Model railway. What can I use for automatic uncoupling wagons?

Question

At the moment I am using uncoupling ramps which work okay, except when you want to pick up a wagon after uncoupling it, it automatically uncouples it self when you go over the ramp again. Does anyone know of any other devices or ideas of what I can use?

Answer 1

You need to adjust your couplings I think - they're only supposed to work when you stop the couping concerned over the ramp and then pull the rest of the train away. If the train is kept moving - and thus the coupling is kept under tension - it shouldn't uncouple. Try lowering the ramp itself a fraction.

Answer 2

If you can face changing all your couplers, you could fit Kaydee automatic couplers.

These are American and are model buckeye couplers. They are magnetically controlled, so you can either use permanent magnets or even better, electromagnets mounted under the track.

This gives you full control as you can turn the uncouplers off and on.

The other advantage of kaydees is that you can "pre-uncouple". You can put a magnet at the throat of a siding, then back the train in. When the wagon (or coach) you want to split at is over the magnet, it pre-uncouples, but you can carry on backing the train into the siding. The uncoupling action completes when you move the engine forwards. This means you can back up the train to the buffers, however long it is, and still take the engine off.

Kaydees are available from many good railway model shops in the UK, in person or by mail order.

Answer 3

You could try using Kadees, or continue using your current couplings but with a new Hornby automatic uncoupler.

I would recommend Kadees, but they all need to be the same height and it takes a long time to fit them.

Or finally you could use the Peco Simplex couplings, which enable Automatic uncoupling and the ability to take one item off the track without the rest of the train. This is just an easier and cheaper version of the Kadee.

Answer 4

Switch to electromagnetic couplings.  This means that you will have to change all the couplings on your stock (at least, those which need to be uncoupled).  There are a lot of alternatives on the market and although fitting them means a lot of work, you can take the opportunity to fit delayed action couplings which reduces the number of electromagnets required.  Kadee couplings are especially good but they are expensive and need to be set up very carefully.  Talk to people at exhibitions -they can be very helpful on matters like this.