Invisible Uncoupling On A Budget - Model Railway Tutorial!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 вер 2020
- A simple way to install invisible uncouplers on your model railway on a budget!
Here's a very quick video where I demonstrate the remote uncoupling method I use for hands off shunting on my micro layout. No special couplings or drilling holes and wiring electromagnets under the track. Perfect for beginners, this technique will take you less than 5 mins using stuff you probably already have in your house so it's great for those on a budget. Best of all it's almost invisible once installed!
Thanks for watching!
Great idea, something I'll going to try on my layout. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing, great to hear it's provided some inspiration! It's definitely worth experimenting with, so good luck. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching 😃
A simple yet effective solution at no cost and does not detract from the scenery, excellent !!
That was my goal in a nutshell 😁 Given the reaction I've had on this video I'd say I've succeeded! Thanks for watching 👍
excellent idea thank you. Can't believe that nobody has come up with a really effective unobtrusive uncoupling design in the past 60+ years !
My pleasure. There are a few ideas out there, I've seen some involving magnets but there are very few that work without modifying the coupling in some way. Thanks for watching 😃
I've been using this method for years. It just works. Also works with the hook and loop continental style couplers I use on my Sprinter units (less obtrusive). Another tip is to glue the plastic strip to one end of a Peco loco lift, making it easy to separate and pick up rolling stock from the layout.
Yeah it's so simple I'm amazed more people don't use this on their own layouts. Thanks for watching 😃
i do enjoy watching tutorials its surprising what can be used on a layout, but how cheap it can be done which makes modelling even more enjoyable
Paul
Great video - very professional and easy to watch. Look forward to more!
Really glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 😁
Such a brilliant idea! This is going on my layout!
It is rather nifty isn’t it, hope it works well for you. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
This was helpful. I prefer this to the you tuber videos that go “ta da” and keep their work a secret like Mi6 😂 Much appreciated
Thanks, I agree! The whole point of a tutorial is that someone should be able to follow along and get similar results at the end of it so I'm glad you feel it was helpful. Thanks for watching 😃
what a brilliant discovery - will give this a go when building my next (first in about 20 years!) layout
It definitely adds another level of fun to a layout! Best of luck with your build David and thanks for watching 😃
I've used this on my little inglenook siding after seeing your video. Thank you for the great tip.
Oh, and your little peckett is just absolutely stunning! I'd love one.
Brilliant, really glad to hear that! Yes the Peckett's are gorgeous aren't they... I'm fighting the urge to get another! Thanks for watching 😃
You're my new favourite model railway channel! Finally another young person like me doing the job right 🙌🙌🙌
Awesome, really great to hear that Matthew! For the most part I’m just bumbling my way along and learning as I go but it’s encouraging to know others enjoy what I’m doing - especially if it keeps more of us younger modellers engaged in the hobby. Thanks for watching 😃
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. I shall try this on my N-gauge track. Cheers, Jim L
Absolutely, there's lots of fancy ways of uncoupling locos out there but this is well worth a go regardless of whether you're on a budget or not. Best of luck trying it out with N Gauge, be sure to let us know how it goes! Thanks for watching 😃
Brilliant idea, no bulgy devices and no need to refit all your cars with Kadee which can be expensive.
It's definitely a good way of adding another level of operation to a layout without too much fuss. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy What can I say, I love simplicity.
The only way I can do it now in N is with a Simplex loco, helpful but you can only uncouple a complete set of cars.
What a simple but ingenious idea well thought out
And thanks for sharing
I definitely can't take full credit for it! I think the idea has been around for decades but I'd never seen anyone do a video on it so I thought it was worth sharing. Thanks for watching 😃
Great idea, well described especially pros and cons. Got me thinking now. As previous comments, I use a home made shunters pole which works well, but introducing an invisible un-coupler could work in certain sidings. Thanks for the share. All the best. Brian @The Angels.
