Hi guys, I’am in the process of switching from horn couplers to knuckle couplers. I have a basement layout which has a small dead end yard with 5 sidings on it. The area will be out of direct reach so I was wondering what are the option for coupling & uncoupling a set of car for staging. I’am planning on having engines stored in a small round house. I will have a pop out for issues in yard but I don’t want to have to manually couple & uncouple trains. So are the better ways to do what I want and what system would you recommend. also couplers for that system.
Kadee #5 (#58 for scale sized knuckle), or if you want the whisker-springs, the #148 (direct replacement for #5), or #158. These are all-metal construction, so you sometimes have to re-work a locomotive if it has a metal frame, with molded-on coupler box.
As for uncoupling, Kadee also sells magnetic uncouplers (permanent and electro-magnet varieties).
They also make plastic ones, but I’ve never used them personally.
Well, you are not going to build your yards out of reach are you? I mean, you will have to reach them in order to build them in the first place. But, yes I suppose they will be out of reach from a convenient operating position. Yes, I think the KDs with track magnets are your best route. I have used them before.
My suggestion is to use only one magnet on the yard throat. If you place too many magnets on the layout, you will find yourself breaking the train in unwanted places. LION built a work lamp on a pole where the magnet is located, it provides light for your little itty bitty conductor, and it will also show that big oaf at the 1:1 throttle where the magnet is.
If the LION wanted to uncouple his trains (he does not do this) he has found nothing better than the KD system.
I also recommend genuine Kadee couplers rather than the “knockoffs” that are available. I agree with the Lion that one uncoupler at the yard throat is usually sufficient. I prefer the on the top of the ties magnets versus the under the track type. In my experience they tend to interact with cars that have steel axles or steel weights and cause unwanter movements or uncouplings. The Kadee website has a lot of information that will be helpful to you in making your coupler/uncoupler decisions.
Another issue is that today’s locomotives run far too smoothly for some uncoupling operations. I built a “Cutting Key” on my layout. Your regular class 1 does not even know what a cutting key is, but if you worked for NYCT, you would have one in your possession. On the subway it would open the electronic couplers. On my layout it was a push button that pulled a DPDT relay which reversed the track polarity just so momentarily, you cannot even see the locomotive hesitate or stutter, but it uncouples the train just as nicely as you please.
You would only use the electro-magnet on the mane lion to prevent unintentional separations. The between the rail magnets work the best, and the others require too much work fitting and etc.
Amusing and correct. The only thing that prevents couplers from NOT uncoupling when they pass over active magnets is tension on the couplers from a moving train. So, you really don’t want more than one magnet under any train at a time, or you will get multiple uncouplings.
I use Kadee magnets. I started with the surface-mount ones that sit on the ties. These work well, but I found I had to grind down the ties a bit, eveon on Code 100 track, to get them to sit properly. The recommended height is just a hair above the railheads, but when mounted that way I found one of my switchers ran aground on the magnet, so I dropped them a bit. They still work fine.
I’ve installed a couple of the under-the-track magnets. They work very well, too, although they are a bit more work to put in, since you have to dig out a space before you lay the track. These may actually be too strong. When I uncouple some cars, the magnets draw the free-rolling cars towards them as the magnet attracts the metal axles and wheels. I add a bit of field grass between the rails to provide a bit of drag and keep the cars from rolling.
I’ve got 2 electromagnets. I find these the least reliable, but they’re on main lines and I don’t want permanent magnets there. They are power hogs. You need a separate power supply for them, or they’ll dim the lights all over town when you push the button.
There are other solutions. Some use magnets from Radio Shack, which are cheaper. Others use a permanent magnet mounted on a lever in place of an electromagnet to provide “only when I want it” uncoupling.
I’m not sure if you’re aware of the Kadee “delayed action” technique. Basically, the magnet will pull the couplers to the side. This allows you to re-engage the couplers w