As always deeply thought provoking with interesting practical solutions, i think you are the Leonardo of model railways Gormo, in fact you have left us model railway modellers a real legacy of brilliance for modellers the world over.
G`day germaneering, Thank you for your kind words, but I must say in all honesty, I am just an amateur inventor who get`s lucky sometimes. I am also happy to pass on anything that may interest people and I hope they get some value from it. Cheers Gormo
A great idea simplicity of use very effective and not obtrusive to the eye and for that type of coupling brilliant I will definitely give this ago , have used magnets for knuckles thanks for sharing 👍👍👍.
I have got to hand it to you Gormo, your inventiveness is very good for us with less imagination and engineering skills. I do like this idea and will try it but am not confident with my ability. If I succeed it will be a great addition to my layout with lots of shunting opportunities. Barry.Devon.
G`day Barry, Well I always reckon the best way to start anything new and untried is to have a test piece. In this case, a short length of test track separate from your layout to try things out. The worst that can happen, if things don`t work out, is that you will finish up with a small hole in your coupling.....no big deal really. Good luck with it mate. Cheers Gormo
I used your 3 link system on a rake of 16t steel coal wagons. They were built purposely to try the system. Works fine. This new one looks like a great compromise for some of my older stock. So I will have to have a go at this system too.
@@malcolmhodgson7540 Good on you Malcolm, I`m glad to hear that the three links were a success. I know I`m chopping and changing on this subject of couplings but it almost seems like the Holy Grail to me.....I seem to be on a quest to find the ultimate solution..??? Cheers Gormo
Works really well but what a faff! 😂 Surely just attaching the chain with the wire and using your original line of sunken magnets would work pretty well?
Looks great, Gormo. I would use 2 magnets and if you have problems seeing what you're doing then stick some visible markers on the outside of the track (in the ballast) to mark the ends of the magnets - maybe some pins with coloured plastic (or painted) heads, or a couple of bits of static grass if you are very fussy.
This could be your best yet.. Simple and effective, keeps the compatibility with stock that's not converted, which has always been key for me. Might just give it a go!
Thanks Scott, I`m trying to take it further.....have a couple of ideas worth exploring.....nothing tried yet...it`s all in my head at this stage. Cheers Gormo
Thanks Geoff, It`s good to keep the old grey matter turning over..........one day I`ll crack the big one whatever that is...LOL...????? Cheers Gormo
4 года назад
Thanks You for this tutorial, it's a fantastic system, i will try it with an european coupling. But there's something I don't understand in the video : Can you explain why when the wagons go right they don't uncoupled ? Mille merci. Claude (France)
G`day Claude, I hope you and your family are safe and well. The tension lock couplings have a hook shape ( [ ) at the very end of the coupling hook. When you pull the wagons the hooks go underneath the coupling bar and therefore prevent the coupling hook from lifting up. When you push the wagons the ends of the coupling hooks are clear of the coupling bar and are free to lift. Hope this helps All the best Cheers Gormo
That's superb. Very neat solution and much nearer scale. I use kadee couplings on freight stock - looks terrible but works well. However I think your idea would work really well for passenger stock. I'm going to have an experiment. See what you've done. I'll be on forever changing my stock now. LOL. Cheers
Thanks Bob, I think manufacturers could do this Bob.....however it needs further refinement and an idea for that popped into my head this morning.........so I want to think it through and we`ll see what happens.......this new refinement would need to be a production model so it`s not an easy build for me..........I`ll keep you guys posted. Cheers Gormo
That is neat. But can you help me out please as I'm having trouble working out how this functions. The un-coupling is straight forward and easy to understand. But how does the re-coupling work? Why are the cars un-coupling every time they pass over the magnets?
G`day The re-coupling will happen whenever the wagons are not over a magnet. If they are over the magnet, they need to be pushed along the track to a point where they are no longer over a magnet and at that point the couplings should drop back down and re-couple. The cars are only uncoupling over the magnet when they are pushed. When they are pulled across the magnet they hold in place against the coupling bar Hope this helps Cheers Gormo
@@greatchesterfordjunction Hi Gormo, thanks for the reply. I was confused because the un-coupling occurred sometimes when over the magnets but not at other times. I think the second part of your reply answers my confusion. That is that the tension from pulling the cars is enough to override the pull of the magnets. Therefore when pushing there is no friction and the magnets work but when pulling the friction is enough to overcome the pull of the magnets. Cheers Mick
Gormo after watching the staple system and the chain system which one have found is the superior? I built a system using a a 30 mm long brass strip pushed up with a peco point motor vertically mounted below but when activated it often kicks the wagons off the track, so I am looking to change my system looking at servo system but the price is a bit high!
I feel the chain system is superior both in looks and performance. The problem with it ,is getting it set up correctly so that the connecting wire moves freely through the coupling to raise the coupling bar and then of course drop it again. I feel the system needs more work to improve it. I don`t know exactly what it would take to make it bomb proof but there must be a way. That leads me to the staple system ,which is easier to set up and it works consistently. The down side is the appearance of the staple. So based on consistency ,I would have to say the staple is the most practical method of the two. Cheers Gormo
Nicely done once again Gormo! I am assuming (and double checking to be honest!) that this would only work with plasic coupling hooks? The metal ones would just mess up with the magnets? A great idea though! Cheers mate! Dom
G`day Rich, No not really.........I have parked it temporarily..........I`m trying to simplify this tension lock system to suit my little Grandsons. I think there is still some way to go as a new design popped into my mind this morning..........have to think it through first.???? The three links are ideally suited to an end to end set up and also more usable for adult operators so it`s not forgotten.....just set aside for a while. Cheers Gormo
