the second magnet on top of the first your first dot disappears to the middle of the two. The top of the two magnets should now be marked. If you have marked them correctly, the two dots should repel each other. Or option two you can test them after the magnets are placed in the proper position under that track. With another magnet, hold it over the top of the ones that were installed to see if it is attracted to each one which is how I would recommend it or if it is repelled by one and attracted to the other. There are a few reasons that I have found for installing the magnets with like poles up such as (N-N or S-S). One is that magnetic field that is generated is not as strong across the track. Since the field is not as strong across the track it seems to lend it’s self to attracting the pins when the train is being backed up and not as much when the train is moving forward. Both MT and ACCUMATE® couplers seem to work better at slow speeds when the field is not quite as strong especially when moving forward. Also having like magnetic fields up seems not to interfere as much with other tracks that are very close by. Although it did work when the poles of the magnets were opposite such as (N-S), I noticed that the field was almost too strong in some instances and the cars going backwards and forwards at slow speeds would uncouple or depending how I had the poles arranged they would not uncouple at all. The picture below is showing the magnets that were installed at the end of a turnout with one leg going to the mainline and the other leading to a spur. Since the magnetic field is not quite as strong, they seem to not interfere with the main line which is only a couple of millimeters away. I am not saying that if you have opposite poles installed up it is wrong or would not work. I just feel having the same poles up worked better for me. Just my observations. Mr X
Mr X - Thanks for the observations. I've changed tack here a bit and am using the "double magnet under each rail" method with Unitrack. That seems to work OK, in that the trip pins are drawn outward and uncouple fine. I'm experimenting with drilling through the Unitrack railbed and getting the magnets right up under the rail, but I've had success just supergluing the 1/8" (RS 64-1895) magnets under the rail on the underside of the Unitrack. Only drawback with this method is that I've got to use 2 magnets on each side. It is totally hidden, though. I wasn't able to get 13/64" magnets from Radio Shack, so I haven't tried those yet. Mike