Amazing, yes it definitely works best in selected sidings where you know you're always coupling in the same place. But I'd say it's definitely worth a go, after all what have you got to loose? Thanks so much for watching! 👍
Very good video, a good tip for uncoupling the wagons,. Thank you for sharing. Greetings from Portugal. 😉👍
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 😃
Thank-you.
Very best wishes,
John
Glad you enjoyed it John. Thanks for watching 😃
Really interesting video! 😀
I personally use Kadee couplings however they can be quite an expense when you have to go and convert every coupling!
I think this method looks great and would work fantastic on those more budget shunting layouts or even a modern container depot! 😀👍
Good work!
Thanks! I can definitely see why lots of people switch to different couplings 😆 Thankfully I've never had much of an issue with tension locks so that's why I've stuck with them. Yeah this is a great method for small shunting layouts where you're always uncoupling in the same place, and because it's so cheap you can make as many as you want!
Thanks for watching 😃
Brilliant, just tried this. Now I can get some shunting done at the far end of my track without having to stretch over. Thanks!
I shared my attempt on the British Railway Modelling Forum facebook.com/groups/137680486384860/permalink/1815993355220223/
This is amazing, you've really made my day there Russel! Have just watched your video on Facebook and it's great to see it working on your layout. Thanks for sharing it! 😃
That is a very good idea. Cheap & simple.
Thanks, it certainly adds an extra layer to running sessions - and anything that saves the pennies to be spent on more locos is fine by me! Thanks for watching 👍
I like my locos especially small ones. Another great video.
@@tomward3656 Definitely, the small ones make the layouts look bigger 😂 Thanks, really glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliantly simply!
Not bad is it and something everyone can easily give a go. Thanks for watching 😃
🤩 wow. I had in mind but never had actually tried it. I am planning to try track isolating using these transparent strips. Especially on curved tracks
Ooh interesting idea, let us know how you get on with that! Thanks for watching 😁
Thats well good, going to try that once I get the layout built , didn't think the wagons would stay coupled , thanks for the tip
Yeah it's a nifty little trick isn't it - I was surprised that something this simple worked so well to. Thanks for watching 😃
Thanks for the tipp! I vill try this on my layout!
Awesome, yeah it’s very easy to give a go. Good luck and thanks for watching 😃
This is a good trick thanks for teaching us about this
My pleasure, thanks for watching 🙂
Ah Ha! I just left a comment on another one of your videos wondering about this and luckily wound up here! Thank you!
Fantastic, really glad you found this video. I guess you'll have to start building that micro layout now! 😃
that is sooooo simple and dam brilliant well done
Thanks! I can't take credit for the original idea (it's been around a while) but actually showing it in practice wasn't something I'd seen in a video before. Thanks for watching 😃
Good tip - use straws for drainpipes and guttering on buildings. Wooden barbecue skewers good for telegraph poles etc
simple and effective
What a great idea 👍👍
Neat isn't it! And easy to install on pretty much any layout, just takes a bit of practice to achieve the desired effect. Thanks for watching 😃
Simple, but very effective. 👍
Yep! And it's very satisfying to watch your loco uncouple from some wagons without any intervention. Thanks for watching 😃
Precisely what I needed, thank you \m/
Fantastic! Hope it works well for you and thanks for watching 😃
Great tip just found your channel and subbed you .
You have got some great videos out there
Thanks, that's awesome! I'm still fairly new to this but have lots of ideas for the future so hopefully videos will start coming out more regularly. Hope you enjoy the videos to come 😃
Brilliant just brilliant thank you
Thanks Brian, really glad you found it useful! Thanks for watching 😃
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I tried it today. I think the plastic I used was TOO STRONG as it pushed my wagons into the air rather than uncoupling them. However, I persevered with your advice and opened up the wagons, put 6x2p coins in each if them and the problem was solved. Furthermore.....the wagons do not derail so much on the points as they are carrying that extra weight. I love the fact that your system is invisible.... Thank yoh very much!
