Magnetic Coupling on a Budget

Discussion in 'Kits, Kit bashes & Scratch builds' started by gormo, Feb 2, 2023.

  1. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    Some of you will know that I have come up with some alternative 3 link coupling methods over the last few years.
    They were all reasonably successful , but did not necessarily tick all the boxes that I had set in my mind.
    I guess the main thing for me is ease of operation and that applies especially to those areas of the layout that are furthest away from you.
    The second most important feature would be pulling capacity. Now I have achieved pulling capacity with previous versions, however a stutter or surge from the locomotive could possibly lead to uncoupling somewhere along the train, so this affected the reliability of the system.
    Reliability.......now that`s an important thing. If your stock is regularly derailing or uncoupling it becomes a source of frustration and it`s easy to lose heart or just give up on things.
    So reliability and ease of use are the two main driving factors for me, especially when the railway has to be child friendly.......that means it`s Gormo friendly as well.
    What I have done is taken elements from my previous attempts and used them in a different configuration.
    We now have what you would probably call a Hunt coupling in some respects..?
    The wagon on the right is fitted with the new system.
    It consists of a T piece cut from some wire mesh. A copper link with two eyelets that fit onto the T piece and two magnets ( 3mm x 1mm ) fitted to the bottom of the link.


    IMG20230202151138.jpg

    The height of the couplings in relation to each other is of some importance, where it is ideal, but not critical, to have all the couplings at the same height in the horizontal plane.
    To achieve this you need to set a bench mark or create a jig. I have used a new Oxford wagon as my height guide ,and more particularly the buffer height.
    These wagons below are older Hornby models and their buffers sit higher than the Oxford model, therefore instead of fitting my T piece through the middle of the buffer beam, I have mounted it under the wagon to bring the coupling height down to the Oxford model height.
    Most wagons I have up for conversion will have matching buffer heights but I have the odd sprinkling of older stock that will need to be adapted.
    Mounting the T piece under the wagon unfortunately attracts the magnet backwards towards it ,so I install small plastic blocks to keep the magnet forward.


    IMG20230202151208.jpg


    I prefer the look of the new coupling to the old tension lock


    IMG20230202151117.jpg

    I have decided to set the magnet polarity the same at both ends of a wagon. The first inclination was to have North at one end and South at the other end, however I felt this was restrictive and meant that the wagons had to be facing in one direction.
    Instead I have A and B wagons, where an A wagon has White dots on it`s axle boxes and a B wagon has Red dots on it`s axle boxes as seen below.


    IMG20230202151355.jpg

    Brake vans on the other hand will be A at the front and B at the back. This will also apply to locomotives.
    For ease of use, I have also set up two shunting locos stationed at Bamford and Little Barfield and these locos have the magnets in the couplings replaced with a cut down screw head. The shunters can operate at either end of a train or wagon and successfully arrange rolling stock in the yards.

    IMG20230202151600.jpg
    To couple wagons, you simply roll one wagon up to another and as the magnet field increases the couplings lift and connect to each other.
    The limited play in the couplings allows enough horizontal lateral movement to negotiate tight curves or complex point configurations either pushing or pulling.
    Below is a shunters pole roughly the width and height of a carpenters pencil. It is held vertically above the couplings and the notch in the White end is rested upon the magnets. The pole is held between the thumb and the second finger. This allows the first finger to tap the top of the pole in a downward motion, which in turn separates the magnets.
    Their is still strong magnetic attraction however, so the pole is held in place whilst the loco draws away from the uncoupled wagon / s


    IMG20230202151733.jpg


    IMG20230202151757.jpg
    Current conversions


    IMG20230202151246.jpg

    These couplings sit high enough to allow a small tension lock ,minus it`s hook, to be left on the locomotive, in case the loco is needed for tension lock fitted stock.


    IMG20230202151307.jpg

    More info and video demo to follow

    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  2. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    Below is some video showing shunting with the magnetic couplings fitted



    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  3. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    The pic below shows a Class 33 that has been brought back from the brink and now sports the twin coupling method.
    The lower bar deals with tension lock couplings and the upper more recessed curved bar deals with the link coupling method.
    The upper bar is curved to allow the coupling to move from side to side when passing through points or curves, but more particularly complex point work.


