joe323I have and with a bit of practice the rix tool works fine.
Joe,Although I use KD between the rails magnets I own one of those Rix tools and a KD 241 "Dual Tool" that's the uncoupler/spring pick..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
gmpullman kasskaboose Any clones the OP could use also? They might work for anyone with limited funds. BRAKIE I would go with Kadees or Walthers Protomax II coupler since both brands are top line. I use both brands. As Brakie mentions the Walthers Protomax are a "close" clone of the Kadee #5. However, the genuine Kadees (#5) are 20/$24 and the Protomax are 20/$26 (street price) so there is no real economy there. For my use, Kadee is a coupler "system" and I keep dozens of styles and shank configurations on hand for particular needs knowing that they will all perform flawlessly. As an alternate to a skewer, the Rix uncoupling magnet can also be a handy tool for uncoupling. https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/rix-products-ho-628-0014-uncoupling-tool/ Good Luck, Ed
kasskaboose Any clones the OP could use also? They might work for anyone with limited funds.
BRAKIE I would go with Kadees or Walthers Protomax II coupler since both brands are top line. I use both brands.
As Brakie mentions the Walthers Protomax are a "close" clone of the Kadee #5.
However, the genuine Kadees (#5) are 20/$24 and the Protomax are 20/$26 (street price) so there is no real economy there.
For my use, Kadee is a coupler "system" and I keep dozens of styles and shank configurations on hand for particular needs knowing that they will all perform flawlessly.
As an alternate to a skewer, the Rix uncoupling magnet can also be a handy tool for uncoupling.
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/rix-products-ho-628-0014-uncoupling-tool/
Good Luck, Ed
I have and with a bit of practice the rix tool works fine. When not in use I have a spot for it on my under layout metal file cabinet so it never gets lost.
Joe Staten Island West
Luke088 Rix uncoupler works really fine for me (even with passenger cars) I even use it far from where I stand (3 feet away) using a wood stick that I fix the Rix to it ! And it is a cheap solution. Hoping to help
I have close coupled passenger cars with diaphragms. Do you slide the Rix tool under the couplers. That's the only way I can see that working with my passenger cars.
I quit using the Rix years ago in favor of skewers. I might have to dig mine up if it can be used in that manner.
DoughlessOther than Kadee's, the only other coupler I like is the two-part accumate that comes with both Accurail and Atlas products. Despite reading comments about poor performance, I've never had problems with them breaking or uncoupling at unwanted places. They've always worked fine for me.
Douglas, if you're interested, I have quite a few of the Accumate couplers on-hand for a really-really good price (as you're aware, this site doesn't allow selling). If you're interested, a PM with your mailing address is all I need.
Wayne
UNCOUPLER
There are many topics about how to scratchbuild Kadee uncoupler; this one is for sure far, one of the most simpliest to be build.
It's friend of me, well know European modeler Jacques Leplat who discover the trick just because he placed in the wrong direction a permanent magnet under his track.
Jacques ended with a very simple device to use a permanent magnet under the track, but in a way unwanted uncoupling never take place again.
The system is similar of the one or Rapido, but Jacques used it more than 20 years ago; he submitted the process and design to Kadee at this time, but there were never any follow up.
I use it on my N scale layout; an HO permanent magnet is enough to build two round type N scale magnet.
You can substitue the Kadee magnet by any others, they need to be glued on a circular plate in the good position.
The device is very small and take very little place, so even in a yard multiple magnet are able to be used and placed
How it works:
The Kaddee permanent magnet must be placed parallel of the track under the track, the magnet field is on the left and right side of the track and when the coupler comes over, this field open the magnet; by simply turning the magnet by 90° the field of the magnet is adjacent to the track and has no more influence against the coupler even if you use it on a mainline.
Jacques design was designed to use push and pull rod to turn the magnet, but by today standard a servo can be easily substitued to do the job if necessary.
How to do it:
The Kaddee permanent magnet is glued on the steel intensifier; the whole assembly is rounded in a diameter a bit over the width of the track ties; a sand belt of a small grinder do the job, this don't affect the quality of the magnet.
