I have a variety of rolling stock on my layout, much of it quite old; about 25-30 years old!

The old Hornby and Dapol tension lock couplings prevail. I don't like  the look of them. I saw them described somewhere once as being a Volvo bumper and a harpoon! Nor do I like the intrusive sprung uncoupling ramps  used to operate them.

Initially I was drawn to the Kadee couplings, but decided they were a bit more expensive than I wished.

The new(ish) Bachmann 'mini' coupling seemed to be the answer. I bought a  trial packet of 36-026 Long Couplings and set about replacing some of  the Dapols. This turned out to be very quick and easy.

I  wanted magnetic uncoupling so I searched the internet for a solution to the problem and found this:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=35605&sid=3a073858b91b102f531b2b61caad3da1

It seemed to be the answer so I converted a pair of the new Bachmann  couplings, found an old pair of door-catch magnets and tried it out.   Here is a video showing them in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frKW5ZNeduY

I think I can still improve them a little by adjusting the metal drop  link to find the optimum position, but so far they work well.

Sorry if it looks as though they're on a slope, I guess the bench isn't too level, and nor was the camera!

The important thing is that the coupling hooks are not the metallic ones. The staples are glued in place with gel super glue.

I have since purchased two lots of magnets via eBay; some small round neodymiums and some rectangular ceramic ones. After testing them both, I've decided to use the ceramic ones. I have still to decide whether to use two or three in a block though. A bit more testing coming up!

Perry

That's spooky - I've just recommended exactly the same thread to John Flann…

I use a version of this - all my stock is handed, so only have one hook, but two loops, and I only use one magnet.

It works a treat :thumbs

I considered 'handing' my stock but decided against it mainly because I will be running two locos on the goods yard/shunting puzzle layout and they will need to be able to couple to either end of the wagons.

It's certainly a neat and effective method though. :thumbs

Perry

The locos are handed too - if I want to turn them around, I just swap the two couplings over.

:thumbsExcellent solution and Link Perry, I was toying with the idea of 3-link but with my eyesight I would probably knock the wagons over with the shunting pole.

[user=477]shunter1[/user] wrote:

:thumbsExcellent solution and Link Perry, I was toying with the idea of 3-link but with my eyesight I would probably knock the wagons over with the shunting pole.

A couple of things eventually made me abandon this system in favour of Kadee's. Firstly, the superglue didn't hold the staples in place very well. If I tried to adjust the bends in the staples slightly, they often fell off, and being rather ham-fisted, I found that adjustments were often needed - too often for my liking.

Maybe the superglue issue was down to me too. It probably was. I never seem to get anything to stick properly with it. :???:

Some people have had a great deal of success with the staples and are entirely happy with them. They're certainly a lot cheaper than Kadees, but Kadees have one big over-riding benefit for me; they allow stock to be dropped off at locations other than directly over the magnets - which the staple method obviously doesn't.

Let us know how you get on with the staple system if you decide to go with it.

Perry

Hi Perry,

Like you I have old Hornby, Dapol and Bachmann rolling stock which I would like to convert

Is there a source of information  the best Kadee uncoupler to use on specific tpes of couplers or is it just down to trial and error? 

Dave, I am currently working on the June Monthly project - Kadee couplers. For the majority of goods stock especially Bachmann, #5 or #148 serve most. There are a few links in the Index of Kadee as well but in the main, trial & error.
Also under the Hornby & Bachmann & other brands headings, a  few threads on conversion are there to be read.

Thanks Sol,

I have had a few goes at replacing the large old style couplings that adorn old wagons and carriages - and  some of the more recent smaller versions that predate NEM  but have not been successful in getting a kadee coupling that is both in the right position and is robust enough to withstand anything other than a "kid glove" approach to handling

I look forward to your project which I am sure will generate a lot of interest.