The pipe wagon still needs some aesthetic tweaking. The two Li-on batteries on one end should have a shroud placed over them. That would make a better appearance than the black paint and rust spots I have on them now. The movable stanchions took me a few experimental tries to get right. You may have noticed that I have metal upright plates that are attached to the side of the wagon. There are magnets attached to the bottom of the stanchions that are attracted to the metal plates as the bed lowers.
The reason for two Li-on batteries, Blue Chinese type, are that when I had one battery powering the lift mechanism and the receiver, there was interference, from the motor I presume, So the lift motor would go in spits and spurts.
Yes, the logs need to be worked on also. Another option might be to get a hold of some of those Bachmann plastic logs and fit a metal rod inside them. The electro-magnet seems strong enough to be able to work through the plastic.
The electro-magnet was purchased from an Ebay supplier. It works best at 12 volts DC. It is rated for constant "ON".