Hiding the Uncoupling Magnet in Your Yard Tracks

Does anybody have anything new to report?

Any new experiments that proved successful?

Anything that was tried and didn't work?

Get rid of the un coupling track sections all together.Since nobody can make couplers that don't blow open and we have to tie strap or super glue them shut, what good are they.

Reading through many topics and came upon this one. I'm curious if anyone has finished any "home grown" uncoupling  magnets and what their results yielded.

@spudder posted:

Reading through many topics and came upon this one. I'm curious if anyone has finished any "home grown" uncoupling  magnets and what their results yielded.

I can only surmise you didn't actually read my thread starting posts, we have a bunch of them in the yard tracks at Harry's place.

John, I read all the posts. Using the Lionel parts works really well and is the best solution using an item that is readily available. As this thread evolved, people were talking about making their own magnets. You offered the suggestion of using thread bobbits....a cool idea. I was wondering about these home brewed electro magnets. I should have made my self more clear.

Well, since we just salvaged the O27 track magnets, we just added the core.  However, winding the same number of windings on a bobbin, or any other similar sized spool, with the same number of turns and wire size would almost surely work just as well, it's simple electronics.  If I put the same number of ampere turns in the same size coil, I'm going to get the same magnetic force.  The only reason I never tried it is there was a pile of rusty O27 uncoupling tracks available.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Many folks struggle with hiding the uncoupling magnet in their yards, usually the uncoupling tracks are fairly ugly and really stand out.  Wouldn't it be nice if you could make all your uncoupling tracks look like this.

This is how the uncoupling tracks were done on the NPOG layout.  Credit Harry Henning for coming up with this nifty idea.

The obvious question comes up, where is it?  You may need a signal post to indicate where to uncouple cars!  Let's examine how this was done.  You start with all those ugly 027 uncoupling tracks you were about to throw out...

Cut the magnet free on each side.

Remove it from the track, being careful not to break the wires.

Cut the wire fee, you can discard that old track you were about to throw out anyway.

Here's the magnet coil with the core removed.

Separate the coil from the rest of the metal from the track.

Cut a proper diameter bolt shank to length to extend the magnetic core.

Insert your core into the coil and glue it.

Glue the assembly to the bottom of the track after cutting a slot in the track, see following shot.  Jumper around the cut track to maintain conductivity.  You will need a hole to insert the magnet into in the benchwork, conveniently, that's where you'll run the wires from the magnet.

Install the track with the magnet.

Apply some ballast and it's hidden.  Wire up the decoupling magnet circuit and you have a hidden decoupler.

I hope this is useful to someone out there.

Nice job John, I have always used a long screw and winding wire around the shaft. Painted black poof like yours its gone.

That  @gunrunnerjohn  is something else as he always has a few great tricks up his sleeve!

Honestly John you should write a book on the various tricks you have devised.  It would be a great seller.

Guys,

Thanks for reviving this thread! I was about to go searching for it when I found it a the top of my Forum page. Very timely!

Chris

LVHR

For those who don't want to change the core, the original coils can be somewhat hidden as well.

My bench top is 1/2" ply, I didn't want to drill through and then have to support the coil from below.

@Allegheny posted:

That  @gunrunnerjohn  is something else as he always has a few great tricks up his sleeve!

Honestly John you should write a book on the various tricks you have devised.  It would be a great seller.

Well, this one was actually the brainchild of Harry Henning III, I tagged along later.  I just figured it was worth posting here as it was a really clever solution to the issue.