Hi, I have several cars that for no reason decouples by themselfs. They are not the solenoid kind.
I think this is quite common, because several of my cars do it.
Any ideas?
The most drastic solution is to put rubber bands around them or otherwise disable uncoupling. I have had some success with removing plastic armatures and bending them to restore or enhance their tightness. Likewise, metal armatures can be improved with a slight upward bend to bear a little tighter against the coupler head. The most satisfactory fix I have found is for MTH couplers, which use an unusually fat pin. I have been able to file a slight notch that keeps the pin from working its way out of the head.
Cacau, you don’t say the make of the cars doing this. Depending on the maker, time period the cars were made, etc. there are several fixes.
In my own experience, the early K-Line Classic cars with die cast trucks and plastic coupler armature do this. The reason is the plastic armature on these cars is a little thicker and thus stiffer than those on similar Lionel cars. When you uncouple the cars via a UC track, the entire armature comes loose from the truck. The fix is to first push the back of the armature back into the truck. Then, keeping a finger over the back, GENTLY flex (or bend) the other side of the armature (that engages the knuckle) up and down. You don’t want to break it, but you want to work it a little so that the armature uncouples without coming loose.
In the case of some K-Line cars with plastic trucks, the shape of the knuckle is such that it doesn’t spring out or close easily. Replacing the knuckle and pin with a Lionel one will make these cars couple much better.
I can go on if you describe the cars you have. Of course, as Bob mentioned, using a small rubber band wrapped around the armature is one sure fix. Buy a bag of black rubber bands in the girls hair section of a dollar store. I have found bags of 500 for a buck. These rubber bands make for a super looking load in a gondola too. So you hit two birds with one stone… great loads for gondolas and easy access for rubber bands to cure uncoupling problems.
The little rubber bands used by Orthodontist for retainers. Little “jokers” are tough and yet the right size to hold couplers closed [but allow them to open by hand or uncoupling track section]. Only thing is. To get them is fun. Seems you can buy a nuclear bomb easier than getting the rubber bands. Can’t buy them over the counter and most receptionists look at you crazy. Either find someone with a retainer or a friend of an Orthodontist. I had a political friend that serviced Orthodontist equipment and he got me several bags full. This is no joke.
I too use the rubber bands and also bread ties. The little wire ties that keep the bread bags closed. I will wrap the coupler with them then take needlenose pliers and cut them as close to the coupler as possible. Hope this helps?
laz57
I know someone that uses super glue to glue the knuckle shut.
He doesn’t switch cars so the disabled coupler is no problem for him.
Carl T.
If it’s a plastic armature (the thing that holds the thumbtack) and it’s slightly warped down, you can warp it the other direction by carefully sliding a nail under it, heat it with a hair dryer, and carefully form an arc toward the coupler head with your finger. Hold the armature into the new position until it cools off.
On long trains, I find that vertical mis-allignment under tension can be the cause of uncoupling. Rearranging cars can help; so can weighting the cars if the trucks are torqueing vertically(sp?). When all else failed, I’ved succeeded by using 26 guage soft brown anodized wire(because it happened to be lying around); the key is to not twist the wire around the couplers too tightly, else the couplers don’t flex sufficiently and the cars derail on my 031 curves.
But the ortho rubber bands sound like a great, if generally unobtainable solution.
runtime
John Long has generally summed up the solution here folks. Regardless of the make of the car, the key for cars that uncouple under load has to do with the coupler armature, and the knuckle pin. Somehow the armature pin is not engaging the knuckle completely, or the pressure of the train under load is causing the knuckle to open because of unsufficient pressure of the coupler armature.
Whether a metal or plastic armature, ususally the problem can be cured by bending the armature upward so that it engages the knuckle more aptly. In some cases, it is the armature pin: when K-Line changed to an all metal truck, the pin of the coupler armature was too thick, causing it to not fully engage and hold the knuckle closed. Using a small jewelers file, you can take down one side of the pin making it not as thick and this will solve that problem.
I don’t know why anyone would bother their local dentist - unless they are good buddies as it sounds like the Chief is! I hope this is a social calling Chief, otherwise you need to use a stronger toothpaste. [:D]
I see bags of the small black rubber bands all the time at dollar stores, and these work superb as well as making for a great train load.
