Mod to Kadee Electromagnetic Uncoupler

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I wanted my HO uncouplers to be hidden from view and be able to turn them on from a push button. The April 2002 issue of MR had an article on modifying the Kadee electromagnetic uncoupler so that it could be mounted under the track. The article described two possible modifications. I tried both of them, but was not able to generate a strong enough magnetic field for delayed uncoupling. Has anyone tried this modification?

I am using Atlas rolling stock which do not appear to have Kadee couplers. Might I get better results with Kadees?

jack

2

Yes, you will always get better results with Kadees. None of the imitations work as well. Get a pair, and mount them on two cars and see if it works better. The good news is that Kadees come in bulk packs.

From personal experience, I can also say that they are a lot better than horn-hooks.

3

This has always worked for me, http://www.xclent.freeuk.com/p87/magnets.htm