I just installed a fe 309 electro mags and they work great, I used several 308 on sidings and started to notice after I uncoupled a car it would roll back on the engine, my initial thought was the track was not totally level, so I tried shimming to no avail. Finally I ripped up a small section (frustrated) and redid it,making sure it was level only to find same issue, all the other ones do the same thing, so I m at he point where it has to be the car being pulled, I notice it happens on all my genesis rolling stock more than any other, all my stock has kadee couplers and non magnetic metal wheels, someone said take the metal plate off he magnet and try, I will try that and see, , but at this point I can’t seem to find a solution, I could use all 309 , but boy that will get mighty expensive, especially for a dead end siding, I now people had ran into this issue anyone find a way to getting so work? I have a friend who uses the lay on track decoupler but I hate those visually, I could use skewers but this is a highly detailed industrial area and hard to get to. Any ideas would be great, thanks to all.
if the magnet is pulling the car then it is surely attracted to iron or steel. i noticed this a lot with steel axles but now i use non magnetic axles and wheels. if there is a steel weight in the car, that may be the culprit or if the magnet is strong enough, then it could be attracting the coupler itself.
I have to agree with Charlie on this. Either the magnet is attracting a steel weight in the car (remove and replace with lead) or is attraction the metal axles which should be non-magnetic but I’ve found not all manufacturers use non-ferrous metals. As for the magnet pulling the coupler itself I believe the Kadee couplers are non-magnetic save for the uncoupling pin.
Yes, I’ve got the same problem. The magnet is strong enough that it’s pulling the car towards it, and the car is free-rolling enough that it will do it. The same thing happens if you’ve got free-rolling cars and a slight slope. They just won’t stay where you put them.
Since it’s a siding, I’d recommend letting the grass grow up between the rails.
The siding near the bottom of the picture isn’t quite level, and the cars want to roll back towards the main line. So, I “planted” some field grass between the rails, just above the piles of tires in the picture. The axles catch on the grass, and it acts like a brake, but there isn’t much force and an engine can pull the car away with no trouble.
Thanks guys for everyone’s replies…It’s definitely the magnets in the cars No doubt I just removed the wheel sets off a car put a magnet next to the car and it pulled the car right to the magnet I had to pull the car off the magnet
I removed the magnet from the car and tried it it stayed right over the magnet no issues, now where the hell am I going to get lead plate weight for all my cars…uhg!!! Why the hell would athearn not know this!
Inwonder if I can put a barrier between the car bottom and the weight to kill the metal attraction, maybe a pice of rubber or something, these weights are going to be a pain to replace in all my cars, I just checked online and 8 small pieces of lead are like 8 bucks,that 8 bucks per car.
Hey great idea, and a great scene!! Love the detail. I pulled the weight and the cars work great, so I’ll probably try and come up with some kind of a weight replacement, I do have one run around area that uses 308 and the grass there maybe an issue, so I need to fine a solution or I’m going to rip the dam thing out and replace it with 309, which I hoped I did not have to do.
There’s no barrier you can put between the magnet and the ferrous metal weight. The best thing would be to get rid of the ferrous metal and replace it with lead. I use pieces of sheet lead that I cut from roof vents I get at Lowe’s. The entire vent is made of lead so I can use it all.
Thanks that sounds like a cheaper alternative, are you talking about those galvanized vents? When you cut trips how many do you usually put in a car are they heavy enough?
No, these aren’t galvanized. They’re pure lead. I find that one strip the width of the car and near the length is sufficient. If it’s too much it can easily be cut down or can be easily added to if too light. I place the unweighted car and the lead pieces on a postal scale so I can see the total weight before it’s put together.
The answer is the self stick weights for balancing Mag Wheels. They are 1/4 ounce and you just pull the backing paper off and stick them down on the inside above the trucks until you get the right weight.
Pick them up at any Auto parts store or if you have a friend in the business (tires) get him to get you a box wholesale.
i picked up a bunch of lead wheel weights from a local garage that sells a lot of tires for free. i also lucked into a huge roll of sheet lead at a non-ferous metal recycler’s facility which the sold to me for about a buck a pound.
i would not be afraid to work with or use lead. just don’t suck your thumb or pick your nose until you have washed your hands.
308 HO & O Scale (under track)
312 HO non-delay (between the rails)
321 HO Scale Delayed (between-the-rails) Code 100
322 HO Scale Delayed (between-the-rails) Code 83
709 HOn3 Scale Permanent Delayed Uncoupler
809, 810, 811 are O Scale.
842 and 844 are G Scale.
Go to the gun shop & get a sack of the highest #'d Shot the have, 7½ would work, #9 is better & #12 is the finest. Worried about lead, they may be able to get a non-lead alternative for you.
You will be using it all over, it works great for Construction Cranes that like to tip over, in between the chassis in flat cars that are empty or lightly loaded, etc.
It will also last you quite a while, even if you reload shells, ha hah…
Everyone thanks for the great ideas, I’ll have to try some of those ideas, believe it or not the nickels seem to wor too, I guess hat abut 30 cents a car…lol. You think the people who make these cars would think abut the weights.
I also use the 308 magnets. The first thing that I do is cut them in half. With todays modern control systems, you can spot a car easier for uncoulping over a smaller area than you could in times past. This also saves money as you get two magnets for the price of one. You have to cut the steel plate as well as the magnet material. Use a hacksaw on the steel and a knife on the magnet, bending it back as you cut it.
The next thing I do is take the steel plates off any cars that have them and replace them with plastic sheet of the same size and thickness. This just takes up the space the metal did. Then I add whatever weight I need to the car elsewhere, like inside if possible. And of course, remove any wheel sets with steel axles or wheels.
The reason that I mention pewter is that they have a pewter formula that is lead free. It is mostly tin and I can’t remember if tin is magnetic or not![D)] If it is, forget the lead free pewter.
It looks like you will have to phone for pricing.
I have used lead sheet to weight a number of cars. I use latex gloves to handle it.
