Love the idea but was hoping Pelle’s piece would address what happens when you run them over an uncoupling magnet. I’ll have many but don’t want unintended surprises. I’ll have to leave it to you physicists. Anyone tried them? Any thoughts?
I suspect that nothing will happen when you run them over an uncoupling magnet because after you cut off all the Kadee actuating wires to allow installation of the air hoses you will have no need for the magnets and will have removed them.
Maxman,
[Y] No comment.
Biting tongue. [(-D]
Frank
They have nothing to do with the actual coupling of cars, so they would not affect the cars if they went across an un-coupling magnet. They might detached from each other over the magnet, but would re-attach after passing over it.
This is just another “gimmick” that some might find fasinating to have, but the vast majority of maodeler’s won’t bother with. I have better thing’s to spend my modelling dollars on.
Sneak a magnet in some places, and if the hoses do part while passing over it, you must immediately stop your train (it went into emergency) and wait while the conductor walks the train and finds the problem. Should make for an interesting ‘chance’ card in the middle of an operating sessions.
–Randy
AMEN! Verius sunt sermones nunquam locuta est.
Randy,That would depend on the era…
After the emergency stop the brakemen would start their walk one from the headend the other from the caboose.
When I was a brakeman I took several of those long slow walks…
Santafe5000
Respectfully, that is a rather unfair, blanket statement. Gimmick? I remember not too long ago when things like “Kadee couplers”, “functioning Mars/Gyra Lights”, “onboard sound”, and DCC itself were viewed as gimmicks that the vast majority of modelers would not bother with or be interested in. I’m certainly glad that those skeptics were proven wrong.
Jeffery, my high school Latin fails me after lo these almost 60yrs . Translation please !
Truer words were never spoken.
Well, since it was in reference to Pelle’s article, and Pelle models modern era… But yeah, add the extra crew back on and it takes half the time to find the problem since each brakeman only has to walk half the train. Easier on the feet, too - last weekend I walked nearly the length of the train twice in the middle of nowhere, I was on one of the last coaches and had to walk to the head end for my cab ride segment, and after that, back to my coach. Not all that easy, and that’s WITHOUT having to carry a new knuckle.
–Randy
I’ll disagree. I saw the video’s for the magnetic air hoses and was duly impressed, and promptly forgot about them. I tend to side with those using the, perhaps pajorative, term “gimmick” because I don’t think those compare at all to Kadee couplers and will for the most part remain a novelty which a few will display to others, and show in the odd magazine article. I don’t deny they are cool. Perhaps “novelty” might be a softer term which applies just about as well.
I predict that the cost and effort of outfitting a fleet of cars with magnetic hoses will make them continue to be a novelty and fairly rare. Think about it, they are between the cars where we don’t notice them much when running trains - kind of out of site a lot of the mind. I dont’ deny there will be some who care enough about looks and the coolness factor to use them, but wide spread, probably not for long long time, maybe never unless some how major companies buy the rights to install them in factory produced cars. I’d guess most of those who do buy them will get a few, install them to impress their friends, and then go back to running most of their RR without them, a very few may actually out fit their fleet.
In conclusion, I seriously doubt they will go much beyond the “novelty” phase of product market penetration. Lets wait 10 years and see what actually happens.
I think the cost factor is issue . As owner of the Staten Island West I have mandated all couplers up graded to Kadees as time and money permit since they work well. Most are done now. As for Magnetic Air hoses that might be interesting as an experiment but I have seen no reason to mandate them since on a model RR they serve no practical purpose and at least in my case will hardly be seen,
The video is cool though
If You decide to put them on a lot of cars, do you have to put a f & r on all the ends of the car with Magnetic air hoses? To me it would seem you have to have them all orientated the same way, in order for them to work properly. I don’t see how two F’s together would work, they would repell, not attract. Nothing but a novelty, I would believe.
Frank
Interesting point, Francois . . . the Pellemeister didn’t go into a lot of detail.
According to their website there is no need to have a front and rear. The cars may be turned 180 degrees and will still couple properly: http://www.pwrs.ca/ho_scale.php
To address the original question - check the relative flux strength of the magnets.
Unless you uncouple your Kadees with cryogenically cooled hypermagnets ‘borrowed’ from someone’s supercollider, the magnetic glad hands will remain coupled until pulled apart.
That raises a second question. What if you are dropping a single car with superb wheel bearings that will roll at the slightest breath, will the connected brake hoses pull the car along after the couplers open? Given the rolling capabilities of some of my cars, this is NOT a hypothetical question.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with Kadee ‘air hoses’)
Good catch, Max . . . Hadn’t thought o’ going there . . . and the whole thing is not a big priority with me, or anyone it appears.
That still does not answer how it’s done. You will notice, it says turn TWO cars around 180, what happens if you turn one around? One car end has a + and - at other end, if you turn two 180, they will work, now turn one around, guess what? I have never seen a Magnet that can choose the polarity, that it wants to be.
Intrigued,
Frank
In my first post in response to this thread I mentioned that there would not be any magnetic uncouplers. After viewing the PWRS installation video, I see that it states that removal of the Kadee “airhose” is optional. I just don’t see how the magnetic airhose will function without cutting off the Kadee airhose. The magnetic airhose crosses under the coupler when mounted to the side of the normal coupler box. Seems to me that one or the other item will interfere.