Hi
Has anybody got advice about fitting magnet couplings to locos and rolling stock and fitting uncouplers
Thanks
Just to clarify the question are you asking about couplings that are operated (uncoupled) by magnets below the tracks, or couplings that are magnetic in themselves?
Couplings that are magnetic in themselves that can be uncoupled by magnets below track (when activated)
I don't think such a thing exists.
There are normal mechanical couplings that have a dropper (lever) that is attracted to a magnet under or in the track and there are couplings that have a magnet or magnets in them that are attracted to a magnet or magnets in the adjacent piece of rolling stock.
The only hands-off method of uncoupling the latter type I know of is one where a hook type arrangement physically pulls the rolling stock apart.
Edit: some examples
Greenwich couplings with magnetically operated dropper:
(https://www.nigellawton009.com/GreenwichCouplerSide.jpg)
Hunt magnetic couplings (3 shaft length options shown):
(https://westhillwagonworks.com/986-large_default/hunt-couplings-elite-close-coupling-10-pairs-for-peco-wagon-kits-n-gauge.jpg)
QuoteI don't think such a thing exists.
I'm inclined to agree Graeme.
Dave, I suspect the issue would be that a magnet strong enough to pull down the magnetic couplings to part them would also attract the steel axles (and steel tyres if present) causing all sorts of issues (and maybe also altering the magnets in the couplings).
They may be useful in 'fixed rakes' where you don't want to take the train apart until you have finished an operating session and it's time to put the stock away, like a passenger train. But for a goods train that you want to break up at the station to drop off or add wagons then I'd use something like the Greenwich couplings.
I've used them myself (and the similar but smaller DG couplings) for many years. They key thing to get the best of them is to set them all to the same height (which you'll need to do with a magnetic coupling). There is no 'standard' for 009, but RT Models sell a very good cast resin gauge to help set the coupling heights (at about 5.5 mm from memory).
If the problem is making the couplings (they can be a bit tricky) then the Greenwich & District NGRS sell a bending tool which makes the job both easier & more consistent. It's available from Light Railway Stores (GBT1A)
Magnetic couplings are a very easy way to set up a rake of wagons, but impossible to 'uncouple' without the hand of god.
I think in some larger scales I have seen examples of electro-magnets used which can then be turned on and off as required to give a very realistic 'uncouple anywhere' scenario if you used DCC and set the electro-magnet as one of the options.
Another issue with this is that you would need stayalives in all locos/wagons that you have electro-magnets in as they could uncouple with the slightest loss of power.
All quite complex, but not impossible.
In our 009 group we simply stick half a track pin to the bottom of the coupler similar to the image of the Greenwich coupler above. This is obviously cheap and very easy. Then the coupler is raised when pushed over a magnet hidden under the track. It is not strong enough to uncouple when pulled over the magnet, only when pushed. Advantages are obviously cost (just a pack of track pins and a handful of button magnets), plus this system can work on all wagons, so you can split a train at any point, not just behind the loco.
Downside of this is that you can only uncouple in specific designated places where you have placed the magnets. You can of course use electro-magnets under the track to avoid any accidental uncoupling, but we have not found that necessary.
I am looking forward to trying electro-magnets in the future on a loco to see if that will work, but I don't think this will ever be a viable option on each wagon so you will only ever be able to couple/uncouple at the loco and not 'mid rake'.
Thanks for your help and advice!
Maybe I need to find a non magnetic option for uncoupling wagons in sidings and loco in station so it can run around train
Any experience with this option ?
Using 'standard' style (AKA loop and hook) couplings there are a number of options for hands-off uncoupling. The ones that come with Peco and Bachmann (possibly all RTR stock) generaly have a lifting peg that lifts the loop using a mechanically raised ramp.
Many, if not all 'after market' couplings (often brass etchings, e.g. Greenwich, Paul Windle, DG etc.) usually have provision for adding an iron dropper or lever that will be attracted to a magnet under the rails. This can be an electromagnet, a permanently positioned permanent magnet or some sort of 'magnet on a stick' arrangement to move the magnet in and out of range of the couplings.