With a round drill saw, drill a hole in the middle track roadbed, the device allow to adjust the height of the magnet, the magnet need to be close as possible of the underneath of the ties; to close the hole, a very thin plastic layer of 0.05mm is inserted between the ties and the roadbed so you can ballast the area.
The support itself is a simple piece of wood with a small brass threaded rod, nuts and washer; on the Jacques pictures, you see a pin made of brass tube and a piece of piano wire; this piano wire act as a spring for a locking position of the brass actuator.
The brass tube actuator is connected with a push/pull movement to move the magnet.
Here are some pictures
1. a coupler over a normal positionned magnet, he open (N scale)
2.The magnet is turned 90°, the magnet didn't affect the coupler anymore
3. a hole is drilled in the middle of the track ( J. Leplat picture)
4. Here is the device with the piano wire spring, the small brass tube is the actuator in Jacques design ( J. Leplat picture)
5. the magnet in the hole under the track (J. Leplat picture)
6. the device seen under the roadbed (J. Leplat picture)
7. my revised plan of the device which not use a lateral arm to be actuated but the center rod
Doughless,When I was in N Scaled I grew tired of Micro Trains coupler slinky action at slow switching speeds.. I replaced the MTs on 80% of my cars with Atlas two-part accumate couplers and never had a issue and the slinky action was history.
If I return to N today I would use Atlas two-part accumates.
Other than Kadee's, the only other coupler I like is the two-part accumate that comes with both Accurail and Atlas products. Despite reading comments about poor performance, I've never had problems with them breaking or uncoupling at unwanted places. They've always worked fine for me.
Unlike the other plastic knuckle couplers that inevitably get some sort of lockjaw at some point in their life and must be tossed.
- Douglas
Graham Line Having adapted his fleet to Kadees, he is now happily modeling and not sitting on his bottom reading news groups?
Having adapted his fleet to Kadees, he is now happily modeling and not sitting on his bottom reading news groups?
Hopefully he read the advise and took it. Then there is their is the rest of us?
I think I remember something called news groups back in the 80's when dial up was the main way of connecting. Also bulletin board systems.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
The person who started this topic appears to have never come back. I wonder how things turned out?
I don't replace the Walthers ProtoMax unless they fail (once so far over dozens of cars) but Athearn's McHenry's, Accurails, and others go into plastic bags and get sold for a buck or three at swap meets.
Some of our guys like the Rix tool; I find it clumsy. If you are close enough and can see well enough the skewers are fine. Kadee's offset delayed feature gets a workout, but mostly the club layout is designed to keep heavy switching areas up close and personal.
What I really liked are the Kadee K-5 straight pin couplers that preceded the magnetic versions. These would uncouple with a flick of the skewer from the side and were very reliable -- but they are scarce these days. An older friend had them on his layout and they worked well.
I bought the Rix uncoupling tool a few months ago and it seem to work fine.
Most of my rolling stock has been converted to Kadee 148's. The are maybe 5 cars I haven't gotten to and 2 locomotives (1 has proto max metal couplers so I plan on leaving it alone). The other an MTH GP 38-2 will be convered eventually but its not an everyday runner.
I am going to need to experiment with retractable uncoupling magnets. I like what you guys have done.
.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Southgate I use a home made system where bar magnets are mechanically raised up under the track when I want to uncouple, they rest below the track enough to never cause accidental uncouplings. Dan
I use a home made system where bar magnets are mechanically raised up under the track when I want to uncouple, they rest below the track enough to never cause accidental uncouplings. Dan
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Remote-Uncoupler-for-Kadee-Conversion-Kit-for-DCC-control-HO-scale-6pcs/252323121937?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160727114228%26meid%3D2bf9847db6754f969fb204766409daab%26pid%3D100290%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D252323121937%26itm%3D252323121937%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2060778&_trksid=p2060778.c100290.m3507
In addition to being easier to install, and way more important to me, #148s work more consistently and reliably with delayed uncoupling than even brand new #5s
RR_MelI’m surprised that no one has brought up the DCC Remote Coupler Kits.
