new uncoupling pick holders

How's this for an arcane topic?: When you're at an operating session and need to uncouple a car, the last thing you need is to run around creation looking for an uncoupling pick. But the darn things are six inches long, so you don't really want them loose on the layout surface, or sticking up from car card boxes into the view of the layout. The solution (I think I read about it in one of the recent OPSIG issues of "The Dispatcher's Office" magazine) is a small tube with a fixed bottom, mounted to the layout low enough on the fascia that the picks inside won't stick up into the view of the layout. I was so excited about the upcoming operating sessions here as part of "SoundRails 2020" (cancelled now due to Coronavirus, oh, well) that I bit the bullet yesterday and built some and installed them on the layout. Will look forward to putting them to the test.

They're easy to build. I took some Evergreen Styrene 1/2" tube stock ($3.70), used a mitre box to cut them into equal lengths of about 3 1/2", cemented a piece of flat styrene on one end, trimmed it flush with a disc sander (carefully so as not to melt the plastic!), drilled a large hole in one side opposite a smaller hole in the other, and then attached them to the layout fascia with some #6 screws. (About two hours total for 8 holders, for a total cost of between 46 cents and 46 dollars, per holder, depending on what you consider the value of my time.) The important thing was mounting them low enough that the uncoupling picks don't stick up above the top of the layout fascia.

The question of "what's the best tool for uncoupling HO cars" is a good one. First of all is the debate about whether to use magnets (either fixed or movable or electromagnetic) between the rails or below the ties, in places where uncoupling is frequent, or whether uncoupling by hand is "more realistic" since that's the way railroaders do it in the field. A matter of personal preference (and the patience to install fixed uncouplers on your layout). Then, if you decide to uncouple by hand, what tool to use? I was happily using barbecue skewers like everyone else, until someplace I saw someone using a dental flossing brush, which seemed to work better - so I went out and bought a few dozen of them, drilled holes in the sides of my car card boxes to hold them in, and tried them out for a few op sessions. I liked the ergonomic feel of them in my fingers. But I noticed most people still liked using wooden picks, so I also made those available, and people would store them in the car card boxes, sticking up above the height of the layout and snagging on arms, clothes, etc.

Recently, I've noticed that the very slippery graphite surface of a sharp pencil makes a pretty good uncoupling tool, too. But one disadvantage of it is that the larger width of the pencil makes it more likely that you will damage car end details on your way down to reach the couplers, as you can see happening in the photo below (to the great concern of the conductor):

Some have said that if you put a flat chisel edge on the tip of the pick, a quick twist will improve its effectiveness during uncoupling. (Rix also makes a plastic tool like this, small enough for N scale) I'll try this, but have nothing to report on it so far. So, for the moment, we are sticking with good old barbecue skewers, and they now have a home at eight locations around the railroad. I thought about painting the holders green to match the fascia, but I think the visibility of the unpainted white tube may make them easier to find. You can decide what you think, from the photos below.

As you can see from these pictures, I seem to have issues with other sorts of detritus sticking up above the top of the fascia, but that's another subject for another time. The bottom line is, if you forget to bring a pick to the next op session here, now you won't have to look far for one!