What to use for Thomas uncoupler ramps?

[railtwister]

Hello Mr. Bach-mann,

What should be used for an uncoupling ramp with the Thomas Line couplers? I remember the old Mantua hook & loop couplers in the 1950's used an arched piece of flexible clear celluloid between the rails to lift the coupler link hooks as the train passed over but as I recall, this was not very reliable. Is there some other way to perform "switching" with the Thomas locos & cars, or is this not a common need for Thomas operators?

Regards,
Bill

[StanierJack]

Peco do a couple of uncupling ramps for generic tension lock fitted stock. These should work well with the TTTE equipment too, seeing as it's fitted with the same Tension Locks.

[railtwister]

Hi Jack,

Unfortunately, in the USA, uncoupling ramps for the hook & loop couplers are all but impossible to find since most modelers here use Kadee magnetic knuckles, which look a lot more like the typical coupler found on US prototype trains. Tonight, remembering back to my early model railroading years and the old clear celluloid ramps used for the Mantua hook & loop couplers, I made up an experimental test uncoupler for my Thomas cars. I used a piece of a business card cut along it's length to a width of about 1/2" (yielding a piece roughly 3-1/2" by 1/2" or 88mm x 12mm). By putting a bend across the strip at about 1/4" (or 6mm) from one end, and then inserting this "tab" between two ties on a piece of snap track, then Scotch taping it to the bottom of the tie, and inserting the other end between two ties at such a distance so as to cause the cardstock to arch up about 1/8" higher than the railhead, I had a test uncoupler that works better than I remember the Mantua's working. When there is tension on the couplers, the trip pins lift a bit, but the barb on the end of the hook hangs up on the ridge of the other car's loop, preventing uncoupling. When backing two cars over the ramp, there is no tension, so if the cars are stopped with the couplers over the ramp and the direction of the pushing car is reversed, the cars come uncoupled. The business card strip is flexible so that it distorts enough to let the cars and their trip pins pass over it without snagging. Even the trip pin of the Kadee knuckle on my Kadee-to-Thomas coupler adapter car will pass over the ramp with out snagging. The business card  strip is rather unsightly, but will be much less so when made out of a piece of clear celluloid, which will be my next step. The cost of making up this type of uncoupler is next to nothing, even after factoring in the price of a new piece of celluloid, but I think you could probably even use some of the blister package from any of the Thomas cars or locos and avoid having to buy the celluloid!

Regards,
Bill Nielsen
Oakland Park, FL USA

[Cheeky_ULP]

...Buy online? 

[alex wittman]

i would suggest making your own, it's not hard, just get some plasticards and carve it like a ramp for the couplers to uncouple.

[buzz]

Hi railtwister
two choices buy on line,
or get some shirt box plastic and make your own.
All you need is a strip of shirt box plastic pinned down to form the ramp between the rails.
To mark its location get a cheap round RR sign like the one in the Bachmann
rail and road signs and paint the round sign white and put it in line with the middle of the ramp.
You will find a clear uncoupling ramp is not that easy to find hence the need for the white marker board.
regards John