    IMG20230212194043.jpg

    This is necessary because the diesel having bogies, means that the ends of the body move from each side of the track centre line when passing through points or curves.
    The movement of the body is enough to derail trailing wagons because their couplings can`t deal with the severe angle. The sliding coupling deals with this problem.
    I have also used it on a couple of bogie wagons


    IMG20230212194058cropped.jpg

    The buffer beams and buffers are replacements for damaged and missing parts on the original chassis. They were scavenged from an old Mainline diesel.
    This loco has been completely serviced and some splits in the chassis have been repaired.
    I have painted the springs and ends of axles. The axles at the very ends of the chassis have my colour coding system where Red means rear ( Motor ) and White means Front.
    The coding system fits in with the system mentioned above in the first post.....I think.?
    I have also found a better way to do the links. I am now using Brass Hooks and Eyes as used in sewing or as in Bra Straps. I am only using the eye part of the sets and it gives me a constant, reliable part that performs really well. As a matter of fact, the only issues I will have now will be with converting locos, because the wagons are a done deal.


    IMG20230212194123.jpg

    More as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  4. Andrew Laing

    Andrew Laing Full Member

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    Nice work, good solution to your problem.
     
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  5. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Further developments folks,
    A new improved Shunter`s pole is the last piece in the puzzle.
    It is made from a Bamboo skewer, a strip of plastic from an ice cream container and a ring made from copper wire.
    Two angled slots are cut across the skewer to keep the plastic in place.


    IMG20230217162114.jpg

    The V cut out in the end of the skewer makes it easy to locate it over the top of the coupling.


    IMG20230217162129.jpg

    The chisel end helps separate the couplings with less effort and the plastic bow assists in keeping the couplings apart whilst the loco pulls uncoupled wagons away.


    IMG20230217162142.jpg


    The copper ring allows the pole to be placed on a hook next to the various control panels. I have made three of these poles.


    IMG20230217162149.jpg

    And a short video showing it working



    I think this post concludes this thread as the system is finished ,it works and just requires a steady program of wagon and loco conversion to make it fully operational
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  6. Sol

    Sol Full Member

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    Now to make them delayed action so you can uncouple anywhere & push them to the required location :whatever:
     
  7. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Sol,
    Yes that would be ideal, but I can`t see a way around it with this system as it is.......maybe the penny will drop at some time in the future......:scratchchin:
    Anyhow I`m happy with it as it is..........this has moved beyond the restrictions of a fixed point for uncoupling with tension locks with ramps or magnets, to a point where you can uncouple anywhere on the railway.
    Granted, there is not the luxury of uncoupling and then pushing the stock into place, however the unrestricted uncoupling points seems to compensate for that.
    The big plus for me is the ease of coupling, which even with one type of properly fitted tension lock, was not always easy.....for example I have some beautiful Bachmann coaches fitted with tension locks, and I must say the tension locks will remain on my coaching stock, but it`s very difficult for them to couple on a curve. They have a sprung system that returns the coupling to the mid point all the time.........no big deal but it just makes things a little awkward.
    I guess the ultimate solution is Kadees, but not for me on UK stock I`m afraid.
    So there we are.......I am a victim of my own desire to invent my own solutions ,but you can`t beat the buzz that comes from getting it working.......:thumbs:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  8. Andrew Laing

    Andrew Laing Full Member

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    Neat solution.
    People often complain about the hand-of-God uncoupling however I always point out that most older freight coupling was done by a Man getting in between the wagons.
    I have gone down the 3 link system for my wagons...God help me!
    I was thinking about buying some more NEM couplings to modify to 3 link so that I don't have to hack my newer Locos.
     
  9. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Andy,
    Sorry for the late reply.....we were blacked out here for 19 hours due to a severe electrical storm here in Sydney yesterday evening. We have our power back but there are still thousands of houses in Sydney spending another night in the dark.
    Yes 3 links are good and if you have the dexterity to couple and uncouple, I think they are the best system for OO rolling stock. They look spot on.
    I agree with you about the hand of God and I don`t care what people think about me using that system. I reckon if it works consistently and easily, then that`ll do me.
    The uncoupling is dead easy and at your choice of location, and the coupling up is even easier. The couplings will connect even if they are not at the same height because of the strong magnetic attraction........this is not possible with tension locks.....a height variation makes things difficult and frustrating. Saying that though, I do try to keep them at the same height which makes for more reliable operation.
    I am too old for frustration in my running sessions.....I just want something that works....so I built it myself.....:avatar:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  10. Echidna

    Echidna Full Member

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    Dear Gormo, I like your design of skewer shunter's pole, and I think that it would also work for those people who use the old style H&N, and derivative, couplings which use a hook&bar that lowers, ie the reverse of the TriAng/Fleischmann/Mainline style coupling, as your flexible plastic bow also helps to seperate the affected vehicles. I am very impressed with your good and simple design, well done, best wishes and regards, Echidna.
     
