Using Toothbrush Magnets

Like most modelers, I am always looking around for useful gadgets or junk that can be recyced for use on the railroad.  Last year I bought a Sonicare electric toothbrush.  The handle of the brush contains batteries that can be recharged by setting the handle on the base.  The brushes themselves are disposable, and need to be changed from time to time.  The last time I replaced one of the brushes, I took a look at the mechanical parts.

Notice that at the bottom of the cowling that attaches the brush to the handle there is a mechanism that protrudes from the cover.  A careful examination revealed a pair of very strong magnets.  When the brush is switched on, an electric field alternates rapidly, causing the brush to vibrate (and clean your teeth).  The cowling is easily removable.

As can be seen from the photo, the bottom of the brush contains two tiny magnets which are quite powerful.  At first I wondered if they might be rare earth magnets because of the strength.  In any case, my first inclination was to remove the magnets as something that might be useful on the railroad.  But they proved quite difficult to separate from the rest of the device, and I didn't want to damage them by using brute force.   But then it occurred to me that the magnets might be useful anyway.

With some effort, I removed the brush part, leaving me with the magnets and a makeshift handle. The first time I tried this, I managed to destroy the plastic part at the bottom of the brush.  A second try was more successful in neatly severing the brush from the mechanism.

I wound up with a pair of very strong magnets and a handle for holding them.  They proved useful for picking up random spikes and other metallic objects, a constant challenge around a model railroad. But then I remembered that my EBT triple hopper cars have molded loads that contain a steel nut embedded in the bottom.  Behold!  A used toothbrush makes a perfect tool for gently removing the loads once the cars have arrived at the coal processing plant.

Sadly, I don't have as simple a system for reloading the cars at the other end of the layout.  I still have to set each load into the Blackstone cars, one at a time.  But at the delivery end of the railroad, the old toothbrush magnets give me a quick and easy way to unload a string of cars as shown.  If you have an old electric toothbrush, check it out. You might find it useful for more than cleaning your teeth!