# Kato N scale couplers



## Big_Steve (Feb 21, 2016)

Just got my track and train. M1 track kit, and Bluebonnet freight train. Couple of questions......

I got about 10 magnetic trip pins. The train is the engine plus 4 cars. Do you put a pin in each coupler in each car? Do I even need them right now? I'm only running the oval for awhile.

How do you uncouple cars? I can't get anything in there small enough to uncouple them. Of course, all I have to do is lift one car a 1/8 inch and they decouple. But it seems like there must be a better way. 

Thanks.


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## MRLdave (Nov 1, 2011)

The pins are for magnetic uncoupling (magnets placed under the track) and if you were using that method you would need a pin in every coupler. If not, the pins can be left out......they tend to cause problems (like low pins hanging up on turnouts) and many people remove them from cars that come with the pins installed.

There are "uncoupling tools" that are designed to slip between cars and uncouple them. Many people make their own from skewers, swizel sticks, coffee stirrers, ect. but I can't help you with the modifications............I run mostly at our club NTRAK setups and that's pretty much "build a train, run it around the layout for a while, then put it back in the box" so I pretty much use the "lift the car till it uncouples" method.


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## Viperjim1 (Mar 19, 2015)

Yes a pin goes in every coupler and you bend them carefully with a pair of needle nose pliers as to not break the coupler and I believe the setting is .015 thousandths of an inch between the bottom of the pin and the top of the track as to not catch on the turnouts and such.


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## dd1228 (Jan 26, 2015)

I use a toothpick to uncouple my cars. No problem!!!


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2016)

You only need the trip pins for magnetic uncoupling. Many N scalers don't use magnets as they can be unreliable uncoupling cars when you don't want them to. I use a Rix Pix for manual uncoupling when switching industries. It's cheap and easy to use.


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## VegasN (Mar 14, 2016)

*Hmmmm*

I just might have to check into one of those.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

I've read and read about these Rix Pix, and the homemade versions, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out how they are used! Perhaps it's that I'm so shaky, I don't think I could use one without knocking the cars off the track. Or maybe I just don't understand them...


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## Ike8120 (Mar 5, 2016)

I use a bamboo skewer, you can get at the dollar store. Plus I use them for other things around the layout.


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## VegasN (Mar 14, 2016)

*Skewers?*

Skewers huh? I have some of those, I use them for posts......do you have to create a hook on one end? Or use it as is?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

The skewer works best if you file the point flat so it can
act like a key to open the knuckles. There's a knack to
it. Practice a bit and you'll get it.

Don


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