O Gauge Auto Couplings

[jcm@gwr]

On 24/10/2021 at 16:10, philsandy said:

 

Jeff, I know this post is going back a bit, but do you have a photo/drawing of this jig. I have made one myself but it's not really doing the job, and I've got about 50 wagons to fit.

 

Phil.

 

Phil, sorry it's taken so long to get back to you, but this last year has been a bit intense!

 

So I found the jig, it's obviously for 0 gauge, but the rule should also help anyone trying

to do other scales/gauges, hopefully.

[philsandy]

Thanks Jeff, but I gave up on the Lincs couplings, I could not get them to work consistently with permanent magnets. Wagons were uncoupling to often when being pulled them over the magnets. I'm sure they work very well using electro magnets.

I am now fitting Bachmann DMU couplings using Brian Kirby's method, less obtrusive than the standard TLC and work consistently.

[jcm@gwr]

I'm also not bothering to fit them anymore, I'll leave them on the stock for my shunting puzzle,

because it's dedicated stock, but the next layout will have S&W couplings.

[Barnaby]

The only time I had "random Uncoupling" was when I used incorrect magnets.  The ones suggested by the manufacturer work much better, that said with careful magnet positioning the electro-magnets work much more reliably.

I also simplified the construction after getting some assistant from a fellow modeler.   Basically the modification bends the wire hook in the same way but includes the pivot tube on the wire as it is being bent leaving all the bracketing off.

 

Pivot tube on wire hook >>>

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Barnaby

[jamest]

Hi,

 

Apologies if I am being stupid here - on the lincs system you can couple anywhere? It does not have to be over a magnet?

 

I see how the wire pulls down over a magnet to uncouple but I'm struggling to visualise how they push past each other to couple away from a magnet.

 

Regards,

James

[alant]

7 hours ago, jamest said:

Hi,

 

Apologies if I am being stupid here - on the lincs system you can couple anywhere? It does not have to be over a magnet?

 

I see how the wire pulls down over a magnet to uncouple but I'm struggling to visualise how they push past each other to couple away from a magnet.

 

Regards,

James

James,

It is possible to couple anywhere as the force of the hooks pushes each away when they are pushed together. In practice though you will have uncoupled over a magnet so one hook is normally held down.

One advantage is that it is possible to vertically lift a vehicle by hand from a train when in the fiddle yard for example.

Also if you have long trains the couplings act like 3 links in that each vehicle picks up in turn when pulling away.

[Donw]

On 14/01/2022 at 10:59, jamest said:

Hi,

 

Apologies if I am being stupid here - on the lincs system you can couple anywhere? It does not have to be over a magnet?

 

I see how the wire pulls down over a magnet to uncouple but I'm struggling to visualise how they push past each other to couple away from a magnet.

 

Regards,

James

 

Practically all autocouplings allow vehicles to be coupled without the need for a magnet. Usually the issue is that with very light free running vehicles they may move away rather than lift a loop or depress a hook whatever is need. This occurs with all sorts of autocouplings.  A cocktail stick is most useful discretely used it can stop a wagon from moving to couple or depress a hook where there is no magnet to uncouple.

 

Don 

[Izzy]

Having begun to struggle with 3-links in 4mm and tried S&W’s and now finding the same with 7mm I have found this thread most helpful in highlighting that the problems with using auto-couplings spans all scales and is broadly the same, as are the types/designs used. 
 

There doesn’t seem to be one single design/type that suits all users, but I have come to the conclusion that non-permanent magnets are better although not wishing to use electromagnets are investigating neodymium’s raised/lowered from underneath manually as an alternative. S&W’s might get used again.

 

Bob
 

 

[Donw]

2 hours ago, Izzy said:

Having begun to struggle with 3-links in 4mm and tried S&W’s and now finding the same with 7mm I have found this thread most helpful in highlighting that the problems with using auto-couplings spans all scales and is broadly the same, as are the types/designs used. 
 

There doesn’t seem to be one single design/type that suits all users, but I have come to the conclusion that non-permanent magnets are better although not wishing to use electromagnets are investigating neodymium’s raised/lowered from underneath manually as an alternative. S&W’s might get used again.

 

Bob
 

 

There is also the option of using a sliding process where a push or pull from the baseboard edge can move a magnet under or away from the track. Could be done with a servo. Usefull if the baseboard is fairly shallow. 

 

 

Don

[Izzy]

7 minutes ago, Donw said:

There is also the option of using a sliding process where a push or pull from the baseboard edge can move a magnet under or away from the track. Could be done with a servo. Usefull if the baseboard is fairly shallow. 

 

 

Don

Thanks Don, that’s an option to consider. I’ve used servos to raise/lower them in the past but want to get away from electrical means. 
 

Bob