I have both of these cars and I am having problems with them. Whenever I unload the logs or coal the couplers would uncouple. How do i keep the couplers from not uncoupling?? These cars have the old style coil couplers. Thanks.
You can change the offending coupler to magnetic. Otherwise you are stuck. If you push the UNCOUPLE button on the ucs or rcs section both control rails send a (for better word) “positive” charge to the control rails which the sliding shoes contact. If you push the UNLOAD button, one shoe gets the “positive” charge and the other gets the “negative” or ground charge. The rail that gets the positive charge also operates the attached coil coupler. If you press both buttons you will get a short as the one control rail gets both the “positive” and “negative” feed at the same time.
How do i fix the problem?? Just swap trucks? Couldnt I just disconnect the wire that goes to the coupler or something?? thanks.
lionel2;
I can’t get into the train room right now to say for sure, but when you clip a wire just be sure it only goes to the coupler, not the unloading mechanism.
Another idea is to run one wire to the sliding shoe near the unloader mechanism and run the other wire for the couplers to the other sliding shoe, in other words seperate your wires on the car.
I did a msitake with a 3459 coal dump car and learned the hard way, I used a center roller pick-up to power the unloading coil and it kept dumping all the time for about two trips around the layout before I realized what was wrong. I put the wrong part on the freight car, subbed a passenger car truck assembly and forgot about the center roller being hot all the time.
Lee F.
phillyreading;
There is one disadvantage to that. Both couplers open at the same time. No problem if that is the car you are dropping off. Otherwise, how to you recouple to the dump car but not the one on the other end.