Hi John, great to hear you tried this out. A little bit of trial and error is inevitable considering everyone's layout is different but it sounds like you've got it working now and it's great to hear that it's potentially solved your derailing issue too. Thanks for watching 😃
That’s brilliant!
Thanks Richard, sometimes the simple ideas are the best. Thanks for watching 😃
Excellent so simple
It really is, and very easy to put into practice too so perfect for beginners! Thanks for watching 👍
great video, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it Andy, thanks for watching 😃
Really liked the video, a really impressive tip. All I tend to use when uncoupling rolling stock and locos is a paper clip with the end bent straight. I push the straight end be tween the two tension lock couplings and pull up, I guess it works a bit like a shunters Pole. However it doesn’t give off the same seamless effect as yours.
Funnily enough I use a paperclip too if I ever need to uncouple somewhere unexpected! I almost included it in the video but wanted to keep this one to the point, but it's definitely a great alternative. But yes, I do enjoy the illusion you get with remote uncoupling! Thanks for watching 😃
If you can get thinner acetate sheet it will bend for the chassis of the Ruston whilst still providing enough resistance to raise the hooks. I found some from the side of a strawberry punnet that seemed to work pretty well.
Good to know! Thanks for watching 😃
Great idea I have already seen 3/5 times. You already have pointed the main advantages (costs nothing, reliable, barely visible, zero modifications to rolling stock or extremely minor), I have found another one : works with any mecanical locking by vertical motion couplers. That includes HO standard and my choice, the Roco Universal. I'm convinced, use for me granted.
Awesome, I'm so glad people continue to watch this video and are inspired to give it a go themselves. So great that you've found it to have so many benefits for you, I still think the fact that anyone can try it out with minimal effort is a big advantage. Thanks for watching 😃
Very clever!
You could probably cut the pieces with a more narrow "waist" in the middle and have them still work them same.
Starting building a Timesaver plus a Ingelnook Wye shunting layout in N scale.
I'm planning on using small stepper motors from Aliexpress to control turnouts and magnet uncouplers for Micro-Trains couplers.
Thanks! Yep there's lots of ways to experiment with it so it's really a case of trying it and figuring out what works best in each situation.
Best of luck with your N Gauge layout, sounds very exciting! I have a video coming out later this week about the Inglenook puzzle so it's funny you should mention that. Thanks for watching 😃
Very useful, thanks for that
Great to hear that Kevin! Thanks for watching 😃
Thanks! Really useful tutorial
Awesome, glad you found it useful!Thanks for watching 😃
Awesome, glad you found it useful!Thanks for watching 😃
When you accidentally find genius on youtube... I've never been interested in model trains until I somehow came across this vid and saw this.
Well played.
Now back to my normal UA-cam viewing.
Haha! Brilliant, well I'm glad you found it interesting when you stopped by. Thanks for watching 👍
Thank you, to all of you A Merry Xmas
Thanks for this
Might give it a try
Awesome, hope it works as well for you as it has for me! Thanks for watching 😃
Fantastic thank you very much congratulations
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and Merry Christmas 🎅
Good short video, thumbs up :)
Yep, just a quick little tip to give people ideas to try out on their own layouts. Thanks for watching 😃
Very clever ..like it
Thanks David, it's certainly not an original idea from me (it's been around for years!) but glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching 😃
I've just discovered your channel, and this video, after searching YT for "uncoupling Hornby tension lock". I've tried Kadees - closer coupling but getting the height right even with their height gauge is "hit and miss". I've tried Peco and Hornby units. AND NOW I'VE FOUND THIS! It's virtually invisible, it seems to be idiot-proof (I'll let you know after my own experiments!), and it uses left-overs from other purchases. Thank you!
