Uncoupling

[Johnboy99]

Hi All , Can you help I am not sure of the right procedure for uncoupling I have peco ones fitted to straight peco flex track do you back the waggon onto it then drive forward ? I had to tack out 2 sleepers to fit it in between the track but it do not lift the couplings very high any suggestions 

Thanks.

[LCDR]

 I am not sure which kind of coupling you are using.

 

True Peco couplings are like a crude knuckle coupling (a single piece)  which are pivoted under the wagon and swing sideways but are rigid in the vertical plane, these were fitted to Hornby Dublo, Trix, and Playcraft as well as Peco Wonderful Wagons.

 

However Peco also make an uncoupling ramp for use with 'tension lock' couplings which have evolved from Triang couplings and are now universally used by Hornby, Bachmann, Dapol, Heljan etc.  These have a loop or bar which is fixed at either end of the wagon, and a hook pointing downwards hinged under the wagon which drops over the loop or bar on the adjacent wagon.

 

These types operate in completely different ways.

 

The Peco knuckle has droppers which engage fixed ramps in the track which has to be raised and lowered deliberately to operate. When when it is raised, it engages the droppers pushing them aside, and moves the adjacent hooks to either side uncoupling the wagon. When the ramp is lowered the wagons will pass over without uncoupling.

 

The Tension Lock uses spring loaded ramps,  these are uncoupled when the hooks are lifted up by the ramp which is raised by the spring as the wagon passes over. The hooks are slotted so that if the couplings are in tension, rather than uncoupling the tails of the couplings push the ramp down against the spring. So to uncouple the coupling has to stop above the ramp and the wagons pushed together to release the tension and unlock the couplings.

[Chrissaf]

I think JohnBoy99 is talking about PECO SL-29 Tension lock uncouplers fitted to PECO SL-100 Flex track.

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PECO SL-29 in parts

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The SL-29 is a lightly sprung plate that normally rides high. The spring pressure is light enough that when tension locks (whether that be Hornby, Bachmann or other brands) pass over them IN TENSION then the SL-29 plate depresses and the coupled wagon / coaches pass over them.

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JohnBoy99 - How to Use....

When you want to uncouple, you stop the wagon / coaches such that the tension lock coupling is over the sprung plate. Reversing the loco slightly, puts the coupling in 'compression' which releases the tension lock hooks. The spring pressure in the plate is then able to lift the coupling hooks free of the coupling bar, allowing the front wagon / coach to pull away. Leaving the uncoupled wagon / coach behind.

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JohnBoy99 - How to Fit.....

I use PECO SL-29 de-couplers on PECO SL-100 Flex track and did NOT have to cut out any sleepers. Maybe your mod (which I think was unnecessary) has made the SL-29 sit lower than it needs to. The image below shows how mine are fitted.

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The arrows indicate where PECO track pins are used to hold the SL-29 decoupler in place. Notice how the fixing tabs fit between the sleepers, if the sleepers are spaced suitably. The sleepers are position adjustable on PECO SL-100 Flexi track. Thus, it is easy to move the sleepers slightly to create a gap for the SL-29 fixings to drop into.

/media/tinymce_upload/04aa83aa8bdb8c336382297fc0011440.JPG

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[Johnboy99]

Thankyou Gents ,

Thems the ones Chris , I did not know you used pins to hold them in I thought pressure held them in I will now try pinning them down 

Thanks again for your info.