Uncoupling tool

Looks like a great idea. I am going to have to make a couple. Thank you.

Doug

Article Followup

Thanks for the kind words Doug.

I've been using these for over a year now, and they still perform great.  However, a friend at an operating session showed me a better way to use them.  This is just an alternative, but I've switched to this method and I like it MUCH better!

1. Put a little slack between the cars to uncouple, either with the locomotive or with your hand.  (this is the same as all other methods)
2. Reach in with the uncoupling tool from the side and pull the closer coupler knuckle toward you using the "air hose" that hangs down, opening the knuckle.
3. Separate the cars, either with your hand or with the locomotive.

With some practice, you can do this with one hand, using your little finger to separate the cars.  It has the advantage of being very easy, and very reliable.  It's also easier on the couplers themselves, since you aren't applying downward pressure on the coupler, which could cause the coupler to sag or break out of its coupler box.

Either way you choose to use them, this is still a fun and useful tool.

Ultimate uncoupling tool?

If you are in a hurry or other methods fail the ultimate tool is your hand, just pick up one end of one car enough to clear the couplers then push it back enough to set it back down on the rails .....DaveB

DaveB, me too.  I'd say the

DaveB, me too.  I'd say the five fingers is the ultimate uncoupling tool.

But the one in the article looks like a good idea.

@DaveB

I never thought of that! 

Unfortunately, I'm usually eating a Hershey's Chocolate Bar dipped in Honey when I'm running trains, so I don't like to touch them too much.

Uncoupling tool

Great article, immediately useable, makable from materials on hand, cheap enough to toss. Good follow up posts. What’s not to like?

Just made one and it works

Just made one and it works well. Thank you Michael.

My layout: https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/31151?page=27

@Deemiorgos

Awesome!  I'm glad you found my idea useful.

I'm so old I know who that is

I'm so old I know who that is : )

I'll make a more refined one later using a white one and a dowel that is larger in circumference.

Great article!

Really enjoyed your article! I’ve played with coffee stirrers and plastic dental picks, but this looks like it’ll work much better. 
 

WRT your follow up: not all folks have the “uncoupling hoses” on their KDs (I remove mine) and even with them, it’s hard to pull them from the side when you have cars standing on an adjacent track. 
 

Really looking forward to making a few of these and retiring my bamboo skewers!
 

Chris 

True That!

Hi Chris,

Glad you enjoyed the article.  I do know this is a popular modification, especially on narrow shelf switching layouts.  And you're right about adjacent track issues.  I run into that in my yard.  I just use whatever method works best.  Sometimes it's the 0-5-0!

As an aside, I'm really jealous of the electro-magnetically controlled knuckle couplers in O-Scale, and on Lionel engines.  I operated a big O-Scale layout a couple of months ago, and boy were they nice to use.  The heft of the cars and engines is nice too.  Someday I may switch scales.  Someday . . .  

In place of the dowel

In place of the dowel, how about using a small LED pen light to improve visability?

@Mike A - HO DCC Uncouplers

Dear Michael,

Not intending to head OT, (I personally am 95+% skewer-uncoupling),

but DCC-controlled onboard (un)coupling in HO appears do-able,
and disturbingly cheap (USD$4 per coupler for the conversion kit!?!?!)...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Remote-Uncoupler-for-Kadee-Conversion-Kit-for-DCC-control-HO-scale-20pcs/252323123461

Arguably the hardest part would be finding a spare Function Output on the Existing-Decoder,
and the appropriate F-key remapping...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

"and disturbingly cheap

  Looks like that's just for the little motor and some string , you still need to buy some kind of decoder to operate each one.  I think the HO scale situation is similar to the real railroads, it's cheaper to just have a guy uncouple by hand than it is to equip every car with electronic uncouplers that would also need updates, maintenance, etc. ...DaveB

@Prof

Well now, that's pretty cool.  I may have to try some of those out one day.  

I do have one MTH Diesel, which I really like, and it has remote couplers.  I've tried them, and they work, sort of, but the issue seems to be that, while the locomotive coupler pulls to the side, the car coupler does not.  Sometimes it works, but sometimes the small lip on each coupler knuckle grips and the couplers don't disengage.  It's not the most reliable, so I don't use it much.  In fact, I may remove them and just put Kadees on.

The thing I really like about the O-Scale couplers is the knuckle actually opens!  It doesn't just swing to the side liek a Kadee.  So it doesn't matter what happens with the car coupler, and the uncoupling is always reliable.

One other factor is that a remote coupler on the locomotive only helps if that's where you want to uncouple.  If you're using another car as a "handle", or uncoupling the last couple cars on a string, like during classification, then you still need a magnet or a hand tool.  

So, I think DaveB wins out in the end.  It's just cheaper and easier to have a guy uncouple the cars!