In and amoungst some track I got some time ago were two magnetic uncoupler track sections. These are a lot like Atlas Snap Track 9" straights with two magnets on the sides, not like one larger magnet on the Kadees. The magnets are about 3/16 to 1/4 wide, about 3 inches long, and fit into slots in the track. There is one of those imatation road crossings where the magnets are housed.
Has anyone had experience with these? Successes?
This is HO/DC and I’m building a switchclassification yard of sorts. What I’d really like to do is have the uncoulper on the flat just after I come off the mainline, and just before a very short 2% or so grade, about 9" to 15" long and before the first switch in the yard. The idea is to roll onto the uncoupler, back off, uncouple, and push the car onto the slope and send it to the correct siding. If this thing works like the Kadee, I’d not allow the slack when I’m pulling the “classified” and assembled consist back out on the mainline to go on its merry way.
Understanding that I may be slightly off on terminology, does this plan have ANY chance of working, or do I just neet to use some of my left over bamboo skewers. They make great tree trunks by the way, but I do have some left over.
thanks for your assistance, as always I expect insightful answers and some “well duh” moments as well.
It sounds like the old uncoupler for the (I believe it was) AHM Mate-O-Matic couplers. They made an attempt to manufacture a coupler that would work with both the Kadee and the train set standard X2F coupler. It had limited success. I had a few pair on some cars while I was converting from X2F to Kadees early in my Model Railroading, but I’ve since put in the Kadees.
I think I have an uncoupler still in the package buried in a box somewhere.
The crossing portion does resemble the Operating Lighted Crossing Flasher, where the “road” crosses the track, that is where the resemblence ends however. On the outside of the track of my pieces, (on both sides), are long skinny magnets in slots. They are flush with the tops of the plastic crossing and therefore the rail head.
I tested one on several pieces of rollng stock, with as many different brands of couplers as I could, no good, nothing uncoupled. I am working towards kadees, but still have the accumate (?) and McHenrys on some stock.
Any recomendations guys, I know this has been covered and I’ve read most of it, but I may just abandon these guys, they are not made anymore I’m sure, and there might actually be a really good reason for that.
Sticking to the obsolete for a moment, anyone have experience with the Atlas Deadend Uncouplers, item 849 I think?
The deadend uncoupler was designed for the X2F train set standard coupler. These will probably derail a car with Kadee couplers.
Like I said about the other magnet uncoupler, mine is still in the package (BTW it is AHM) and I doubt if they really worked, even on the Mate-O-Matics.