I have had Micro-Trains (Kadee Micro-Trains, years ago) couplers since they were released in 1968 (Geez, I was only 15!). I began to convert right away as the superiority over Rapidos was, at the time, a revelation for me. Anyway, I also bought several between-the-rails uncouplers and used them on several layouts in the intervening years and always enjoyed the magnetic/delayed uncoupling feature. I still have those same magnets and, over the years, chopped them up to make them shorter and create more of them. I guess I thought they were a bit unsightly at the original length. I have even made four out of one although that's pushing it for spotting the cars to be uncoupled because a magnet ends up being only about 3/8" long. However, it has actually been quite a few years since I have had magnets really installed in a layout and I have just used a Rix Pik to uncouple cars. Recently, I have installed some of the magnets on my current layout and I have to say it is such a pleasure to be able to magnetically uncouple cars again compared to the pik which can be a real pain sometimes, especially with deteriorating eyesight and cars being a ways away. Derailed cars and all that. I remember the funny arguments about the "unrealistic" movements necessary to use the delayed feature, all the while ignoring the "giant hand coming out of the sky" I have also been converting locos and cars, lately, that never got done before and I do not cut off the uncoupling pins! Doug
I was never concerned about "unrealistic movements." I did have too many unwanted uncouplings in lower speed operations, so had to traverse magnets at a much higher speed than desired- Which is unrealistic in itself..... I also had some derailments. Dropped the magnets decades ago, and have happily used a pick ever since then. Even though my eyesight isn't as good, and my motor skills have severely deteriorated.
Speaking of the "giant hand coming out of the sky" to uncouple cars...what about derailments ? Does the "giant hand coming out of the sky" rerail everything or do you have real 1:160 crews come and rerail them ? I would like to see the video if you have one please.
My first few layouts had magnetic uncouplers. Unwanted uncouplings. Never a magnet where ya need one. Trip pin follies. and just the unnatural look of them between the rails when there are no cars around. They became such an annoyance...I havent used em since.
Don't worry, Ted. I know, very well, the controversy. I do want to make it clear that I don't use either method exclusively. Magnetic uncoupling is used mainly in yards. I have usually never put uncouplers right on the mainline for the very reasons mentioned but, when I did, i don't remember really having a problem with unscheduled partings. I always put a restraining spring in the cabooses which always seemed to keep enough tension in the train. I do use a pik if I need to. I mean, I'm not going to move a whole train to an uncoupler just to use one. It's just that it's much more enjoyable, in a yard, to use uncouplers and not have to do the pik thing when there are many moves involved. Doug
I have no position on this issue. But to tell you the truth I haven't seen nor heard anyone speak about uncoupling magnets in a long while.
Actually, when I first saw Rapidos in 1967 on the new Atlas equipment, I thought they looked terrific compared to the Treble-O-Lectric couplers. :teeth: Doug
I sure you remember the uncoupling ramps for Rapidos. I thought they were quite a marvelous thing. But I'd already bought my first Kadee car, so my ramps went to a swap met and gone....
