Old sobject BUT what are you using for the Electromagnet type unit? Using the Kadee between the rails and SOME EZ-MATE under track units. Of course the normal unwanted uncoupling happens with fixed magnets.
What are you using??
PS will need about 20 units.
Haven’t needed any permanent uncoupling ramps yet, but I’ve been experimenting with mounting an E-Z-Mate magnet on a hinge. Hanging free, they’re edge on to the length of the rails and about an inch below them. Pulled up with a string (attached to drawer pull at the fascia) they uncouple reliably. Best part - they’re only in uncoupling position while the string is being pulled. Worst part - at one per key spot, they could get expensive in a hurry (but still cheaper than electromagnets.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I’ve got 1 Kadee unit. It works pretty well, and certainly gives me no unwanted uncoupling. I made the mistake of installing the track (no ballast yet, fortunately) and then installing the uncoupler afterwards. That’s the wrong way to go. The unit is fairly big, and it was a pain to gouge out the foam from below.
I found a wall-wart of the appropriate voltage and current rating, so I power this thing on its own supply. When you hit the button, it puts a big hit on whatever is driving it, so you don’t want to run it off the same supply as anything else which might be on at the same time.
I use pairs of rare earth magnets, one 3/8" diameter magnet in the roadbed under each rail.
They occasionally uncouple if a train bounces at just the wrong spot but almost never during normal operations. They also work well when you want to uncouple. Cheap too at 24 cents.
Similar to these but a bit thicker. Stack them vertically to add power. Also orient the pairs so that they attract each other and glue them into place.
Karl
I use the simplest of the simple when it comes to uncoupling, the Peco SL330, two in a packet for about 3 bucks Australian, works with Knuckle and Rapido types and works every time without fail, park the couplings to be uncoupled over the ramp, switch the lever to one side and whamo its uncoupled, can also be used in conjunction with a switch motor for automatic use.
Dave.
I use three of the Bachmann undertrack magnets. Two are on spurs and the third is on a passing siding. I don’t have any trouble with them.
I use kadee couplers and mchenry magnets…have had no problems as long as the trip pins are adjusted properly…chuck
This is an OLD piture but you get the idea of the area. this is the SMALL YARD.
We have 11 kadee in the rails and (5) easy mates. THe other yard
Again an OLD picture
There are 18 Kadee and (9) Easy mates.
I realy would like to thank all of you for the reply. As of today we bought (10) Rix wands to try. We have one operator who just does not like the magnets and wants to use anything but. SO I am trying to find something that he likes.
Here is what I use:
These were the strongest magnets for the small size I ever encountered. They are hard to get in quanity.
I use whatever I can at the moment, usually a hand or a screwdriver in locations not covered by this uncoupler.
Those are NEAT wher can you get them? I am trying anything now.
This is the method I used on a temporary module. It was fairly easy to make and the parts are easy to find. I didn’t follow the directions exactly to save construction time but it worked great anyway.
http://www.xclent.freeuk.com/p87/magnets.htm
For my current (under construction) layout I will be using a design published in the Jan. 2000 issue of MR called “The ultimate uncoupler” by Billy Wayne Moore. It’s the same idea, but it’s just a little easier to build and install. It’s designed to fit under N scale track. I hope this helps!
Here’s a link to a magnet supplier. They are pretty cheap and strong. You could easily make those units Safety Valve showed. Someone on another forum was using the 1/8"x3/16" cylinders. He drilled a 1/8" hole on the inside of each rail and just pushed a cylinder in.
This company responded to my E-mail very fast. They have a $5 minimum S&H charge but no minimum order price.
Since it’s been many years since I’ve had a layout (and that one a childhood 4x8 with a dorky name), I can only speak in theoretical terms.
But many years ago, MR had an article about a Kadee under-the-ties magnet not only hinged to drop out of the way, but mounted on a movable carriage (with an indicator in the fascia board), cranked back and forth using (if memory serves) an MRC-type control knob.
Then, too, when I did have a layout, I experimented with something I can’t remember ever seeing in print: a forked stick, with the prongs about the width of a typical car apart, long enough that you can lower them over a car and touch the roadbed on either side, and tipped with magnets (in my experiments, I used the magnets that came sewn into potholders, since we always removed the magnets and stored our potholders in a drawer). I never got past a makeshift experimental version, but it did seem practical.