A few days ago I described a problem I was having using Kadee “between-the-tracks” delayed uncoupling magnets. To summarize, I have two tracks coming off the mainline from 2 turnouts and both going through a 30 degree crossing where the tracks leading from the mainline to the crossing and the crossing itself were gradually tilting away from the mainline and the tracks coming out of the crossing were at “grade” and leading towards my 2 respective industries. I had placed my uncoupling magnets on the sidings on the flat part of the track. In other words, my sidings start at the level of my mainline (where I use cork) and eventually end up at grade. Sidings are not supposed to be at the same level as the mainline, where elevation allows for proper drainage. Sidings should be poorly ballasted and almost sunk or buried into the grade around them.
What really blew my mind was that BEFORE I went ahead and ballasted the spurs, I had checked the uncoupling with several engines and pieces of rolling stock to be sure that even with the slanted track and crossing, uncoupling would be successful. And, it was successful, so I went ahead and completed the scene with ballast, etc.
A couple of days later, I found the uncoupling was only about 50 percent successful and thought maybe I had been hallucinating when I thought everything was working fine. After posting my problem on this forum, I had several suggestions, including the idea of installing an electromagnet for uncoupling.
Well, I was ready to rip up the sidings and just install cork off the mainline all the way to the end of the sidings, thinking that the problem was the slanted track and crossing. It sure seemed to be the problem. What else could it be?
I should have known better because back in the 1970’s, when I was a computer programmer, I was sent to a “problem analysis” workshop to develop
Glad to hear that you solved your problem, and also very happy that you shared the solutio with us. I would not have thought of that, and probably made the same mistake. I don’t have to worry about it now.
That’s a great heads up, Mondo, and pertinent to a problem I have encountered. Not all of my spurs have been built at grade. Up until now, most of them had been elevated at roadbed height along with the surrounding terrain and I had used below the track uncouplers. I just finished laying the track in my industrial district taking it down to plywood level. I realized that short of mortising the plywood, the below the track uncoupler was not going to be an option so I will be installing between the track magnets. I have already done that on my work bench test track but I had no idea that they could be that sensitive to a height adjustment caused by the glue drying. I will certainly keep that in mind. It sounds like I need to get a gluing tool, also, something I had never heard of before.
As a retired mainframe programmer, I can related to your workshop experience. One thing I learned in 25 years in that business is the importance of a thorough test plan. Programmers have a natural tendency to want to prove their program works. They test their programs under ideal circumstances and when it seems to work smoothly, they implement it into production. The production environment will eventually find the hidden flaws in a system. That’s why a good programmer tries to prove his program doesn’t work. He will develop a plan that will try every way possible to break it. When a program can stand up to every conceivable circumstance, then it is ready to implement. There is a lesson in that for model railroaders. When they test their track prior to scenicking, that try to prove that it works. They will test it with the best engines and smoothest rolling stock. They should really be testing with the worst equipment they have. The longest cars, the stiffest trucks and couplers, the most herky jerky locos. If their track can handle that, it should have no trouble with the good equipment.