No not the last lap at Daytona NASCAR fans. I am referring to those wonderful electro couplers that seem to open whenever and wherever they want to. I must have read every post on every forum there is on this and tried almost every solution. So after the last running session with friends over and, you guessed it, having to stop the trains to recouple I was done. I figured before I killed one of my engine crews by having them slam into the back of their own train I glued those couplers shut. I wish I did this a year ago! It's nice not to be on high alert all the time and take your eyes off the trains for more than 30 seconds. I had the trains run for an hour with no issues at all. The piece of mind from knowing that when the trains run they run well without glitches is worth not having functional couplers. Okay I'm done.
Which locomotive model made in what year?
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
They were the Dash-9's from the lionel 2013 catalogue but I've also had the same issue with my Alaska GP-38-2 from a few years back. Other engines on my roster have never done it so I chalk it up to a weak spring in the coupler. I'm mostly a loop runner so that feature, as nice as it is, is not used much on my layout. BTW nice you tube videos.
My youngest daughter showed me how to "fix" this. Recently, there is a fad of making things out of these small elastic loops. You can get them at any craft store, and they come in all colors...and black. They are super strong and will keep any stubborn coupler closed.
The rubber bands don't work with electro couplers. Only magnetic couplers. Electro couplers are operated by a coil, not a plate that is pulled down to open the couplers.
If the couplers were being opened electrically, then disconnecting the wires to the coupler coils would have solved the problem. If it was a problem with the spring or coupler knuckle, replacement or modification would have solved the problem.
Larry
servo - In that case, using a band with a half twist, would "tether" two couplers together...just don't forget you did it before lifting one off the layout.
...............don't ask me how I knew that...........
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