Auto uncoupling?? DG Couplings

Hi All               I have tried a tip that I saw on line with staples glued to the dropper of tension hook couplers, but, it is a bit Hit & Miss:oops:.And I have read about "D G Couplings" on YMRC,:???: but are they available in OO with NEM pockets?? And if so where can I purchase them, because I'm fed up:sad: with tension hooks falling off, when you put them away.              all the best  Kevin

Hi Kevin

Short answer is no they do not use NEM pockets.

I don't want to put you off but there is a fair bit of work and time involved in changing to any type of coupling other than those provided by the manufacturers. DG's are my coupling of choice because they are very reliable (but not 100%) for exhibition use. If they don't work using the electro magnets they are also very easily operated but hand of God using a stick with a small magnet attached.

DG's come on an etched brass fret of 8 pairs of coupling.You have to cut them out, fold them up and make the loop(s). You then have to find a way of mounting them at a standard height, which means you need to build a jig. Fitting often means cutting off the original coupling mounts and is pretty much a point of no return process.

There is a recent thread here which gives more info and where you can get them from.

http://yourmodelrailwa…=14&highlight=DG+coupling

Some locos and stock with bogies can be tricky to fit and require some lateral thinking, but I haven't found an item of stock yet that I couldn't fit one to.

I have some photos somewhere of how I've fitted the couplings to stock. When I find them I'll post them up.

Hi A K A. Woody.      Thank you for your reply,you might have saved my bacon. I would have thought that with so many Manufacturers using NEM pockets, that would give D G more incentive and more trade.
The tip for Neodymium magnets is as Mentioned in the thread good some times, so I will have to persist.  all the best Kevin

DG's pre-date NEM standards by some years I suspect and are a product of one of the many cottage industries that sprung up to serve finescale modellers who were dissatisfied with the ready to run offerings many years ago. DG do not exist as a company as far as I know the etches being sold through Wizard Models for some time.

NEM standards are only of use if you are going to replace the couplings with another RTR manufacturers offerings. e.g. tension locks to Kadees, Bachmann to Hornby etc

DG's like Dinghams, Lincs, Sprat and Winkle, Alec Jackson, B&B and a number of others specialist couplings will always require butchering of RTR stock to convert them. Probably why most stock on finescale layouts is kit built.

Regarding the staple trick, you have to make sure the hook isn't itself magnetic. On a lot of Hornby's large couplings, the hook is ferrous metal, which means that any magnet would just keep the hook closed.

You could try popping a Hornby hook out, gluing it to a bit of equal-thickness plastic, trace-cutting the plastic around it, and then carefully prying the remaining plastic off to make a replacement hook.

Hi Zelda the Swordsman.     Thank you for your reply, but my main problem with tension lock was the hooks falling off. I have purchased my first Kadee couplers, but, I haven't had a chance to work on them yet.:oops: all being well, " I will get back into my stride" soon.:???:
        all the best Kevin