Got yet another one for my Forum friends. I am having a debate as where to put a pair of uncoupling magnets on an industrial spur. The situation is that the switcher will pull cars from the yard but when the switcher gets ready to deliver the cars, it has to push those cars because of the way the sidings are designed. I have the “main” and a passing siding. Where do I put the magnets: on the siding or on the main? The area is single engine operation. As usual, any help that can provided would be most welcomed.
Please post a simple drawing of the track plan.
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I lack the cranium capacity to figure out what you are describing. Thanks.
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-Kevin
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Per your request, here is an approximate mockup of what I am describing:
The unshown track to the left is the yard area that requires the engine to switch ends.
If your locomotive is pulling cars from the left, you don’t really need the turnout at the left end of your industrial track. Instead, pull past the turnout at the right, and then push the cars into the dead-end track.
Place the magnet on the dead-end track, near the turnout, but far enough in that a car uncoupled there and left there will not foul the main line. With Kadees, you can uncouple a car over the magnet, then back away from it slightly. This will allow the magnet to force each coupler aside, so that when you push the cars back together, they don’t re-couple. This will allow you to push the uncoupled car to wherever it needs to be spotted. You simply leave it there and back the rest of the train away - the couplers will spring back to their normal positions.
So: one magnet, and one turnout…unless there’s other stuff you’ve not mentioned.
Wayne
Just so I understand, your pulling cars from the left on the main, but you need to run around the cars so you can push them to the final destination. So you want to park the cars on the main, and use the siding/run around track to reposition the loco, or use the siding to park the cars, and use the main as your run around, right?
Mike.
i believe the uncoupler has to be on the main in front of the facing point (see diagram and link below).
in the typical case where there is a spur with just a single turnout, you need to uncouple the train behind the car you want to spot and push it back on the main clear of the turnout, then uncouple the the car and push it into the spur (see the case in the top right corner of the diagram).
uncouplers on the main may car unintended uncoupling if a train is moving slowly past it.
in your specific case, as doctorwayne described, you can put the uncoupler on the siding. The cars behind the car you want to spot can be uncoupled and pushed out onto the main using the turnout on the far end of the siding. you can then uncouple and spot the car at the industry. (i don’t see anything similar in the diagram).
Exactly. [Y]
Rich
Yea, that makes perfect sense, but to me, he seems like he wants to park the cars so he can run around them.
Maybe I got up too early. [|)]
Mike.
if you want to be able to spot the car from either end would you then need two uncouplers?
This is a great discussion thread. Two questions to help myself and others to consider:
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Are the magnets only needed when there’s a run-around track?
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Would it make sense to put one at each area leading to a yard or just one? Perhaps that depends on what you’re trying to achieve. I am just wondering for the future.
That’s exactly what I’ve loosing at.
That is true as well.
I will only be spotting the cars on the left hand side. The area in question has an industrial area with two turnouts. The first turnout is for a woodchip loading area/team track. The second turnout controls access to a two track yard for storage of inbound and outbound cars,
The engine would need to be “flipped” before it enters the yard so that the cars can be parked and not bury the engine hence two magnets.
OK, well, I would use the siding track to park the cars and use the main track to run around to the other end.
I would think you’d want to put the magnet so when the cars uncoupled, they wouldn’t be fouling the turn out, on either end.
Mike.
I’m more confused now than when this started.
If the locomotive is pulling the cars out of the yard, which is to the left, then it’s easiest to push them to the two industries from the right-hand turnout - the one on the left is not needed.
The cars to be spotted should be “blocked” in a manner so that the ones for the far (left) end of the industrial track, will be first-in when pushed from the turnout at the right. They’d be uncoupled and then pushed to their appropriate stop, as I outlined in my original post.
The cars for the other industry would then be pulled back to the uncoupling magnet, and, once uncoupled, be pushed to their respective spot.
If you need the track as a run-around, then don’t use it for industries, as your industries will soon start shipping by truck if you keep moving their cars while they’re trying to load or unload them.
I have passing tracks in all of my small towns, and they allow another train to pass one which is stopped on the other track. However, on my DC layout, only one train is allowed to move at a time…
When most trains come to these towns, they’re there to “work” the industries, so the passing track can then serve as a run-around, allowing the locomotive to lift or drop cars at any industry, whether its turnout is a facing-point or trailing-point type.
It does help if the train is blocked appropriately to minimise the number of moves needed, but it’s possible to switch the entire train from either end because of the run-around.
I don’t know how much room you have available in the area under discussion, but if you need a run-around, can you put it on the other side of the main?
If so, use the turnout on the right end of your indust
I know Wayne. He is hard to follow. I’m probably not right either. If we seen his track plan, maybe we could figure out what he’s doing.
Mike.
Apologies for the confusion. Let’s try this mockup. It is not an exact track plan, but it should give you an idea of what I am looking at: 
The switcher would come from the main yard facing the left. As can be seen, the engine has to switch ends. Otherwise, the engine would be trapped. Hence why the need for the passing sidng.
OK, yes a simple run around move. The switcher is coming from the yard on the right, facing forward, pulling a line of cars that need to be spotted on the 3 spur tracks on the left.
The switcher stops, and parks the cars on the main, making sure the cars are clear of each turnout. The switcher uncouples from the cars, pulls forward past the turnout on the left, then backs into the siding, goes through the siding, and comes back out on the main, behind the string of cars. The switcher pulls forward, couples to the cars, and then pushes the cars to their respective spots on the 3 spur tracks on the left.
Just put your magnet on the main, making sure than when the switcher uncouples, the cars are clear of both turnouts, so the switcher has room to run around.
Is that what your looking for?
Mike.
Why don’t you try temporarily glueing the magnets in different locations to see which arrangement works best. I have used a couple of spots of contact cement or spikes on the ends of the Kadee in the track magnets . When you have done your testing you can do a more pemanent location.
Ron High
Don’t like magnets on the main. A bad place for unintended uncouplings to occur. [xx(]
Rich
Thats a good idea, Ron.
Mike.
And I agree Rich, thats why the first time I attemted to figure out what he’s doing, I suggested that he pull the cars into the siding, and use the main as a run around. But it a took awahile to figure out what he wanted to know.
I don’t know if that’s his actually main line or not. He can figure that out.
Mike.