I was looking at them in the Walthers catalog and was wondering if anyone has used them and how they liked them.
Mike/Nightshade
I didn’t use them personally, but my father did on his layout. The Acme electrical equipment is/was good quality components at a good price. I’ve never seen any of their push buttons stick, and wiring the panels is quite simple.
The drawback of the Acme panels is the same as the various Atlas components. The panels can’t be mounted into a track diagram to show what they control. Instead, one uses a number or letter system with corresponding letters or numbers on a track diagram or in one’s memory. I have found that trying to remember or lookup which set of buttons controls which turnout is the last thing I want to do when operating a layout. The prior sentence is the same reason why I won’t consider DCC control of turnouts should I ever install DCC.
I much prefer the idea of the turnout controls being located in a truncated track diagram close to the turnout location. Some would call this a “local” panel. The local panel concept goes hand-in-hand with switching operations (whether one uses hand or remote uncoupling) and walk-around throttles.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
I haven’t but I suggest you contact Wiley Cyote, he is a user of ACME products.[:D]
Hey,
Thanks guys. I appreciate the info.
The hand or remote uncoupling statement brings up another question…
How do I incorporate a delayed magnetic uncoupler in my layout? I would think that if I keep it on the track, as a train passes by they would get uncoupled. I have seen where it can be placed in the roadbed or on top of the ties.
Do you place it on the track when you want to uncouple, or do you put it on a specific siding where you always do your uncoupling (not really prototypical, but neither is having a big magnet on your ties!, hehe)…or does it not work in the manner I mentioned above? Any help on this one would be great too!
Mike/Nightshade
used them back in the 60’s and 70’s(acme) and had no problem with them at all.if i had some now im sure i could find a use for them.re uncoupling…kadee makes an uncoupler that you can use on your mainline(have to cut into roadbed as it goes through the tabletop and roadbed) and control it with pushbuttons (and a power supply)i’ve had them on past layout’s and they work well.i use the delayed and non delayed uncoupler’s on passing siding’s and spur’s and etc.terry…
Hi Nightshade.
As long as there is tension on the couplers they will NOT uncouple as a train passes by.
Personally I don’t like the hugh clunky magnets. I use rare earth magnets about 3/8" diameter and 1/8" thick. They are cheaper and work better. Here is one source: [http://www.forcefieldmagnets.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_37&products_id=32&osCsid=5d1e1e3a94d8d0252c1b6f550b8238f1]
Just do a google search for wonder magnets or rare earth magnets.
One magnet is placed under each rail below the ties. They are barely visible and work better than the huge rectangles. Position the coupler pair over the magnets, create a bit of slack in the train and the couplers open. Backup and they stay open and pushing each other. When the engine goes forward again it leaves the car behind. Voila!
I use them on sidings, spurs and a few parts of the main line. I have an occasional accidental uncoupling coming off of a grade if I fiddle with the train speed at the exact wrong time. Otherwise no problems on the main.
Karl
Actually the Acme push buttons are available as individual units for use on diagram control panels. They work great and are very easy to install!
Fred,
Local panels and DCC-controlled turnouts aren’t mutually exclusive. Even if you’d rather not throw them with the throttle, most stationary switch machines have provisions for local inputs. The DS54’s and SRC8’s I use do, anyway.
Also, there’s nothing stopping you from adding the turnout address to the local panel, or disguising the address in the form of a mile marker, or whatever else you can come up with. Make it the first three digits of the relay cabinet’s ID number. There are lots of possibilities.
The plan for my layout has always been to have local-, throttle-, and dispatcher-controlled turnouts. Unfortunately, it’s currently undergoing a major rebuild/expansion so I don’t have local panels installed yet. In the meantime, throttle and dispatcher control have worked quite nicely.
Steve
I used them on a previous layout and will do so again as needed. I bought the long panel, cut it into individual single sections, then drilled holes in the local panel for the red and green buttons and a small bolt to attach it to the panel and wired it up. A little effort, but save a few bucks and they worked fine.
To Karl:
I assume you use one of rare earth magnets under each rail to get the couplers to separate enough so they’ll uncouple when you put slack in the train. In other words, you couldn’t use just one in the center of the track to get the same effect? Reason I ask is that I model in N scale and the rails are not as far apart as in HO. Sounds like they also work for producing the delayed uncoupling effect.
Bob