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Check out this demo of Sergent HO scale operating couplers. Expert model railroader Pelle Søeborg uses operating couplers made by Sergent Engineering. To uncouple cars, an operator holds a magnetic wand over the coupler. Pelle demonstrates the Sergent couplers installed on a freight train rolling along his HO scale Union Pacific Daneville Subdivision model railroad.
Wow I thought that was a real train! It even had a slight reverse when it stopped.
I have a question how do the coupler unconnected
The Video was not as informing as it could be. Pelle's modeling is quite enjoyable to look at. I have too many Kadees to change and would not be advisable at my age.
Great uncoupling tool!
the sergent couplers are great! if a person was young and starting out in the hobby and understood the cost of equipping 200 or so freight and passenger cars and 10 or 20 engines this would definitely be the way to go for couplers. being older and having all your equipment with Kadee's makes you think twice before changing to this system
I must look to see if these couplers and the system exists for G scale. I run a ground level all-live-steam garden railroad and love to do operations. With a L-O-N-G wand, this would be great. The couplers would have to stand the rigors of outdoor use, especially weather.
If someone out there remembers the old DeVore couplers , I think they were more of an answer/solution to a lot of these problems. At their time they were compatible with the popular Kadee, and you needed no magnets at all to open them. A simple tool or stick of almost any nature worked by just pushing up on the trip pin and it opened a knuckle anywhere you could reach. To couple just back onto a car with an open knuckle. They were pretty scale in size also. Bring back DeVore!
To D J Danitz:
No. In fact, you're commenting on a video on our regular website. There's a higher-resolution version on MRVP, but our regular magazine subscribers still get as many videos on ModelRailroader.com as they did before.
So what, now all videos are MR Video Plus?
Has anyone combined the Sargent couplers with the NARCorp air hoses? Curious to know how prototypical this would look.
The problem with the idea of under-track uncouplers is that there is no way to "repel" the ball bearing that releases the knuckles. Magnets only repel other magnets. The ball-bearing in the couplers is not itself a magnet; it's just steel. That's why a magnetic wand is needed to attract it from above. Trying to make a tiny metal ball into a magnet, and keeping that ball from rotating in its socket to point the wrong way around so it would be attracted instead of repelled by the under-track magnet, would be impossible.
This would be my suggestion: find/get/make an ELECTRO-magnet that repels the ball bearing when energized – make/get it strong enough that it does move the ball bearing but is weak enough that it does NOT move/lift the car. After the ball bearing is lifted (I read in the introduction and somewhere else)(and watched as Pelle TURNED the wand) have the magnet turn slightly so the knuckle opens and then pull away leaving the knuckles in the open position.
This solution would generate problems of its own – knuckles not being open when they should and extra uncouples being needed to mention only a couple. However, we have adjusted to the non-prototypicality of pulling forward to allow a delayed coupler to disengage and then backing up to re-engage in the delayed alignment, why would it be so hard to have to uncouple in certain places? If the price of the electro-magnet could be reduced enough, or with the use of magnetic flux guides, most of the locations for couplers on a siding could be turned into uncoupling points.
I do not have the funds to pursue this, so I mention it here so someone might be able to make it commercially feasible. I remember the old O scale tinplate Lionel couplers that operated by pulling down to open. If i remember right they too had the problem of not coupling if on knuckle was not open; same principle, but opposite direction of pull.
I too am not keen on the big hand in the sky. Nothing ruins an operation worse than having to lean over the layout and decend upon the scene like the jolly green giant. I'll stay with Kadee and continue to make my own electromagnetic devices.
I have used Sargent couplers for some time now with great success and with less problems that are involved with KD's, Once the couplers are built (albeit Fiddly, build one you can build hundreds)and placed on a model car they will make it "POP" and the small amount of work is all worth it, Pelle has chosen well because he models as close to prototype as possible, now in response to the Big Hand, is this not done with KD's?, and I cannot exactly see a giant trip pin and spring prototypical on a model freight car? The uncoupling process with a magnetic wand can also be compared to the prototype. The couplers have a delayed feature so to speak, "Tap" the magnet over the coupler the ball bearing internally is pulled to the top of the coupler and thus remains open or unlocked until recoupled just like the real thing. I also add working air lines involving scale size nylon thread and fridge magnet material, there is no more work involved than with other brands. Don't be wary of trying scale couplers, get a few, give them a go and I bet you will end up doing the whole fleet…..
I am an n-scaler and so do not have this option. But you have to admit that operating prototypical knuckle couplers are awesome. Should I ever decide to get into HO, I would definitely use these couplers just for the realism stand point. They also make you take that extra step while operating to make sure you have open knuckles just like a real railroader has too.
I agree with Fred Barrett. Kadees have always worked well with very few issues. Spring replacement requiring good eyes being their biggest drawback, but they are worth it to me.
In process of switching everything to kadee ( mostly no. 5 ) . Into it half way now , so I will continue . All I know is they operate fine and last . Your hands on uncoupling looks no different than mine .
That was a totally useless video.
These couplers would be great for a shelf layout or any layout where you don't need to reach very far into the layout. There are several places on my layout were a long reach is inconvenient. My Kadee uncoupling magnets solve that problem. I'll stay with the Kadee couplers.
Agree that the video really doesn't "showcase" this product very well.
Personally, we've used Micro Trains N scale couplers on our HO rolling stock for "scale appearance" for many years, with under track magnets in yards, skewers [think brakeman manually uncoupling consist] out on the mains.
"if it ain't broke, don't fix it…"
I only watched the video to get another glimpse of Pelle's outstanding layout, trains and weathering! The sound of the UP SD40-2 was awesome as well! Being an avid N scaler, even if they brought these new couplers out in N scale, I would stick with the tried and true, good old Micro-Trains!
The uncoupling seems a little difficult. I did some checking and found out that the magnet pulls the steel bearing up to unlock the coupler. Could a small magnet that repels be placed on the ties to force the ball up to uncouple when there is a slack between the cars? If not all cars will have to uncoupled manually, bummer
Have been changing over to these as time and money permits, they are made in Knoxville, TN, and are extremely reliable. They also make all the variations of the real type E, F, and H couplers, and are working on other variations for passenger cars and other long cars. I agree, though, the video is quite lacking in showing the whole process of coupling and uncoupling. If Mr Popp wanted to convert the Virginian layout to them, I would be willing to help……
Have read in depth about these before. You do not have to hold
the magnet stick in place as the train moves. These couplers
nicely mimic the real thing! When can we see them in n-scale?
It would have been nice to see more of them and how they function in the video. Google or Bing them for more in depth
info.
I agree with others viewing this video; not much to see. Looks like any other uncoupling method using a skewer, etc. The article in the magazine, however, does provide some insight as to the workings and characteristics of the couplers. I also agree; with no compatibility with Kadees, the initial expense, and the reliability issues, I too will stick with Kadees! The "delayed" feature alone is worth a little departure from actual scale, plus being cheaper overall, I think.