Lionel Post War 456 Coal Ramp Operation...

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I have this accessory and a copy of the original instructions and nowhere does it explain the functioning sequence of the red light on top. The light on mine only lights when I press the Release button to let the 3456 Hopper roll back down the ramp. Is this the proper operation?

Thanks in advance

Mike

2

That’s how mine has always worked. Having had it apart, I don’t see how it could be set up to work any other way.

Pretty pointless if you ask me, but then I can forgive it since it’s such an all-around great accessory anyway(especially when tied to the 397).

3

Ben,

Thanks for the reply. That’s what I thought. I had it apart recently as well and couldn’t figure out how else it would work. There’s no “trigger” connected to the coupler to let you know that the hopper is coupled, which would have been a great idea because now its pretty much a guessing game. By the way, mine takes a little bit of force for the coupler to couple. It looks like the original coupler. How about yours?

Yeah, I have to agree, a great accessory when used with the 397, I also have both and to round things off so coal can be transported from place to place, I also have a 497 Coaling Staion.

Mike

4

Mike,

When I first got mine, I could never get the coupler to couple.

I ended up having to bend the plate to which the coupler is attached slightly in order to get the coupler to stick out further. I also oiled the knuckle and operated it several times, which seemed to help more than anything.

Mine will generally couple pretty reliably now. It certainly takes some practice, though, to get the car going up so that there’s just enough force for it to couple without derailing something when the car comes to a stop.

By the way, according to the service manual, the knuckle used on the coupler is a special design to allow for easier coupling. I haven’t really noticed any difference on mine compared to other cars, but then mine could certainly be a replacement knuckle.

5

Ben

That’s exactly what I did, I bent the plate a little so the coupler is more horizontal and sprayed some graphite powder on the coupler. It now works better but still requires a knack to not have derailments.

Yeah, I noticed that it is supposed to be a special coupler but I think the only thing different is the tension of the coupler spring is less but I don’t see much difference.

Mike