Question about couplers.....

[lionelsoni]

Electromagnetic couplers were made only for about a decade after the war. If you bought a starter set made anytime recently, it should have magnetic couplers, unless they are dummy couplers.

There are several different types of magnetic couplers. Older freight cars had a steel armature hinged under the truck that pulled a pin out of the bottom of the coupler. Passenger cars often had and have a smaller armature under the truck that through a link inside the drawbar pulls a pin out of the back of the coupler. Many modern cars use a plastic armature similar to the old freight cars', but with the aforementioned thumb tack providing the steel for the magnet to attract. By the way, Lionel did use ordinary thumbtacks for this part.

[drums1427]

The cars I believe are fairly new. I bought both from a local hobby shop. I know one is a Lionel. It's a blue CSX boxcar & the other is a NFL Redskins boxcar (GO SKINS). I don't believe that one is Lionel. It's not the Super Bowl one in the new catalog.

Lee

[phillyreading]

Aother cure that I just thought of is to push a thumb tack into the plastic button, but make sure the thumb tack is attracked by a magnet first.
Lee F. in WPB FL

[phillyreading]

How old are the cars you bought as this issue is very important. Lionel has used many variations on thier couplers, some have plastic buttons instead of metal(cheaper sets)
some have the thumb release, some from the post-war have electromagnets to do the uncoupling work. I must have the stock number from the box or car to help you any further and how old do you think the cars are.
If you want to be safe buy an uncoupler track that can handle both post-war and modern equipment, should have an extra set of rails and an electro magnet in the center. Another fix is to replace the truck assemblies underneath the car with newer O gauge replacement trucks which sell for around $14.00 retail.
Lee Fritz in West Palm Beach FL

[drums1427]

I just recently started adding onto my O27 "starter set". I bought the Lionel double loop expansion pack & some new cars. I used the 2 switches to make a small yard & then bought the remote uncoupling track. I understand that the uncoupling track works with cars with the magnetic couplers. How do you know when buying cars which ones have magnetic couplers. It seems that the 2 I bought have them, but none of the ones that came in the set. Will any car bought seperaltely from a set work with this track?

Lee