Gormo`s Magnetic Delayed Uncoupling

G`day Folks,

As you may remember, I have been mucking about with Brian Kirby`s method for quite some time now.

I have toyed with different types of magnets, different types of staples, I`ve made jigs to set it up and I`ve converted some of my stock.

However, I was never 100% happy with the set up. I guess I was looking at universal application and I think that was hindering my thinking. The other day I thought about it again but only in regards to how it would apply to my railway. I want reliable operation and I want delayed uncoupling.

You may well say, and rightly so, why don`t you just use Kadees.????.....well I could, but I`ve been trying to crack this tension lock conundrum for some time now and it`s been bothering me that I couldn`t crack it.!!!....plus it`s a cheaper option.

Anyway I set myself the task of applying a method that is relative to my railway and it`s come up a treat.

The issues I had with the original set up were:-

# The coupling was pulsing up and down as it passed over the magnets making uncoupling more difficult than it should be.

# Placing magnets on top of sleepers gave the most reliable action yet restricted movement of the coupling hook. I prefer the magnets below and set between the sleepers.

# Delayed action meant some sort of visual blight on the system.

The solution that presented itself was to attach a staple to the top of and at the rear of the coupling hook. This creates a see saw effect on the coupling hook and increases the the staples leverage considerably. The method is also less of a visual impact and due to it`s effectiveness, allows me to place magnets in between the sleepers.

Now where I`ve gained a visual improvement with the staples, I`ve cancelled it out with the delayed action bar. I have set a staple as a bar 5mm above the couplings on one end of wagons. When the wagons uncouple over the magnets, the bar prevents the coupling hook from dropping when the wagons are pushed back together.

On top of the above mechanical arrangements, I have also started fitting home made short couplings, which improves the visual side of things again. The short couplings are necessary to get the wagons close enough to each other for the delayed action bar to work. It`s not necessary to make your own short couplings, because the small Bachmann coupling can be converted to this task, however by making my own, I only need one Bachmann coupling per wagon to convert my stock. This obviously has a financial benefit but I rather enjoy making my own anyway, so that`s the logic behind that decision.

So now I have a system that works to my satisfaction. It only has coupling hooks at one end of a wagon which means that brake vans need to be set up with coupling hooks and delayed action bars at each end. Coaching stock will remain mostly unchanged except for the front coach and the brake coach in each rake. Locos will be adapted to suit the conditions as well.

I am not usually ever running my rolling stock on other peoples railways, so I need only satisfy my own requirements and I think this has been the thinking turning point for me in this situation. A bonus with these modifications is that they are all reversible, and the wagons and locos can be returned to original status with very little effort.

So below is a video slide show to give you some idea of what it looks like and how it works.

Magnetic Delayed Uncoupling



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Thanks Ed,

Yes the staple on the back of the coupling seems to increase the leverage for the staple and it works like a see saw. Therefore much less force required to move it, in fact if it were too long it could lift the coupling hook on it`s own. I think you would need a staple as long as a wagon to do that but there you are.???

You can even take it one stage further and remove the drop down bar from the coupling hook thereby reducing the weight of the coupling hook which makes the staple even more responsive and improves the look of the coupling.

Like this below





Trouble is that you then have to fit a staple under the coupling as a stopper. If you don`t the coupling hook will lift up through and past 90 degrees to the coupling and reach a position of no return without assistance.

This is how I went about it.........but it`s fiddly



But it works



I guess given more time and effort it could be simplified but I got to the stage where I thought time spent converting was more valuable than removing the bar to improve the look of the thing.

Anyway......I got lost in the detail there.............thanks for your comments Ed

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Thanks Ed...

Ron I take it you mean the NEM plug in type.

I have an issue with NEM and that is the fact that they tend to droop sometimes. I have a Dapol wagon ( new ) with NEM coupling and it also pivots from side to side and is supposed to self center by means of spring fittings either side........Basically it`s a load of rubbish.

I have decided for my railway ......and I stress this only what I`m doing to suit my particular set up.....that I will convert NEM fitted wagons back over to fixed screw in type small Bachmanns.

What`s behind all this is reliability. I can control the reliability of the fixed couplings whereas with the NEM`s I will be constantly fiddling with them.......so out they go.

With most couplings, the height setting is important for a start. The way they engage should be smooth and consistent and at the end of the day when all is set up properly you have reliable pain free operation. I have even taken to smoothing / polishing the ends of the coupling hooks so that they slide effortlessly over the coupling bars. The height is critical so that all coupling hooks can lock under the coupling bar correctly. If they don`t lock properly they will lift when going over the magnets even when they are being pulled.??

So Ron there you have a long winded way of saying no.......

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OK Ron....thanks ......

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Sorry Ed,

I don`t think I replied in full back there.

The dropper is unsightly.....have to agree...

Fitting something on top of the coupling to restrict the hook once the dropper is gone is difficult because it would restrict removal of the coupling hook. Tried that one..Once you add the staple to the coupling hook you have to twist and turn the coupling hook and fudge it through the little hole to set it back in place. Placing something on top of the coupling makes hook replacement almost impossible without damage.

The answer is underneath the coupling......I`ve done it.....it works......and it`s almost invisible so the visual aspect is good too.

I think it`s entirely feasible to go down this route, however it needs more thought and ultimately an easy method otherwise park the idea until inspiration revisits.

For the moment it works fine. If I come up with any bright ideas about taking the dropper off, I can still do that without effecting this current system.

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