Making and electrical connection with magnets

[Billm10454]

I want to make an electrical connection to some led bulbs in my buildings using a magnet. Will this harm the leds. I also want to use them to lash two locomotives together. Is this ok to do.

[rustyrails]

Could you be a little more specific?  There are reed switches that can activated by a magnet, but somehow I don't think that's what you have in mind.  Couplers are the prefered method for connecting locomotives.  Why do you think magnets would be better?
Rusty

[Billm10454]

I want to use one engine for pickup and the other for pulling the cars. I want to use magnets for lighting because it would make it easier to change the led bulbs. The leds are used in automotive brake lights. There are 16 leds on one type and 36 on another type. They are 12 volt and they give off a lot of light, which is what I need for the Walthers Union Station. Thanks

[rustyrails]

Well, ummmmm.  Have you seen the wooden trains for kids that run on wooden track?  Those trains use magnets for couplers, so I guess you could start experimenting by getting a couple of cars and taking the magnets off them and attaching the magnets to your engines and seeing how that works for you.  As far as the wiring is concerned, LEDs last forever if you don't run them on voltage higher than they're rated for, so I wouldn't worry about trying something too different to light your station.

Rusty

[Tylerf]

Wait do you mean using magnets to connect the wires instaed of plugs for the wires. I don't really get what you mean by the whole one locomotive picks up power and one pulls? Two locos picking up power is way better than one, same with the motors. I'm getting that your not meaning using magnets to connect trains but to connect wiring by running power through the magnets like if you had structures that need to be removeable but had light so using magnets to connect the structure bulbs to the layout connection.  In which case I've never heard of magnets running power thorough them and I don't know if it would work well if at all?

[rustyrails]

If Tyler is right about what you are trying to do....use magnets like electrical contacts...I don't know the answer.  Here is what I do know.  Magnetism and electricity are very closely related.  You generate electricity by moving a wire through a magnetic field.  The converse is also true: if you push an electric current through a wire, you produce a magnetic field.  I also know that at least some magnets are made from non-conductive materials, while others are iron based and should be conductive.  I think there are much easier ways to do what you're talking about....plugs, for example, but you have my curiosity aroused now so I'm going to try to research this and see what I can come up with.
Rusty

[Billm10454]

Tylerf, I modofied 2 AHM sd40-2's which if you ever had one have terrible pickups. These are over 25 years old. They also have traction tires on 2 of the wheels on the front right and 2 on the back left side. They pickup from 2 wheels on the front and back. Because of the traction tires on the wheels they wobble. I put 4 with the traction tires on the front and back. The other 2 wheels on the front and the back pickup current fron the rails. This loco is powered. The second loco I modified so it picks up from all 12 wheels with no traction tires and it is not powered. Right now I connect them electrically with a connector that is like the ones used for cell phone batteries. I have small 1/8 x 3/8 inch round magnets that I want to solder a wire to and connect the locos that way. This way I have 16 wheels picking up power from the rails and it never stalls. I also remotored the loco with a can motor with flywheels. As far as the led lights are concerned I want an easy way to connect and disconnect them so if I have to do that I won't damage the building.

[Tylerf]

Yep that makes sense and also a very easy connection. I guess it just comes down to how well magnets conduct and don't do funny thing to the electronics.

[jward]

one thing i would definietly do is to find a way to get rid of the traction tires. those are something that may enhance pulling power, but at the expense of good smooth operation. nwsl may make replacement wheelsets for  those locomotives. by replacing the wheelsets with ones that don't have traction tires you can eliminate the need to have another locomotive for pickup.....

since you have gone to the trouble of remotoring one of those beasts that tells me two things:
1. you are a somewhat experienced modeller. repowering  a locomotive, especially one for which there is no drop in replacement motor, is not for the faint of heart.
2. these locomotives have sentimental value for you, otherwise you'd have parked them and bought one of the many other similar locomotives on the market which already have good electrical pickup, no traction tires, and a can motor. sd40s and sd40-2s have been produced by athearn and kato.

since the configuration that you are using in effect makes this pair permanently coupled, wouldn't it be easier to hard wire the pair and disguise the wires as m u cables?