I’ve
had the chance to operate on layouts which used both magnetic uncouplers as
well as some sort of physical uncoupling tool.
For my money, a simple and cheap tool is better than investing in
pre-made plastic or metal tools, or installing magnetic uncouplers in multiple spots. A wooden skewer, poked between the couplers
and twisted to uncouple your cars, is the easiest, simplest and cheapest method
available in my opinion. Wooden skewers are easy to pickup at the grocery or craft store, cheap (my
bag of 100+ cost a little less than a dollar), easy to use, and if someone accidentally walks off with your uncoupling tool, you have an entire bag still waiting
for you.
The
other advantage I found with wooden skewers is that they are long enough to
make it easier to work with and they are cheap. I can locate them all
around the layout so there's always one within easy reach, and if one gets
damaged I don't care if it needs to be discarded and replaced.
Recently
I was watching a YouTube video of an operating sessions and I noticed that the
Bamboo skewer was enhanced with a Twist-on wire connector screwed onto the blunt
end. This allows for better grip. In order to keep the wire connector from accidentally falling off and onto your layout, I simply fill the cap with hot glue and twist it onto the skewer, thereby making it a permanent attachment. The cost for the caps, about $1.50 for 14 at the local hardware store.
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