Trucks moving upward (vertically) is not a problem with the coupler or knuckle, but with the loose mounting of the trucks to the car body. And this is more of a problem when pushing a train in reverse through curves. Adding weight might be simple, but it also puts more drag on the train. Remounting the trucks is really the way to go. By drilling out the metal rivet and then re-attaching the trucks via means of a truss screw and either a lock nut or speed nut will virtually completely eliminate this problem guaranteed. No added weight needed and no worry about running light weight cars at the beginning of a train. I know, I’ve been doing this for years and IT REALLY WORKS! I wouldn’t say so if it didn’t.
Personally, I use Black Duct tape[swg][:-^][;)]
Your feedback on this problem is much appreciated. I realize my uncouplings are often due to the truck mounting being loose. Adding some weight is just a quick fix, which works on my flat layout so far (25 car consists). Each time I try adding another car or two I find I have new uncoupling problems,which I solve by rearranging cars, putting lighter ones towards the back.
First off, I was concerned that making truck attachment changes would leave the cars no longer “original”.
Secondly ,if I can get over that, what is a 'truss screw?
Thirdly, is there a more original way to eliminate the excess play in the truck mounting, such as with a new but original spec rivet?
Thanks,
runtime
Runtime, basically a truss screw is one with a disproportionatlely larger screw head. What this does is put more support for the screw via the large head on the body of the train car… less probability the screw could wobble. You could attain the same results by using a normal screw with a washer.
Classic Toy Trains did an article some years ago about using a thin washer with postwar staple construction trucks: putting the washer over the mounting truck stud before attaching the C-clip which holds the truck to the frame of the train car.
With most Lionel cars, be they modern or postwar, I have found a wide variance of truck wobble due to loose mounting. With the plastic trucks that are attached via a rivet, I have found it is simply easier to drill out the rivet and replace it. On cars where the rivet is hidden (box cars, cabooses) I use a silver truss screw. On cars like flats and gondolas I use a pre-blackened hex screw or a button top screw both of which require an Allen wrench to tighten - but they look nice when done and the blackened screw doesn’t draw attention. I’ve also spray painted nylon screws to match a car body color. Anymore I also drill out the truck stud on the postwar metal trucks and reattach those too, which makes for a huge improvement in their operation.
Using a washer with the riveted trucks could be done. You want to get a small bunch of nylon washers of varying thickness, and then using a razor blade, cut a small section out at an angle to make the washer somewhat like a C-clip. In other words you are making the washer look like a letter C. You would wedge the washer between the top of the truck and the car body bottom. For me, this method would be a little more time consuming to find the right working thickness and to get the washer in place. BUT you wouldn’t be altering the cars by drilling out the trucks. So it’s a personal choice in that department of altering the potential “financial” worth of the car.
For me, doing this
Here is a truss-head screw:
| 
| TRUSS HEAD: Also known as oven head, stove head, and oval binding head. A low, neat appearing, large diameter head having excellent design qualities, and as illustrated can be used to cover larger diameter clearance holes in sheet metal when additional play In assembly tolerance is required. Suggest pan head as a substitute. |
| - | - |
I doubt that an ordinary screw with a washer not rigidly attached would behave quite like a truss-head screw.
As a father of three teenagers, I have no problem finding orthodonthics rubber bands…
They work PERFECTLY! thanks for the tip.
And the orthodontist has no problems draining your bank account! Ouch, 3 kids! Suggest you persuade orthodontist to provide you a pallet of the rubber bands and you start selling them to us folk to help defray expenses.
“…father of 3 teenagers” = why mental health professionals will never run out of work. [:D]
Jack
RockIsland52,
I can see you’ve been there, done that! When you are out of it I guess you laugh about it… I’m still in the middle of it… the expenses with orthodontist is nothing! What about the Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Drum Sets, Trombone, Base Guitar, Keyboards, a better electric Guitar, ps2, ps3, xbox, WII, Ipod 4G, Ipod 10G, Ipod 40G, Better Ipod, Cell Phones, Car, Insurance, Tutoring, College, not to mention the Psyquiatrist (for me) and the copious amounts of aspirines! LOL.
I guess I will give a serious consideration to you business proposal…
I’ve got some bad news for you.
Parents are never "out of it. There is no laughing. And no, you are nowhere near the “halfway point” either. All of the stuff you listed will soon seem like pocket change compared to the college expenses…but wait, there’s more! After college, the kids leave but don’t necessarily stay “gone.” Then they can’t afford the downpayment on a house. And then the grandchildren expenses commence.
It’s all downhill after childbirth, and we’ll be working until we are 85.
Jack