Uncoupling Kadee equipped cars by hand

[Anonymous]

Thats it in a nutshell "Have fun"
Thanks for your input
Rudy

[Anonymous]

I must say that I was surprised by so many modelers that uncouple by hand. I am a very serious modeler and I always uncouple by hand. I worked on a real railroad for several years and it is important for me to uncouple any place I please just like the real thing. Its so unrealistic to uncouple in the same exact place every time. Thats what I would tell someone. I belong to a club that uses magnetic uncouplers and my friend has a large layout with them and sometimes they don't work or they will uncouple something you didn't want to. Also most modelers would be surprised at how long it takes to switch out industries on the real thing. Like someone said above its all about having fun,and don't let anyone take that from you. Its a hobby and some guys forget that.

[jwfoise]

I use the Rix tool and find it works very well. I also like the "realism" of hand uncoupling and hand throwing turnouts (I use ground throws for them).

[Anonymous]

Rudy, I apprecieate the response. I have found the little Gizmo that keeps me happy. It's like the Golf shot that keeps me comming back to the first tee. Thanks for the information on the toothpick brigade. Granted is cheaper but I really enjoy the "No Touch" approach. I'm in a good mood right now. Rix's little tool is a keeper for me.
JOHN N.

[Anonymous]

John,
Yes the RIX uncoupling tool is great but if you have access to back issue of M.R. check out october 1998 issue page 109 for an article by Lionel stang on a quick and easy uncoupling tool - I've used them all but this one is by far my favorite - I'ts nothing more than a pice of 1/2'' dowel holding a length 1/16'' brass wire with a Z-shaped bend at the end of it. Unlike other manual uncouplers it is designed to pull apart the ""air hoses"" (the steel trip pins) on Kadee and other compatible makes of knuckle couplers rather than seperating the faces of the knuckles themselves. I've used this method quite a lot lately and it works very well - to make the uncoupling tool cut a 5" long piece of 1/4" dowel and a 3" piece of 1/16" brass wire then put a couple 1/4" bends at the end of the wire and glue it into the end of the dowel with cyanoacrylate adhesive (CA} - if you have access to the above mentioned article constructing uncoupling tool should be a breeze and like I said before it works great - as you grap the air hose make sure to give some slack to the car youre uncoupling and it should work beautifully - Thanks to one and all for your comments on this posting - I am now using Kadee uncoupling ramps in areas of my layout where I cant reach cars with my uncoupling tool - all other uncoupling is done manually using above mentioned tool - I am finally operating my layout and enjoying every minute of it -
To you all keep on trackin
regards
Rudy Montreal Canada

[Anonymous]

Rudy, I agree with you, the prior post is right-on. No matter what you do as long as it makes you happy and you are having fun "Who Cares". But on the other topic of the Rix uncoupler, I got mine yesterday and boy is it ever so easy to uncouple cars. As mentioned in a prior post though, if you have ferrous metal in the car or ladder it will be just a bit more difficult. But believe me I'm very happy that Bill posted the Rix site. I've uncoupled many cars in the past two hours and have not had to endure, what is for me, the Fumble Finger of Fate Award, ie. derailed cars. Joy oh Joy. Keep having fun Modeling your roads. John

[Anonymous]

Hoyle,
no problem using kadee and Mchenry - they both work very well seperately and/or together.
I use both on my layout and have had no problem.
Mchenry couplers over kadee uncoupling ramp work great - air hoses on both are metal.
Keep On Trackin
Rudy

[Anonymous]

If you have two hoppers one with kadee and one with mc henry will they uncouple with a magnet.Or both with mc henry.Are the air hoses metal.

[dknelson]

I know some very advanced model railroaders -- names you would recognize -- who I have seen use the "pick up the car by the truck" method.
I have used a hooked wire that graps the metal "air hose" and I have used a swizzle stick sort of thing that pinches the knuckle apart. I think moving the air hose works more reliably but it can involve having to touch the carside with your fingers. The Rix magnet -- sort of a upside down U that fits between the car ends from above -- works when it works but sometimes is touchy and tricky. but you do not touch the car.
Even if you use an alternative method I would not remove the "air hose" as you might include a few strategically placed magnets. And the delayed action feature can be quite handy in operating sessions.

[relation]

Mike Hey Rudy I just use a wood skewer kind of like a long tooth pick it works great

[Anonymous]

That's true...also,even a surface mount KD uncoupler can cause an Athearn metal-axle passenger car to kind of "shudder" ,until it centres itself over the magnet. It's a bit like bringing a rubber-band RDC to a sudden stop...it doesn't bother me, I think it's kind of quaint.
regards/Mike

[Anonymous]

Bill - I just ordered one and will let you know if it works. If it does I will be forever in your debt. I can never seem to get the trucks back on track everytime!! (hehe) Thanks

John

[Anonymous]

I've thought about making something similar, only using battery powered electromagnets that you could turn on and off. Maybe that would help with grabbing the metal parts, at least you could get it to let go!

[BR60103]

Bill:
We used the Rix uncoupler a while ago. It seemed to be about as good as the track magnets.
The problem we got was that we run a mixed bag of cars - craftsman kits to platic RTR, and the RIX magnets would grab and hold on to metal ladders on the ends of the cars.

