I like the idea of delivering cars inside a building but always wondered how it was done efficiently and effectively. Many published layouts have switching inside an industry but it is rarely explained how the switching is done. Using an undertrack magnet is an easy way to disconnect but hard to spot directly over the magnet for a car drop. Is this common method? How does the engineer know if the car/loco are correctly placed above the magnet?
All MR car pickups inside a building are blind. What is the procedure to prevent derailing cars during the pick up process or running them off the track?
IDRickAll MR car pickups inside a building are blind. What is the procedure to prevent derailing cars during the pick up process or running them off the track?
Easy use a bumper at the end of the siding..For being blind use "glasses" that is use a stack of skids(pallets) outside of the building where the end of the car is located.
As far as uncoupling that is no big deal..Uncouple over a maganet pull back enough to put the couplers in the seperate the couplers then shove the car into the building and then reverse out of the building leaving the car spotted.
That's the beauty of Kadee couplers that is often overlooked.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIE IDRick All MR car pickups inside a building are blind. What is the procedure to prevent derailing cars during the pick up process or running them off the track? Easy use a bumper at the end of the siding..For being blind use "glasses" that is use a stack of skids(pallets) outside of the building where the end of the car is located. As far as uncoupling that is no big deal..Uncouple over a maganet pull back enough to put the couplers in the seperate the couplers then shove the car into the building and then reverse out of the building leaving the car spotted. That's the beauty of Kadee couplers that is often overlooked.
IDRick
Wouldn't a bumper cause the car to derail if the locomotive approached at anything less than a feather touch? It seems to me that it is best to only drop cars just inside the door with some room behind the car to avoid a derailment when couplers meet. I'll have to get one of magnets and around with play with it.
put a light in building then use a dark on ldr circuit to turn on a led mounted on control pannel .
I watched a video, not too long ago, of a crew switching inside a building, and they used a couple of extra cars to act as idlers, evidently the loco couldn't go into the building, probably because of exhaust. I think it was CSX.
I don't think the bumper would cause a problem, your not going in there at any speed, and after you do this a couple of times, you'll know how to judge by the position of the loco, or idler cars, how far in to go.
You could also make the "back stop" more than just something on the track, make it something you can slightly push against with out derailing, just have it back further than where you want to spot the car.
The light would be cool, if you can rig that up somehow.
Mike.
My You Tube
j. c. put a light in building then use a dark on ldr circuit to turn on a led mounted on control pannel .
Thanks, that is an elegant solution! Bit of a stretch for my limited electronic skills but from what I've found on google, a fairly simple circuit. I'll investigate further.
BRAKIEAs far as uncoupling that is no big deal..Uncouple over a maganet pull back enough to put the couplers in the seperate the couplers then shove the car into the building and then reverse out of the building leaving the car spotted. That's the beauty of Kadee couplers that is often overlooked.
This is the "delayed action" which was one of the big selling points when Kadee magnetics were new but which seems to be downplayed now - more and more modelers snip off the "air hose" on the Kadee magnetic couplers in favor of scale air hoses which means those couplers won't uncouple remotely over magnets and the delayed action feature won't work.
As far as dropping off or picking up a car "blind" in a structure I suppose there are elaborate solutions but the easiest is to learn to visualize the interior clearances. If what you are asking is what can be done to keep the car from just rolling further away rather than couple up (an admitted risk with today's free rolling trucks whether you can see the car or not - we've all seen guys who are yardmasters cheat with their finger holding the car still while it couples), rather than count on a bumper, you might want to consider the same trick used when spotting a car on a modest slope: a bristle from a hairbrush inserted in the center of a tie, tall enough to touch the axle but not tall enough or stiff enough to risk derailing the car. Maybe bristles on multiple ties.
And frankly most of those who use Kadee couplers on free rolling cars have developed the habit of hitting the car pretty hard when coupling on to it. You even see this in Allen Keller videos.
Dave Nelson
Good suggestions Mike! I agree, probably second nature once a person has done it a few times. I also really liked the light idea but means I would have to detail the inside of the building since a light would always be on inside (unless rail car was present), not the end of the world of course...
Here's a simple ldr circuit:
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-LDR-Darkness-Sensor-Circuit-Simple-DIY/
With a very slight downward slope inside the building, you could place the magnet at the entrance where you can see it. When you uncouple the car, let it just roll down into the building. I would put a foam "bumper" inside. Give yourself enough room inside to get the engine in to re-couple to the car.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
IDRickWouldn't a bumper cause the car to derail if the locomotive approached at anything less than a feather touch?
Shouldn't since you are switching at slow speeds..
But,if you are worried..
You could place a figure outside the building where the bumper is located.
dknelsonAnd frankly most of those who use Kadee couplers on free rolling cars have developed the habit of hitting the car pretty hard when coupling on to it. You even see this is Allen Keller videos.
More the pity.. The art of kiss coupling is easy to master but,one must take the extra steps to ensure the KD coupler works smoothly..This includes filing any flash from the knuckles and shaft.
As stated above, use the delayed uncoupling feature of the couplers and gently push the car into place. You can still do it even if you use an uncoupling tool instead of the magnet. Use idler cars if the car is to be spotted deep inside of the building. Know the lengths of these cars and place a post or some other marker to tell you where to stop the locomotive. You could also paint a tie as the marker. And of course you will want to use Hayes wheel stops or some other type of bumper so you don’t push the car off of the end of the track.