Automatic HO Uncouplers

[Jim Banner]

Good links, Rich.  One of them had a posting about Kadee magnets affecting his cabooses.  Perhaps the poster had not heard of brass axles with Delrin wheels (Walthers wheel sets) or Delrin axles with nickel-silver wheels (Kadee).  Both of these are non-magnetic as are lead weights to replace iron ones in cabooses.  Making cabooses non-magnetic stops uncoupling magnets from pulling them forward, causing false uncoupling.

Kadee electromagnet uncouplers can be quite noisy on ac.  Kadee suggests operating them on dc to prevent this.  This can be easily done with a bridge rectifier and a capacitor.  If the capacitor is large enough, it will actually boost the current as the capacitor will charge to 1.414 times the RMS value of the ac being rectified.  (Without the capacitor, the current will probably be less than on ac.)  Most important, it will not shake the caboose and spill the conductor's soup.

Jim
^0:11

[richG]

I found that in a search and what interested me was the electrical stuff that is included. I have heard of the uncoupler but never bought one to see what it is like. I also found some search results that a few people thought the uncoupler worked better with DC than AC.
The push button is important as it is easy to overheat the magnet. Some people have had tried to use a higher voltage which can cause problems.
Remember those days when we thought our car needed more power?

Rich

[train with no shame]

You know I was having alot of problems with Cabooses . I got the literature , out on the Decoupling magnet . There was a note "Regarding Steel Axles" on the EZ Mate Couplers .

Wheel sets with steel axless may interfere with the proper operation of any magnetically operated coupler system .Cars with steel axles tend to be drawn toward ,and then held, by under track magnets .To test for steel axles , just place the car near the under-track magnet and see if it is drawn toward the magnet ..If it is , replacement of the wheel sets containing the steel axles is recommended for best operation .

I have noticed also that ,some of the cars I have . Have plastic wheels , and plastic axles  . Which really hamper in operation ... I will eventually replace these trucks and wheel sets...

I have been working , with 4 9" straights on my work bench together . Trying to come up with an uncoupler .
As with the Lionel Uncoupler . I was having problems with position and direction . And the coil would not fit into the 9" straight . Along with the center rail , that i cut down . I was just basically  proping it up under the road bed .  I'm glad the 9" black 4 packs are cheaper, than the nickle silver . I've went threw 5 pcs . Cutting and working with them trying to get this to work . I do believe you are right about lengths and draw .

Also thanks for the Link and info on the kadee .I never thought about them . I saw them   in the Walthers catalog . And I believe Larry's in Houston , has them in stock . I've got to go there tommorrow and pick up my 4-8-4 Sante fa .... regards Mark F

[train with no shame]

That's why in most remote switches . You use a single poll double throw center off switch . So you won't smoke your solenoid's . It is a momentary switch . Only sends current for a split second . works in both directions  . That's what I'm using on my control Panel . I only wish  I would have bought the bigger ones . I bought the Micro Mini Toggles    peace to all mark f

[train with no shame]

I do see in the Walthers catalog . Item #380-309 pg 264 Electric Delayed Uncouplers . I had seen the 0 and H0n3. As I didn't know what the H0n3 scale was . So I went in the direction of trying to make one ."And still" but anyways . What I'm seeing is , I would have to cut a hole in my plywood for them to mount under the grey roadbed , with the EZ Track  .  Are these reliable . And the coil looks rather simple, but exposed . If these will work , then I guess I wont be able to get a patent . LOL . I will experiment . Thanks as I'm acquiring as much as i can , For what i want to do .    Mark F    hey Rich Thanks for the Links

[OkieRick]

I got this email ad from an ebay seller today:

"MTH HO Scale SD70M-2 & SD70ACe diesels in many, many designs including all of the Union Pacific HERITAGE Designs. These have remote activated operating couplers, a first in HO. These are due in very soon and are sure to be a sell out."

What are "remote activated operating couplers"?


Rick

[Jim Banner]

I do not know how MTH operates their remote control couplers.  Others have done this trick before, both with solenoids and memory wire, usually controlled by DCC.

I have long wondered about the usefulness of locomotive couplers that you can open by remote control, particularly on diesels.  I mean, how often does a diesel drop a train and pick up another?  Perhaps they might be of some use in helper service, although a pusher with a permanently open coupler works just fine at a much lower cost.

Remotely controlled couplers might be more useful in steam locomotives if you were modelling a division point where steam locomotives were changed regularly.

For switching service, being able to uncouple the locomotive is again of little help.  If you are switching a train with a locomotive and 20 cars, there are 20 different places you can split the train.  Only one of them is just behind the locomotive.  So 95% of the time you would have to uncouple in the normal way anyway.

Jim
^0:21

[Yampa Bob]

I have an "automatic" uncoupler; my wife sorts and sets up all our trains on the fiddle track.  Our switcher never gets used, just pick them up and put them down where my wife wants them.   

[Stephen D. Richards]

Bob,  Amen!  Kinda like my "automatic" dish washer.  Dishes get dirty and I "automatically wash them!  lol      Stephen

[Yampa Bob]

Yep, been there. 

[rustyrails]

RE: cabooses  Back in the day when I was an n-scaler, microtrains couplers always seemed to have a lot of slack in them which caused a lot of false uncoupling over permanent magnet ramps.  The very free rolling trucks only made matters worse.  The common solution was to remove one wheel set, put a small spring over the end of the axle and put the wheel set back in the truck.  The spring let the axle turn, but provided enough drag to keep the slack out.  Should work just as well with HO.
Rusty