Uncoupling help

psocks

New Member
Okay I need some assistance here. I have 2 young daughters who run trains on my layout with me. They are so engrossed in what they are doing they will not give the throttle up for me to uncouple cars. That means a magnetic undertrack uncoupler is out. I use Kadee couplers exclusively. What other options are available to me. Can I make anything that would help. Please advise.
Pete
 

psocks

New Member
Oh I don,t mean while it is moving. I mean while the train is stopped. I don't care for the little forward/reverse tricks you have to play to get the under track uncouplers to work. i was wondering if perhaps a tool made with a nail that pryed the couplers apart or something of that nature.
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
psocks said:
i was wondering if perhaps a tool made with a nail that pryed the couplers apart or something of that nature.

It is the bamboo skewer, available in packs of 100+ from the dollar store... If you want to spend bug money, Micro-mark makes a steel version.

Andrew
 

SAL Comet

Member
psocks said:
Oh I don,t mean while it is moving. I mean while the train is stopped. I don't care for the little forward/reverse tricks you have to play to get the under track uncouplers to work. i was wondering if perhaps a tool made with a nail that pryed the couplers apart or something of that nature.

Just pokin' a little fun there, psocks. The bamboo skewers that Andrews' talking about work good, 100 for 99cents at the big chain groceries. I've also been using them to experiment with scratchbuilding wood pile trestles in HO
 

psocks

New Member
Would these bamboo skewers be the same thing as what I picked up at the Dollar Tree this weekend. I got a pack of 100 sandwich toothpicks. They are about 3 inches long. I was using these to make HO scale 4x4s for my lumber mill. :thumb:
 

SAL Comet

Member
The skewers are about 8" long x 1/8" thick. There for cooking kabobs. Any thin, pointy tool will work. Stick the point into one the couplers at the U shape and twist the stick in the direction that will open the "hook"
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Another easy to make inexpensive tool uses a 4"-6" long piece of dowel with a hole drilled in one end and a piece of small piano wire glued into the hole. The piano wire should stick out about 3" and be bent into a z shape at the end. With this tool, you can "hook" the uncoupling lever of the Kaddees and easily uncouple the cars.
 

rksstl

Member
I've been using bamboo skewers taped to a LED stream lite to uncouple my n scale cars. Works great and the added light don't strain the eyes.
 

CalFlash

Member
rksstl said:
I've been using bamboo skewers taped to a LED stream lite to uncouple my n scale cars. Works great and the added light don't strain the eyes.
Good idea. I have a small screwdriver with a light built in and am going to try to convert it to an uncoupling tool.
 
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