Some time ago someone posted that he used Radio Shack 1" magnets under the track for uncoupling freight cars.
The layout I’m building makes it impractical to manually uncouple cars so I was experimenting with magnets. I know Kadee makes a couple of uncoupling magnets but I have been trying to use the Radio Shack magnets mentioned above.
I put three 1" magnets side by side on their side under my HO Code 83 track. When I did some testing the magnets did indeed cause the cars to uncouple but the couplers were not opened far enough to not recouple on subsequent contact (i.e. when trying to posiition the uncoupled freight car on the siding).
When I removed the ties and brought the magnets up to the level of the tops of the ties the couplers opened far enough to allow for the final movement to position the car without them recoupling. I really don’t want to have to remove the ties and have the magnets so visible if I don’t have to.
Does anybody out there have any experience with this. Maybe I just need to get the Kadee magnets.
I think I have a picture on my web site, I had to remove ties. I only used 2 magnets, flat, one centered under each rail.
I was going to try the much stronger (but more expensive) rare earth magnets - they should be more than strong enough to work from under the ties. Maybe too strong. I also have some very strong surplus magnets from old dead hard drives - but as those can attract one another through an inch and a half tabletop of particle board, I think they would be WAY too strong. Or I may just forget all about magnets and just use skewers. A lifetime supply is only a buck or so at the grocery store, and you can uncouple anywhere without remembering to set the delayed action at some other point first.
Also, real Kadees just plain work better than any of the knockoffs I’ve tried - both for magnetic uncoupling and for use with the skewers. That includes Bachmann Accumate, and P2K.