Doug.... This is where I get confused. I used magnetic uncoupling in my yard a few layouts ago. THIS is wher i had the most problems. <Scenerio> Pull a train into the yard AD Track. Locomotive unhooks (magnet 1) I use a pick. Switcher comes along and cuts 3-4 cars. Do you pull the whole consist up to (magnet 1) to cut those 3-4 cars? I use a pick after the switcher is hooked up and DONT pull the cars forward. Now...you pull those 3-4 cars off the AD. You back them into another track (Track 2). You go back to the AD and get another cut of 3-4 cars. Do you pull the rest of the consist up to (magnet 1) to cut those 3-4 cars? Remember...I just back up to whats left on the AD and use a pick to cut the next 3-4 cars loose....I dont need to pull them forwards to a magnet. Then...you put those 3-4 cars on (Track 3). If all the yard tracks also have magnets...when I backed cars over them...I got unwanted uncoulings...including the AD track. How do you solve that issue ? Just curious how people do it and it works out ok. Thanks
The big thing I've done to 'win the war' is cut between the rails magnets far, far smaller - I make them as short as 3-4 ties worth. So the likelihood of false uncoupling is greatly reduced, they aren't as visually jarring. There's no need to have a long magnet, that's because in the 'old days' the slow-speed control of N was non-existent, and throttles were bad. Now that you can click a five-pole motor with a flywheel over easily, your control is very precise. A very short magnet will ONLY uncouple when slacked, either pushing or pulling across it will rarely cause a false uncouple. A full length magnet is a complete PITA and will do it every time. Not needed. Strategies also include painting all trip pins, and cutting all knuckles to RDA spec so that they don't pull up or down and start dragging trip pins and causing derailments. I was working the yard on a friends layout and got 'fired' after I derailed about six cars in succession fishing around with a bamboo sticker trying to uncouple cars. 'Don't you know how to uncouple cars???' was met (jokingly) with 'Don't you know how to properly install magnets and trip pins????' I will say though that the only system that works is MT. Accu-mates, and Katos, pins or not, are just worthless for magnetic properties. If I'm going to switch the car instead just couple to it, it has to have MT's. As far as for prototype operations, I've seen more than a few yard crews pull the cars up to the brakeman to cut them off on a drill track instead of making him walk or ride the cut to uncouple them. If the engineer is handy with the independent brake, the cuts are long, and he actually likes his ground man, he'll pull forward to pull the pin. On a typical ladder, the biggest consideration is being able to see your ground man, and keeping him visible from the cab at the end is safer than burying him deep in the yard. Mounting and dismounting moving cuts to ride back to couple and uncouple is now a real safety violation.
I only use rix pics to uncouple now. I didn't like the extra movements needed and the unscheduled uncoupling the magnets cause. My eyesight is giving me some problems and I have to wear reading glasses when I run or work on my layout and equipment. I do sometimes cut off the trip pins so I don't have to worry about them. I did make a couple of lighted uncoupling tools and they work very well. Using Maglight solitare flashlights I epoxyied rix pic's to the lenses.
Yup. This is a problem. Reliance solely upon the magnets restricts all initial uncoupling to where those are located. If the car is to be spotted elsewhere, first you must go to the closest useful magnet, then shove the car to where it must be set out. This is what I referenced within my initial post in this topic. A drag spring in the caboose is fine, if you are uncouple an entire consist. Otherwise, it is no help at all. Once the caboose is cut off, the rest of the cars are back to bobbling again. For those who'd like to simulate prototypical operations, as much as humanly possible, there would need to be so many magnets placed.... Prototypes uncouple cars everywhere. Cars may be spotted in the exact same place every time, or not. What might work is a combination of magnets and picks. Magnets alone do work for those who just like to run trains around. That's fine. A lot of folks prefer to do at least some running similar to the real thing.
I had converted all of my N scale to Kadee couplers and used magnets. When I changed to HO scale, Kadee couplers were one of the first things to go on rolling stock and locomotives. I have a number of industries at the rear edge of my layout and have been using magnets ever since the layout was built. Careful placement of magnets is a big help. My layout was built as a switching layout and I really have no complaints.
About 6 months ago I installed these magnetic uncouplers in my yard and haven't regretted it a bit! I just back the train into the yard and use my hand to push in the car needed uncoupled into the last car, then they come uncoupled and I move the cars back together and the couplers are then in the position to not couple again and then I can back the train into the spur and leave the car there. Now, I do have black cinders in my yard so the black magnets sort of blend in with the black ties and black ballast. If I had a penny for every time I derailed a car using some type of pick, I would be a very wealthy person. Having said that I still use a Rix pick for locals where I can reach them easily. My layout is quite high so I can easily see the couplers. OBTW when you start to use the magnets between the rails you might have to adjust the height of the trip pins on a few cars but it is well worth the effort. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Pennsylvania-Railroad/519927431428861