Hi Mel,
Can you provide a link or perhaps some pictures? I don't think I've ever seen them before.
Thanks,
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
kasskaboose Not that I have anything against Kadee (far from it; I have them on my cars). Any clones the OP could use also? They might work for anyone with limited funds.
Not that I have anything against Kadee (far from it; I have them on my cars). Any clones the OP could use also? They might work for anyone with limited funds.
If you have limited funds, I recommend the bulk packs which bring the cost down nicely.
I ignored much advice and put the first generation Bachman EZ mates on a bunch of my rolling stock early on. Most work OK, but a few have already gone wonky. I have a couple of cars that came with the EZ Mate Mk2 that have a spring (Mk 1 had the weak little plastic pressure arm) and they work ok so I haven't changed them but I really don't trust them.
Since then I've gone all in with KD's. I recommend the #148 for ease of instalation compared to the classic #5. They are a smidge more expensive than #5, but so easy to install that it's worth it.
If I have a car that needs something special, I just ask my local hobby shop and the owner points me to the correct model for that application.
Lastly, the metal KD clones such as Walthers ProtoMax seem to work quite well and I've had no desire to swap them out on cars that include them.
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
jjdamnit....I too have looked at the Rix tool. Has anyone actually used them? If they actually work I would gladly add it to my toolbox, despite the cost versus other "manual" less expensive methods. Please chime in with you experiences with the Rix tool.
I have the Rix uncoupling tool and it works fine - I have better results with it than I do using skewers.It is, however, not of much use for passenger cars with diaphragms, and I almost invariably use the between-the-rails magnets for those cars - easier than the 0-5-0 switcher, even if I have to drag the train around to find the nearest available magnet.
When I started in HO in the mid-'50s, it was with Kadee's K-type couplers, which coupled in a manner very similar to those we use today.However, uncoupling was done mechanically, with a diamond-shaped "ramp", remotely-controlled on my layout. With the press of a button on the track diagram on the control panel, the ramp raised, spreading apart the "pins" extending down from the couplers' knuckles as the train passed over the ramp, and thus opening them.Here's what the couplers looked liked...
I don't have a photo of the ramp, but it was blackened metal and quite thin - much less noticeable than the between-the-rails magnets that we use now.
When the Magnematic couplers replaced the K-type, and I was forced to buy them, the first thing I did when installing them was to cut-off the so-called "air hose" - it never looked like one to me, and it still doesn't, but I eventually came to use them, and have to admit that they work well for uncoupling and delayed uncoupling. I still don't like the look of that "air hose", though!
All of the tracks in my staging yards have the between-the-rails magnets, and a couple of not-easy-to-reach industrial tracks do, too, but there are none on the mainlines or at most industries, as the Rix tool works fine.
jj wrote: "I too have looked at the Rix tool. Has anyone actually used them?"
I have and use one. It works pretty well with -most- cars (usually the ones that have Kadees). There are -some- cars it won't work on at all (and almost every time, it's a car that has non-Kadee clone couplers).
Hi John L.
It's pretty obvious by now that almost everyone who has replied to this thread is recommending Kadee couplers. What has not been discussed much is which type of Kadee to use. The old standard used to be a Kadee #5, and they do work well. However, they can be a bit of a pain to install because they come with a separate bronze centering spring, and getting everything in the right place when installing the coupler can be challenging. I have switched to Kadee #148s for all my new coupler replacements.
The advantage of the #148s is that the centering spring is built into the coupler shank. There is no separate spring to fuss with. They are much, much easier to install than the #5s. They do require some care. For example, it is easy to get one side of the coupler centering spring caught between the coupler box and the lid. That just means that you have to pay attention to the installation, just like anything else.
I should mention that Kadee offers a huge variety of custom purpose couplers. They offer couplers with both over set and under set shanks so you can adjust the height of the actual coupler without raising or lowering the height of the car body. Personally, I have only used a couple of the specialized couplers, mainly #711s for my HOn30 critters. However, if you are concerned about things like having all of your rolling stock at the proper height then you might want to explore some of the other Kadee options.
