Uncoupling Options

How cars get uncoupled depends on what type of couplers you use. Most model railroaders seem to use Kadee couplers.

Kadee couplers have these curved "hoses" below the coupler that are attracted to magnets. Some use permanent magnets between the tracks to uncouple. The issue with that is if a train stutters and slack is introduced while a coupler is over the magnet, the couplers may uncouple when you don't want them to.

Others have used electro magnets buried below the tracks. These won't cause accidental uncoupling because you have to press or flip a switch to power the magnets in order to uncouple. Issues with these are that small electro magnets tend to be expensive to buy. You can make your own, they are nothing more than "magnet" wire wrapped around a conductor, with a switch hooked to a power supply, so that you can turn them on and off.

Both options above require that you permanently place magnets at every spot on the layout, where you might ever want to uncouple cars. Magnets buried under the tracks are usually marked with some scenery element, so that the engineer can tell where to stop the train so that the coupler is over the magnet.

Micro Mark markets a magnetic wand that allows you to reach between the cars and uncouple them.

Most people however, just use a skewer, poked between the couplers, and twisted, to uncouple cars. There are several brands of these uncoupling tools available, or you can go to the super market and buy wooden shish kabob skewers. They are cheap, easy to use, and if someone accidentally walks off with your uncoupling tool, you have an entire bag full of more tools.

Kadee couplers. They are

Kadee couplers. They are available from Microtrains I believe. In N scale they have truck mounted couplers or couplers you can mount to the cars. A magnet can be installed either below or between the rails.

Skewers for the Win

Micro Trains couplers are designed to accommodate uncoupling with magnets, but I can't stand 'em.  A fixed magnet is always in the wrong place for at least some of the switching you'll want to do.  Use a pick, either from a bamboo skewer or whatever, and uncouple wherever you want.

Skewers

I second Rob's post, use skewers. They're cheap and easy to use.

Another vote for skewers

I am in HO, and use McHenry couplers.  Bamboo skewers work perfectly  for uncouplers, come 100 for a buck, and also make great power poles and trunks for small evergreen trees - hard to beat!

Uncoupling N scale?

    Just playing around with my partially build N scale  trackwork I've found it easiest to just lift the end of the car then set it back down uncoupled. With skewers on the tiny cars I seemed to knock them off the rails pretty often, and  I don't like to keep magnetic couplers in working condition as I've found it to be a lot of work....DaveBranum  

Not a skewer user

First the overhead wire is in the way. And so are the passenger car diaphragms.

But using the hand from the sky is going to be a thing of the past when inexpensive remote control uncoupling becomes the norm. Of course that's just vision on my part.

Skewer user here

I use skewers on my layout, and all the layouts I operate on use skewers.  I've never met a magnetic uncoupling ramp that didn't cause more trouble than it was worth.

Andy - remote uncoupling always sounds cool, but I think the devil is in the details.  Specifically, how do you indicate which coupler you want to open?  If you have to enter car number A/B end on your throttle, that seems like way too much trouble.  I think in order to really get used, it has to be as easy as pointing at the coupler in question and having it open.  Maybe laser pointer activated?  I'm not expecting anything really useable for a long long time, if ever. (*)

Skewers work very well, I'm counting on sticking with them for a long time.

- Ken

(*) - Pesimists are generally happier than optimists - most of an optimists surprises are unpleasant, whereas most of a pesimists surprises are nice.

Skewer E'm

Count me in as a skewer user.

KISS

In the end sometimes simple is best. Skewers work and work well and allow you to uncouple wherever you want. Only modification I might make in N is to possible tape a penlight "handle" to the skewer with the light pointing down where you can turn it on and see. My eyes got to where I was having a hard time seeing where to put the skewer point in N without light.

Michael

DCC couplers

http://www.dcctrainautomation.co.uk/train-automation/Couplers_HOe__TT_and_N.html

Dear MRHers, Skewers (or

Dear MRHers,

Skewers (or equivalent, I have a small phillips head screwdriver I'd be lost without) work well on the HOn30/HO/On30/O 2R layouts here, even for raw non-train "operators". Add "calibrated drag devices" to the cars in question, and they become usable for both skewer _and_ magnet situations. (Suggest using the Search Function, optimising cars for use with magnets to avoid the common agravations has been covered here on-fora previously).

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr