# Kadee couplers and magnets



## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

So I installed some kadee #5 couplers on a few of my cars. And one on one of my loco's. I then taped a magnet to the under side of some road bed Ez track. Coupler action works great. But on the cars that have steel plates for the chassis they tend to stop or uncouple if going to slow over the magnet.


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## fcwilt (Sep 27, 2013)

Kadee makes an electro-magnet uncoupler as a possible solution to your problem.

Another solution is to devise a method to raise/lower the magnet.


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## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

Well I was just looking to find out if others had the same issue with theirs. I am fairly certain that the magnets I am using are too powerful.


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## johnfl68 (Feb 1, 2015)

Sounds like you are using your own magnets?

As I recall the Kadee bar magnets have a special polarity different than normal magnets. One side is N and the other is S :

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
==============
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Normal bar magnets have one end is N and the other is S:

N============S
N============S
N============S

This may be part of your issue.


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## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

Was just thinking this. I should be able to rotate the magnets 90deg. Will try it latter today.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Usually the under track magnets are used on yard tracks or spurs only. If you
install them on a 'through' track you will have accidental uncoupling often.
Kadee makes an electromagnet uncoupler for main line tracks. You push
a panel button to uncouple.

Don


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## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

Thanks for that info. These magnets are from work they are part of a seatbelt detect sensor. Right now they are just taped to the under side of the Ez track.


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