Cheers!!
BRAKIE ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rather than a five finger crane, lot of people who have kept all their relevant trackwork close to the benchwork edge use skewers, or small screwdrivers to manually uncouple Kadee couplers with minimal human contact to the rolling stock and without "lifting" the car with the five finger crane........ Sheldon,As you know the the five finger method is still needed to shove the cars apart.. The beauty of magnetic uncoupling you can spot a car inside a industry building simply by uncoupling the car,backup a tiny bit then push the car to the spot the car inside the building.. Eazy peasy. Magnetic uncoupling is what sold me on KaDees back in the mid-60s.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rather than a five finger crane, lot of people who have kept all their relevant trackwork close to the benchwork edge use skewers, or small screwdrivers to manually uncouple Kadee couplers with minimal human contact to the rolling stock and without "lifting" the car with the five finger crane........
Sheldon,As you know the the five finger method is still needed to shove the cars apart..
The beauty of magnetic uncoupling you can spot a car inside a industry building simply by uncoupling the car,backup a tiny bit then push the car to the spot the car inside the building.. Eazy peasy.
Magnetic uncoupling is what sold me on KaDees back in the mid-60s.
The term "five finger crane" implies "lifting", that's what cranes do?
I use only one finger to steady and nudge the car being uncoupled.
I'm not against magnetic uncoupling, and will likely install some magnets in my industrial areas on the new layout, but really, the uncoupling and pushing is no more realistic than skewer/pick.
In my view, it is simply not practical to have magnets everywhere. Powered magnets are expensive and time consuming to install. Too many fixed magnets starts to be hard to manage in terms of unwanted uncoupling, and are not practical on mainlines. The very places you want them are the very places where unwanted uncoupling is likely.
These are 1/87 scale trains after all, I think we are still a ways off from little nano bots acting as brakeman.........
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRALRather than a five finger crane, lot of people who have kept all their relevant trackwork close to the benchwork edge use skewers, or small screwdrivers to manually uncouple Kadee couplers with minimal human contact to the rolling stock and without "lifting" the car with the five finger crane........
gmpullmanHowever, the genuine Kadees (#5) are 20/$24 and the Protomax are 20/$26 (street price) so there is no real economy there.
Ed, Maybe I should have made myself clearer? If the car comes with Protomax II then it stays since I fine no need to toss a good coupler and replace it with a KD-148 my standard replacement coupler.
Of course several of my car still have their #5s.
The white offset handle Rix tool with two magnets on the sides. I have two of them and do not know when I used them last. It's been years. I like any single point item better.
Ok I lied, I just now used the RIX tool. It works ok, but it pulls it's self left or right into the uncoupling ''Hoses" before it rests on the rails. Ok, I'm done using them for another two years or more, maybe.
Accumate's ''switchman'' works very good with a modifacation of heatsrink tubing on the twirley top where your fingers twist the tool to use it. Makes it a light touch non-slip surface.
Now if I can only mount a very small LED that will activate when touched with fingers to close the circut so I can see down in between the cars for night moves.
Do not forget to get a Kadee coupler height tool ''Insulated'' #206'' so you can forget it's on your layout and not short out your power system or the old fashioned, oh lets call it Classic or Vintage ''metal'' #205, if this one is left on your layout, poof, down goes the system.
I absolutely don't like the RIX tool. I bought one quite a while back and have never been able to get it to work for me. I have been using some nice, cheap, wood skewers from the grocery store. If you keep a nice point on them they work really well. Eventually I would like to add some uncoupling magnets at the entrance to my spurs. Also, I definitely throw my vote for Kadee couplers.
wdcrvr
When I built my layout I planned for it to be no-touch, so it was all magnetic uncoupling and button controlled turnouts. I have a few electromagnets, too.
But, after a lot of running, I gradually migrated to bamboo skewers, as I moved away from the big-table format to more of a narrow shelf. I just find it easier to uncouple where I want to and not have to do the Gavotte with switcher and rolling stock just to spot a car on a siding.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.