Having said that, I'm not clear if you are coming at this from the direction of already having Hunt-type magnetic couplings and you are now looking for a physical hands-off way to part them or if you are using 'standard' couplings and want to uncouple them.
The 009 Society Handbook is probably a good starting point for weighing up the options on couplings and hands-off uncoupling.
I have standard couplings some peco and bachmann and looking for hands off parting of couplings
Quote from: Dave G on April 27, 2025, 10:08I have standard couplings some peco and bachmann and looking for hands off parting of couplings
If I were in your position I would look at the Greenwich system first. It's widely used, is designed to be used with magnetic uncoupling and would be compatible with the Peco & Bachmann couplings you already have.
To add the hands-free uncoupling to those you will need to add some iron wire (or something similar) that will be attracted to the magnets under the track, though given the faff that might be involved it may be easier to replace them with Greenwich couplings (as they are designed with magnetic uncoupling in mind). They do an etched brass type that folds up to fit in the NEM pockets found on the ready to run stock, and are working on (and may have released) an NEM version where the central buffer is 3d printed (to which you fit the supplied etched loop).
Uncoupling can be done by permanent magnets set below the rails (level with the sleepers) or in a shallow hole drilled in the baseboard between the rails (it will depend on how powerful the magnets are as to what 'range' they have for pulling down on the bit of iron to lift up the loops). The drawback of fixed magnets is that when the couplings are stationary above the magnets (or being propelled over then so they are not under tension) they can uncouple the stock when you don't want them to.
To get around this some people use a system where the magnet is on an arm under the baseboard which lifts the magnet up into a position where it uncouples the stock, but that seems like a lot of work to me!
The other alternative is to use electromagnets. The disadvantage is that they will need a set of wiring and switches along with a power supply, but installing them should be easy (I fit mine into a hole drilled in the baseboard below the track, being careful not to drill to far upwards!). One tip I'll pass on from my own experience using DG couplings. I started off using a DC supply for the electromagnets but found I was getting issues with the steel dropper on the couplings being made into little magnets themselves. To get around this I swapped over to an AC power pack, and found that it also gave the loops a 'buzz' that helped to uncouple the slightly sticky ones.
Of the other loop type coupling types out there (Paul Windle, Bemo, Liliput, etc.) only the DG type have the magnetic uncoupling feature designed in. In my view they have a slight advantage over the Greenwich type in that they are slightly smaller (if using the 'Type D' for 009 use) than the rest and have a delay feature built in (this means you can uncouple over the magnet then push the uncoupled wagon into a siding without it coupling back up again). The disadvantages are that they are a bit fiddly to make and not easily NEM compatible.
They also take some setting up, being very sensitive to height differences (based on my own experience of using them with exhibition layouts) but once sorted are very reliable (again from my own experiences).
As good as the DG system is though I would direct the 009 novice to the Greenwich type, with the added advice to get an RT models height gauge and consider using some (but not all) electromagnets for uncoupling.
If you want to stick with the Peco couplers then the traditional uncoupling ramp should work. Peco's own 009 uncoupler is old and needs some effort to use reliably. it is simply a hinged ramp and there is nothing really to prevent a distracted operator catapulting wagons off the track.
https://peco-uk.com/products/manual-uncoupler?srsltid=AfmBOopXFedER9lOvnLMrz7qxaXECjISpFiAgwQk_kdF3Sc2edrm_rvE (https://peco-uk.com/products/manual-uncoupler?srsltid=AfmBOopXFedER9lOvnLMrz7qxaXECjISpFiAgwQk_kdF3Sc2edrm_rvE)
A member of the Scotland Area Group has experimented with adapting a OO gauge electromagnetically raised ramp type uncoupler to work with stock Peco 009 couplings, but consistent height travel has proved tricky if I remember correctly.
On the other hand, magnetically operated Greenwich, DG etc couplings work well when set up correctly.