Can I use permanent magnets with Dingham Autocouplers?
Only in certain circumstances, because all vehicles which are propelled over a permanent magnet will be uncoupled and will stay uncoupled. However, if there is a location on the layout where you always want to uncouple (e.g. a loco on a passenger train arriving in a terminal station), then it may be possible to use a permanent magnet. So long as the coupler is under tension as the train comes to a halt over the magnet, it will remain coupled. The loco should then be reversed about 3mm, when uncoupling will occur. This movement is quite prototypical because the loco would be reversed to compress the buffers so as to assist slackening and uncoupling of the screw-link coupler. There’s another way in which you might use permanent magnets. You could install a mechanism to raise and lower the magnet. This will need some experimentation to find the lowered position where the magnetic field is not strong enough to attract the dropper and actuate the couplings. The raised position should be as