Having done my own research I can say it's definitely idiot-proof! 😅 But yes it's a very easy way of getting uncoupling on a layout without much fuss. It might take a bit of adjusting initially but once you got the height/length of the strip dialled in it opens up a whole new world of operations. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy An update for you. I've now installed two of these devices, and tested them. As the old 'FINDUS FISH' advert used to say, "Success on a plate". I thought that dealing with seven sleepers (ties in American) in the mix would suffice, the plastic under 1 and 7, but over 2 > 6., with the same crescent shape as you use. I found that the eight sleepers arrangement you use is better, because the radius is not as severe, and eleven is even more so. The plastic is under 1 and 11, but over 2 > 10. 😀😀
Nice one
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching 😃
This is going to work very well on the shunting puzzle I am building. Has all the necessary ingredients - quick, invisible, cheap.
Absolutely, it definitely adds another layer of fun to a shunting puzzle and is the sort of thing that can be added straight away without much fuss. Thanks for watching 😃
Brilliant
Glad you think so! Thanks for watching 😃
Great idea well thought-out, you probably weren't aware, and I'm trying to recall it's name, but a layout that appeared in a couple of books and RM used the same system - but that was in the 1970s lol!
Thanks! I wasn't aware of that specific layout but I knew it was a technique that modellers have been using for years on lots of different layouts. I had just never seen anyone make a video about it which is why I did, seeing as it's what I use myself. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy hi, great idea, good to get it out there, kind of you to video the process and take time - cracking video and sequence etc.
Very interesting idea 💡 👍 I’m not sure it would work for me, as I have fully ballasted rails and relex-couplings, but I might find a solution based on your idea. Thanks for sharing this video 👍
Thanks, I'm not really that familiar with reflex couplings but hopefully this video has given you some ideas that you can adapt for your own situation. Thanks for watching 😃
clever !!
After experimenting a bit I've found 2 litre pop bottles to be the perfect plastic for both rigidity and also the natural curve reduces the chances that it'll ping out of the track when under tension.
Fantastic, that's great to know for future reference! Thanks for sharing that with us and thanks for watching 😃
Great idea...
I've been using this method for a while now. I started out using Peco uncouplers but found that my DMU and some of my diesel locos didn't like them. I've actually made mine quite a bit longer than yours appear to be. IRC I cut the strips 120mm long. This allows the decoupler to deform more easily when a loco passes over it but still gives enough "lift" for uncoupling. The other thing I'll mention is don't make the strip too narrow otherwise the wagon's coupler might miss it. I've made mine 11mm wide which seems to be wide enough and still gives clearance each side for wheels. I've even got these decouplers installed successfully on curves.
Awesome! Good to know there are others out there using this technique 👍 Yeah I definitely found the Peco (and Hornby) ramps a bit frustrating and so far this has been a good alternative. It’s definitely all about experimenting with the different lengths and heights to see what works best for each layout and the beauty of it is that if you mess one up it’s easy to make another. Thanks for watching 😃
Super ! Je vais essayer en HO Français. Merci pour le Tuto ;)
Awesome, let us know how you get on! Glad you found the tutorial useful and thanks for watching 😃
Terrific idea . Thanks for sharing. Nice factory building in the background, scratch built or...?
Thanks! I wish I could scratch build something to that standard! 😆 It's a card kit from Scale Model Scenery - they've got lots of great kits so well worth having a look through their website. Thanks for watching.
Tried this today and it works perfectly. I had to stick a track pin by the sleeper on either end as the plastic kept slipping under the sleeper, but once I did it was fine.
Brilliant, so glad to hear that it's worked so well for you! Happy shunting and thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy That's not to say there were no moments of frustration. I must have put down about half a dozen bits of plastic and then been unable to see where in the ether they had disappeared to. I expect they'll turn up.
Great idea. But, I'll have to buy something in a blister pack! :)
That shouldn't be too hard, seems like everything comes packaged like that these days 😂 Thanks for watching 👍
This clever little uncoupler isn't new but the ones I saw at my mrc meets had a ramp bowing up but had the ends bent flat to the sleepers and one end fixed and the other end allowed to slide and flatten , this will allow all stock to ride over the ramp without jumping up and sticking...
Hope this helps ..
