I've pretty much completed my conversion of my rolling stock to metal wheels, and this has created a couple of new problems.
The metal wheels roll better, so cars are much more fussy about staying in place on a siding after being spotted if there's the slightest slope. My solution has been to "plant" tufts of field grass between the ties on sidings. This will hold he cars just enough to keep them from rolling freely, but not enough to interfere with switching. The grass near the end of this siding is sufficient to hold the scrap metal gons in place.
I used some Kadee below-the-ties magnets on the newer parts of my layout. They are very strong, and they actually pull the cars with metal wheels and try to center them on the magnet, sometimes making uncoupling impossible. This was one of those things that drove me to skewers.
Electromagnets have a problem that is not often mentioned. They take a lot of power. When I first installed one, I discovered that pushing the button to energize it caused all the building lights in that part of town to dim, so I found another supply and dedicated it to that one uncoupler. I got some newer electromagnets to use on main lines on other parts of my layout, and found I needed an even larger supply for those.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
what a response to magnets this is. i went to the train show yesterday and finished my magnet needs. i need realism and now i can acomplish this in all areas of my layout. by the way average cost is 2.75 a magnet.
I was thumbing through all these treads and I could not beleive no one as mentioned this. I think it was in a copy of Model Railroader.
I attatched a small flashlight on to the skewer ( Habour Freight free gift ). It make it easy to see even in a night scene. Works great.
Harold
see the lower message i have many of the magnets to be used and installed.
i have about a dozen magnets that i can install i tried them in the steel area and they seemed to not work. So how do magnets work for operational use?
I like skewers (wood are fine) for two reasons. I can uncouple cars where I want them, and the skewers also come in handy for cooking shish-kabobs.
Nyuk-nyuk....
Would you mind a photo or drawing of it
restorator What are you preferences and reasoning on the subject of uncoupling magnets or skewers or other tools?
What are you preferences and reasoning on the subject of uncoupling magnets or skewers or other tools?
I've built two N scale railroads. A 50' around the walls shelf and an NTRAK module with dog bone ends and a timesaver. I used HO under track magnets cut in half and without the metal base plates. They worked beautifully. I painted the end of a tie white to mark the center point Of the magnet.
One negative is that magnets require a lot of engine movements to get the couplers uncoupled an offset to allow you to push the car into position. I ultimately found this irritating during a long switching session.
The current pipe dream is a small HO shelf with a very simple but somewhat devious track plan. After reading the comments about skewers I think I'll give them a try. They get rid of the unnecessary engine moves and add to the involvement of the crew.
Thanks to all for your thoughtful comments.
Put me down for magnets and magnets only.
.
All of my layouts except for one have been built for solo operation. I know where the magnets are, and I do not need to train anyone. I want to touch the equipment as little as possible. I like pushing a sring of cars with the couplers in the delayed position down a spur for a drop off.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
7j43kWould I be correct in believeing that no one here has any complaints about using the skewer for uncoupling?
There are parts of my layout where using a skewer is awkward, and sometimes it's easier not to have to walk all the way around to the other side. I left all my magnets in place, but I just find the skewers easier.
If I ever build another layout, I will keep all reaches short and convenient so I won't really need magnets.
maxman wjstix Over the years I've gotten in the habit of uncoupling manually. I have relatively long fingers, so just reach around the HO carbody, grab the truck, lift it up and move it to the right, engage the couplers in the 'offset' position, and put it back on the track. Yes, I've also seen it done that way. Unfortunately I don't like to handle the cars, especially when they get to be detailed and $50 each. Plus I've seen too many operators with orange Cheeto fingers running around "weathering" equipment. Less touching the better.
wjstix Over the years I've gotten in the habit of uncoupling manually. I have relatively long fingers, so just reach around the HO carbody, grab the truck, lift it up and move it to the right, engage the couplers in the 'offset' position, and put it back on the track.
Yes, I've also seen it done that way. Unfortunately I don't like to handle the cars, especially when they get to be detailed and $50 each. Plus I've seen too many operators with orange Cheeto fingers running around "weathering" equipment.
Less touching the better.
Lol madman
Cheeto fingers will be the downfall of the hobby!
Serve tortilla chips instead
I like skewers, but use super magnets in a few remote places, both work fine for me.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Skewers for me. The hassle of adjusting and maintaining couplers on two hundred cars so they will operate with uncouplers is a daunting task.
In addition, the layouts that I have operated on that had uncouplers were plagued by unwanted uncouplings when a train would pause over the uncoupler for some reason other than wanting to uncouple cars.
Your mileage may vary,
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Guys,What sold me on KD couplers way back in the mid 60s was the hands free uncoupling..For around four years I used a small flat tip screwdriver for uncoupling then I return to magnets and haven't looked back..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I have a Rix tool, it seems to work ok on straight track, but mostly use the skewer.
Mike.
My You Tube
7j43k Would I be correct in believeing that no one here has any complaints about using the skewer for uncoupling? Ed
Would I be correct in believeing that no one here has any complaints about using the skewer for uncoupling?
Ed
Heavy handed operators can cause deformation of the coupler box and derailing by pressing down too far/hard with a skewer. Ive operated on a couple of layouts (Kadee couplers) where skewers were banned, and they used some sort of side to side magnet (on a h shaped stick).
Edit: It might have been the Rix uncoupler or something similar.
Sergent has an uncoupling device to slide under diaphragms. I had some issues with it due to coupler shanks being too short (diaphragms fully compressed). Need to get the tailor made coupler for my walthers cars.
hon30critter maxman I've seen too many operators with orange Cheeto fingers running around "weathering" equipment. Dave
maxman
Dave
maxmanI've seen too many operators with orange Cheeto fingers running around "weathering" equipment.
I'll remember to ban Cheetos from my layout!
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Magnets work well for me on my layout. I have one at the entrance of the yard. Where else to place them?
I have magnets on the sidings. I installed the bachmann ones that fit under the rails and they work very well. I installed a kadee electromagnet for the mainline, which works well with cars equiped with kadees. Couplers need to meet standards AND must work without friction (the coupler lubricant sold by kadee works well). When things fail, God's hand comes into play, but that somewhat wrecks the realism... I also see it as part of the challenge.
Simon
Pt down my vote for magnets. For one they don't fall off the layout and end up in hyper spacem and since the operators that usually end up operating here (including myself) are either ham handed galoots or they suffer from some nerve disfunction that causes the shakes so bad that the skewers derail the cars. Just kidding. But seriously, I prefer not to handle the cars and I, for whatever reason, don't seem to have incidents of false uncouplings. (probably luck).
Old Fat Robert
Its skewers for me - - ah, the clean ones, without the teriyaki sauce on them!
maxman 7j43k Would I be correct in believeing that no one here has any complaints about using the skewer for uncoupling? Ed
7j43k
7j43k OK. I'll bite. What does? Ed
OK. I'll bite.
What does?
I think those Rix uncouplers will work, as well as the Lionel Strang hooky things. Or a magnet, or anything else that doesn't require a stright down approach to the coupler. But in all cases it would probably require some handling of the car to release tension on the couplers if the diaphragms happen to be the prototypical style that actually compress when the cars are coupled.