THANKS TO ALL WHO ANSWERED THE WHISTLE BUTTON QUESTION AHAHA!! DC ENERGY-TESLA WOULD BE

[Anonymous]

impressed-I guess-AC and DC concurrently-So.......DC is what makes all the other things work too? like uncouplers and unloaders then? Thanks Arnie

[ben10ben]

Generally, uncoupling and operating cars work in one of two ways.

If you look at a Lionel RCS track, you will see a big magnet in the center as well as four smaller rails between the other two called control rails.

Operating couplers either have a sprung plate on the bottom, or a coil wrapped around them. With the plate type, pressing the uncouple button activates the electromagnet in the center, which pulls the plate down and frees the mechanism to spring open.

The coil type have a small piece of bakelite on the bottom of the truck called a shoe. The shoe has a brass button in the middle of it that contacts the control rails. The couplers are wired such that one end is connected to the outer rails(ground) and the other to the shoe. Pressing the uncouple button puts on control rails that will complete the circuit for the couple and activate the coil, thus releasing the mechanism and allowing to pop open.

Some operating cars, namely operating boxcars, are equipped with a spring loaded mechanism. Pulling down a plunger on the bottom of the car releases the mechanism allowing it to do whatever it does; usually a boxcar door popping open and a man popping out. These type of cars must generally be reset by hand. The plunger can be pulled down by hand, or by the uncoupling magnet in the center of the RCS.

Other types of operating cars have an electrically operated mechanism. These types generally have a sliding shoe on each truck, with one wire from the mechanism going to each shoe. Pressing the unload button on the RCS track sends ground to one of the control rails, and hot to the other, which completes the circuit in the car and activates it. Most operating cars, including the ever-popular milk cars, cattle cars, and dump cars work like this.

Occasionally, coil couplers will turn up on an operating car. This is the case with my 3662 milk car. With these, activating the mechanism also opens one of the couplers.