  11. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Echidna and thank you for your comments.
    I guess the pole is a classic example of the KISS principle....it does not need complexity to work.....it just needs to work and be easy to use and cheap to make.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  12. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    Talking of magnetic couplings, I’ve this afternoon been and purchased some “west hill
    Wagon works” hall magnetic couplings. These are specific to particular models as are many other couplings that use NEM pockets. Instead of the tension lock and loop, they are a bar with a magnet to connect the two items I’d stock together. They also have pins on either side to keep the couplings straight.

    I’ve fitted a set to the Bachmann class 108 DMU, so I’ll report back after the weekends exhibition on how well they perform with some
    Photos.
     
  13. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Interesting....:scratchchin:
    The thing I`ve noticed, or not noticed in fact, with the Hunt system, is the uncoupling method.
    Are they purely for holding a train together, or have I missed something and they would be easy to shunt with...???
    I look forward to your report Andy.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  14. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    I had a light bulb :idea: moment last night and realized that there is a simple way to loose shunt my wagons using this magnetic system.
    It has been staring me in the face all this time and finally it revealed itself....:headbanger:
    I should say that it is better suited to straight track if you have tight radii on your layout. It may work on some curved sections of my layout without buffer lock, but that needs to be checked at this stage.
    I shall test it further and report with pics and video.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  15. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    to be fair, more fixed rakes of wagons or coaches. Takes out some of the slack with coaches, where as I think you loose some of the clank and snatch of couplings taking up the slack with a freight (modern ones excepted as they appear to be rigid buckeye affairs now?

    As for shunting, your idea probably has much more merit, especially that uncoupler, but yes, will feed back.. they have all sorts of couplers available!
    No connection, other than being a mile up the road.. just a hopefully happy customer!

    https://westhillwagonworks.com/
     
  16. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Video as mentioned above



    :tophat:Gormo
     
  17. Sol

    Sol Full Member

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    the words are VBG
    far superior to tension locks IMHO
     
  18. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Sol,
    Yes they are shaping up quite well.....not everybody`s cup of tea, but there you go.
    I feel the playability is better than tension locks, however that has come at the expense of the coupling`s appearance.
    They don`t look prototypical, however I feel they are less intrusive than a tension lock.
    At the end of the day I just want them to work without too much hassle.
    I would not have to go down the road of creating my own couplings if the big manufacturers of OO Gauge got their act together and standardized their couplings.
    When you look at Hornby, Bachmann, Dapol and Oxford couplings they are all designed to work within their own brand and are not quite 100% compatible with their competitors.
    On top of that....NEM fittings on these models droop......tension hooks sometimes just fall out on Dapol and Oxford models. Tension hooks on Hornby are extra long and are not easily compatible with Bachmann couplings......the coupling heights are all over the joint......it`s a nightmare.!!!
    This is why people convert their British rolling stock to Kadees........a coupling that has a height gauge to set them up properly and a coupling that works properly.
    My budget doesn`t stretch to converting everything over to Kadees so I have my own type of couplings now and hopefully they keep working properly.
    Time to step down off the soap box
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  19. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    Gormo, just a question.. if you have loose shunted in to the goods shed, how do you get the wagon out again if the coupling is still up or down?

    is it cheat and push it out or a oft off roof?
    Andy
     
  20. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Andy,
    Ideally the wagon that is pushed into the Good Shed will have it`s coupling down.
    The wagon or loco that is sent to retrieve it will also have it`s coupling down and when the two are close enough together the couplings will connect.
    If the wagon that was left in the Good Shed had it`s coupling in the UP position, the wagon or loco sent to retrieve it would also need to have it`s coupling in the UP position to couple to it.
    If you check the video up above in post # 16 at about 2 mins and 30 seconds you will see the wagon retrieved from the Good Shed
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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