Hi all,
I was reading these forums a few days ago when somebody posted this link http://www.xclent.freeuk.com/p87/magnets.htm about how to make an electro magnet uncoupler. I was just wondering if anyone had tried this and if it really works?
Thanks in advance for any comments.
I haven’t made one, but I did have a Kadee EMU. The key word is did. I didn’t like the loud buzzing, the vibration, looked bad, difficult to install and it didn’t work all that well. Not as good as their under track delayed. Instead I went with the Rix uncoupler. That way I’m not limited to the locating uncoupling ramps. I figure the conductor or switchman can handle it.
Strange…So far I have 6 EMU’s installed,along with code 100 track.They are unsightly but mine work fine.I never even noticed the buzz untill you mentioned it.Just one of the compromises I have to make.I don’t like the under track uncouplers because of some false uncoupling problems.I would prefer to use a uncoupler tool (and sometimes do)but many places are at the rear of the layout and I have damaged scenery and knocked over equipment reaching over.I plan on installing about 4 or 5 more.
An article in Model Railroader showed how to beef up a electro-magnet uncoupler which improves performance. The fix looked simple with a minimum of extra parts and a novice could easily do it. Think I could find the article and let you know what issue it’s in if you’re interested.
I like this idea because the magnets are very had to spot once balast has been added and they are easy to make. It is also inexpensive and there is no buzzing, I think…
The MR artical may help me and it would be great if you could post the issue date.
Is this it?
Add muscle to Kadee’s electromagnet
Model Railroader, April 2002 page 102
( “ERTL, ROBIN PARSONS”, KADEE, MAGNETIC, UNCOUPLER, MR )
KL
I’ve read a suggestion to put a figure, flanger post, lamp post mile marker or some other object next to the uncoupling ramp to help find it.
I’ve never used the electromagnets myself, but wouldn’t they be just as hard to spot as the magnets?
Shades of Linn Westcott,
If memory serves, back in the early '70s he published in MR, plans for home-made electo uncoupling ramp. Design was different but the principle was the same.
John T in the cow pasture
That’s it KL, adding muscle to Kadee uncouplers. Ya saved me alot of huntin. Jerry
They wouldn’t be as hard to spot becouse they are burried underneath the track and balast. Most commercial magnets rest above the ties and are very noticable. It is a good idea to put a landmark next to it so you don’t have to search for the correct spot everytime.
Do you know if the article itself is available from MR?
I’ve recently installed a Kadee EMU. Since the track was already down (but not ballasted) it did it the hard way - cut through the ties, slice through 2 inches of foam, and fit the EMU up through the track. My advice is to do it the other way.
The instructions say to use 8-12 volts, with DC working better than AC. I tried piggy-backing it on my old layout transformer I use for other stuff, and the transformer just couldn’t hack it. The voltage dropped to 4 volts when I pushed the button, indicating an inadequate power supply. I searched through my collection of old wall-warts and found a 12 volt DC supply. That works just great.
The only problem I can see is the choice of materials. Steel isn’t the right material for an electromagnet. Iron is. With steel, after a while there will be no point in having the coils, as the steel will have become a permanent magnet.
If that happens all you need to do is switch the wires around.
Could the buzzing have been because you used AC instead of DC? Just a thought. Maybe it would make no diferance. I was pondering the Kadee version, not so sure now and their quite exspensive.
Also wouldn’t the a/c cause the magnet to flip polarity at 60 times/second? No wonder it didn’t work right. It’s a wonder the couplers didn’t explode.
I actually made one of these a while ago but I forgot about this thread. The magnets worked very well. You just have to make sure there is no tension on the two couplers when you try to uncouple. I found it works best if you nudge the cars backwards a little bit while you send current through the electro magnet. I will be using these on my next layout.
I established a standard of using delayed uncouplers only in yards and spurs. By avoiding them on the mainline and passing sidings, I don’t have to worry about unwanted uncoupling. I use a hand tool to uncouple on the mainline. That way I can uncouple any place I need to without having to figure all the places I would need to put an uncoupler.
That’s the same reasoning I used to make my rule of electro-magnets only on the main line. With a relatively small, (5x12 ft) table layout, at some point I may be across the table from the ramp, but I still want to uncouple there.
As an historical note, I’ve got a bunch of Mantua clamshell-door operating hopper cars that I used to run loaded with coal back in the 1960’s. It was horn-hooks everywhere back then, so I had horn-hook uncouplers. I discovered that the horn-hook uncouplers would also open my hopper doors and dump coal, so I had to go with a strange magnetic uncoupling ramp for horn-hooks on my main line. It was basically a standard horn-hook ramp that would elevate between the rails when you pushed the button to activate it. The ‘magnet’ part was simply a solenoid that did the lifting.