[Anonymous]

Hey this is great - Thanks one and all for your feedback re uncoupling by hand - last input really hits it on the head "Have Fun" thats what its all about - there's always some sourpuss to try to dampen our enjoyment of this wonderful hobby -
Hoping to get more feedback to my question.
Again thanks to those that took the time for reply re above.
Keep on Trackin
Rudy Montreal Canada

PS; Andy S. if youre out there greetings from the cold white north

[mhdishere]

Rudy,
So these people who criticize you have working coupler lift bars on their equipment? And working brakes? Prototype railroads don't use magnets either! They also don't have a 87:1 size finger come down from the sky to uncouple.

No matter how "real" we try to be, there are always compromises, especially in operations. Maybe I'm dating myself, but I can remember when Model Railroader magazine had a banner on the cover that read "Model Railroading is Fun". Are you having fun Rudy? Have you found a method that works for you?

[Anonymous]

Rudy - Rix also make a "manual magnetic" (for lack of a better description) uncoupling tool - basically it's a two-tined fork thingie, with a magnet on each tine of the fork, that you set down over the couplers you want to separate. Here's a link:

http://www.rixproducts.com/6280014.htm

Bill
(PS I've never used one so don't know how good a job they do.)

[Anonymous]

Rudy,
I uncouple manually on my layout, which focuses on switching, but not completely by hand as you do, since I'm somewhat of a klutz and can't seem to consistently put cars back on the rails smoothly and consistently. I use Kadees or similar couplers only and use the home-made uncoupling tool described by Lionel Strang a couple of years ago in MR. It's made out of plastic coated soft wire (Plastruct I think) and it's shaped something like this:

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Basically two right-angle bends in the wire about 1/4" each at the end. When the car is positioned ready to uncouple, you take in the slack slightly on the car to be spotted (doing this by hand) and catch the coupler hook facing you with the tip of this tool, and pull it toward you slightly, then release the slack and the car will drift ever so slightly away from the rest of the train and voila! - it's uncoupled. I also use Caboose Industries ground throws on all turnouts because I think it gets you more involved with the operation of the train.
More power to you Rudy in your prototypical uncoupling practices.

[BR60103]

Rudy:
I've been operating on another fellow's layout for some years and we've used every method of uncoupling Kadees.

The problem with lifting the cars is getting them back on the tracks properly in some of the yards. Fingerprints in the dust/weathering is a minor problem.

Certainly, I find that with the manual uncoupling tools I end up fiddling the cars back and forth anyway.

Have tou thought about cutting the litle metal wires from the bottom of the couplers so that they don't snag when you lift them?

David

[raysaron]

If you are going to uncouple by hand, why not use dummy couplers: uncouple AND couple by hand ---save all the money you would spend on Kadee or Micro-Trains automatic couplers?

I am not really into operations (yet) but the delayed action uncoupling on automatic couplers seems to work.

(Maybe I should just dig out the article and see the reasoning behind manual uncoupling.)

Ray

[BRAKIE]

Sorry,I forgot to tell you I also uncouple cars by hand.I hope the above information helps you.

[BRAKIE]

Rudy,Speaking as a former PRR and Chessie brakeman,you are correct.It does take time to uncouple cars.Don't forget that the switch going into the industry will need to be unlocked,also the derail will need unlocked and open.The gate(if any) going into the industry will need unlock and open..All this takes time to do.When you back into the industry you never couple onto the car untill you are sure that there is no workman in the area.After you couple up,you need to release the handbrakes and check for chocks under the wheels.This takes time to do.When you take the pick up and couple up to your train you need to connect the air hoses.After you spot the car and before you uncouple the hand brake would be set.Then,you would uncouple and pull away.Now,to throw a wrench into the master plan,your pick up might be 3-5 cars deep in the unloading/loading docks.You would need to pull all the cars in front of your pickup.Each car in front would need the hand brakes release and needed to be respotted after the pick up.Sometimes the set out would need to go to another door and you would need to pull cars in order to spot it.Now,sometimes a truck would be in the docks setting across the tracks.You would wait till the driver moved the truck! Ofcouse all this takes time.IMHO modelers switch cars to fast and the safety rules I see broke! Man,if we broke that many rules we would have been in deep trouble.One more thing,something pallets would be laying on the tracks!These would need moved.

[Anonymous]

After years of building and fine tuning my layout I am finally ready to give operation a try.I've just finished reading an article by Jim Kelly
"The ABC of switching cars" in October 1997 issue of Model Railroader magazine in which article he states that lots of experienced modelers - probably the majority - dont use magnets to uncouple Kadee equipped cars because its imposible to have uncoupling ramps every place you might want. He goes on to say that if you did you'd have one big magnet running down the center of every track on your layout. Instead he says you can uncouple manually by using your hands by lifting the car that's away from the engine, meanwhile placing your fingers alongside the truck so the wheels will rerail themselves when you set the car back down.
I've tried uncoupling by hand and it works beautifully - the only problem is the negative comments I get from my guests as they say it is not like the way the real railroads do it. I do not agree with them as the real brakeman has to close the angle cocks (valves above the air hoses) then pull the uncoupling lever and pull the train away - The only thing I do diferently is lift the car to be uncoupled slightly while holding the truck in alignment which is like pulling the train away after car uncoupled by brakeman.
OK now I'd appreciate feedback from you guys and gals operating your railroads as to how many of you uncouple by hand (not with small screwdrivers, skewers, Rix tools etc) and if you do what to say to those that critisize this method of uncoupling cars by hand.
Thanks for any and all comments re above
Keep on Trackin
Rudy Montreal Canada