Ah interesting, that's a really neat little solution! Mine are just temporarily wedged under the sleepers on this particular layout but that's certainly a good fix for something more permanent in the future. Thanks for sharing! 👍
I was using this system back in the late 60s/early 70s when the tension lock became common
That's awesome Barry! Just goes to show the best ideas are often the ones that stand the test of time. Thanks for watching 😃
what a great idea and low budget to boot well 0 budget
It's certainly a easy way to add a bit more fun to a layout and like you say costs nothing either - which is a rarity in this hobby! Thanks for watching 😃
Hi, I have seen this type of de-coupler once before in a photo of someone's layout. Just wondering if it'll work for N gauge?? Love the videos and I'm also building a modular layout x
Hi Christine, it might well work with N Gauge but I imagine the tolerances would be even tighter. The beauty of this is you can just cut up a spare bit of packaging and give it a go, it doesn’t cost anything! Thanks for watching and best of luck with your own modular layout 😃
do you think this will work with Marklin close couplers on M track, or maybe a modified version of it because Marklin trains use a center rail electrical pickup for power. Marklin is just the brand I have and I wanted to see if this would work.
Hmm, I don't have any experience with Marklin close couplers so I don't know to be honest. You're probably best just to give it a go and see what happens. You may need to experiment and adapt a bit, especially with the centre rail, but if you've got a spare bit of packaging lying around it's not going to cost you anything to find out. Thanks for watching!
Would it be possible to use a glued pile of ballast to function as an uncoupler?
Hmm interesting idea. I suppose in theory it would work, my worry is that you’d have to get the height and shape perfect the first time as there’s no room for error or adjustment. Thanks for watching 😃
That’s a proper “kiss” idea. Epic.
(Keep It Simple Stupid)
Thanks, yeah it really is! The whole layout was almost built around that ethos as I just wanted something up and running fairly quickly. Thanks for watching 😃
This was standard on Triang TT railways almost 60 years ago. I thought it was obtrusive and anything but invisible.
Fair enough, it's all down to personal preference so each to their own. For me I find a strip of transparent plastic is much less noticeable than the uncoupling ramps from Peco and Hornby (and more reliable too 😂) Thanks for watching.
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy Sixties years ago, both Triang TT and OO/HO had non transparent sprung uncoupling ramps for sale. So much more expensive and visible than your method. Although this method has also been around nearly as long, it is nearly forgotten with the trend to just run fixed rakes round and round.
I haven't seen a better method suggested for tension lock couplings.
I say @ Dave Day is back. Never a positive word to say.
@@Haymarket47 The problem eith TT was that it tended to lift the stock off the track. In a positive manner of course. Peco used to make such a device, but it was much too strong for TT.
I've been toying with it today and have put down about half a dozen bits of plastic and then not been able to find where I've put them. Your eyesight is better than mine.
Gave it ago Saddly didn't work for me as my loco kept hitting it and derailing but they are all low body so going try magnets
Ah sorry to hear that. Yeah like I showed in the video it can be a bit of a problem for smaller locos like the Ruston. You can try adjust the height though, you’d be surprised how little you actually need to push up the hooks. Thanks for watching 😃
any ideas for N gauge?
It's not really my area of expertise but I've heard people say good things about the Dapol Easi-Shunt couplers. Hope that helps and thanks for watching 😃
Genius, apart from the poor little ruston 😂👍
Haha, I know! It’s just so tiny! Thanks for watching 😁
I tried to make this work but failed. I modified a piece of Kato n gauge track by cutting a couple of slits in the base and putting a plastic strip between. The trains derailed each time so I abandoned it
Sorry to hear that Andrew. Were you trying it out with N gauge then? Maybe adding some weight would stop the derailments but I wouldn't have thought it would work in that scale anyway since the couplings are completely different. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy its kato n gauge that I use. I have a variety of stock. Kato and Fleischman. The coupling pushed up but derailed the stock.
great video, thank you
You're welcome, thanks for watching! 😃