Lionel 16000 to 16003

[Anonymous]

I just received 4 Lionel PRR passenger cars numbers 16000 to 16003. A few of the couplers release when the train is in motion. Does any one know where I can get an exploded view of the couplers and trucks?

[Kooljock1]

Pop off the armatures, and bend them "up" so that there's more pressure to hold them closed.

Jon [8D]

[Anonymous]

Jon,
I am new to this stuff. What are the armatures?

[brianel027]

joncoy, when you look on the underside of the tracks, you notice a silver or black colored thumbtack attached to a plastic arm: this is the coupler armature. Is is all one piece and snaps into the coupler and the end furthest away from the operating coupler.

Unfortunately it's possbile some of your couplers that aren't working right are on trucks that also have the roller pickup assembly. This piece has 2 copper tabs that hit the axles of the car wheels and the center rail roller pick up. This piece does snap off at each side of the truck.

This would be so much easier to show you than explain. But you need to snap off the roller pickup assembly. Then remove one wheel set closest to the end of the coupler armature. Then using a small flat head screw driver, pop out the coupler armature. You can heat this piece over a stove (carefully!!) and give it a slight bend upward at the end that has the little pin sticking up that goes into the coupler itself. Too much heat though and you ruin the part.

You can try as Kooljock said, just giving the piece several repeated slight bends upward and then reassemble everything. I do find heating the piece up a little first and making the bend, keeps the bend there. Doing it without heating the piece is safer (as far as potentially ruining the part) but you may have to do this again in the future.

If this continues to give you problems, it's a worthwhile investement to have a dozen or so of these replacement part armature assemblies around. I have found one that doesn't work on one car, will hold on another. [%-)]

The other thing you can do is keep an open eye at your local dollar store for a bag of girl's hair rubber bands.... black ones!! Yeah! They make these in black. They are very small rubber bands and work very well wrapped around the coupler at helping to keep them closed. Not only that, but the black rubber bands make a very cool looking load for a gondola!

Now one more tip... those plastic armature pieces are different from company to company and period to period. Like the ones from Lionel MPC era cars (1970-1986) are slightly different from the ones being used now. And the ones from K-Line cars are slightly different, as are some of the Korean-made knockoff parts. That's why it's advisable to have a few armatures from each mfger. in your parts drawer. I do and I found it has been well worth the initial investment years ago. These parts don't cost much, but it's the shipping where you get nailed. It's good when you have a parts order of parts you really NEED to add on a few of these armatures just to have. Plastic knuckles (from the coupler) are another part it's nice to have a few extra of along with the long metal rivet that holds the knuckle into the coupler.

Some of the K-Line cars with plastic trucks can give you trouble with the couplers opening. I replace the K-Line knuckle with a Lionel made one, and then they work just fine.

[Anonymous]

Brianel027
The thumbtack item is the metal part to work with an uncoupler track, correct? The armature is the plastic part that is to be bent, correct?

[brianel027]

Yep. The thumbtack is really a large headed thumbtack and goes right into a molded in hole in the armature assembly.

Hey try this to play it safe... remove the armature, and then use a blow drier to warm up the armature a little before giving it some small slight bends. When you look sideways at this piece, from right to left (or back to front) you have:
A) a split piece going up that has a slightly bigger head or end (this part goes into the coupler assembly proper)
B) the upsidedown "T" shape part that holds the thumbtack in place.
C) right above where the thumbtack goes, there is another piece going up that has a kind of an "L" shape to it... a guide pin.
D) the thin plastic pin that goes into the coupler itself with the larger part sticking off where you can activate the coupler with your thumb or finger.

Usually just giving the entire armature assembly a few slight bends upward (repeating this a few times - better to give slight bends until you get the feel of it, then forcing a hard bend and breaking the piece) is all that it takes to cure the problem. Sometimes I find making the bend between points C and D is what is needed. It's just something you'll figure out and learn as you go along.

I know this might all sound a little intimidating right now. It really isn't. But once you get the hang of all these little sometimes necessary fixes, you'll be diagnosing problems and fixing them yourself - and even helping others to solve problems.

[Anonymous]

They seem to hold when I pull on them but when I slow the train down and then speed up that is when they open. Thanks so much for your help and time.

[Anonymous]

Does the coupler assembly have a spring in it to make it open when the pin is released?

[lionelsoni]

Yes. Metal couplers have a tiny coil spring around the hinge pin at the top of the knuckle. Plastic couplers have a slender plastic tab radiating from the knuckle at the center of the hinge, that extends into the body of the coupler and acts as a spring.

The metal springs rust with age and break or get overheated from carrying fault current through the coupler in a derailment and lose their temper or burn out. The plastic springs relax from being stressed while the coupler is closed or break at the base.

[Anonymous]

lionelsoni,
I have the plastic ones. Is there a way to replace them (the spring) or do I have to replace the whole truck? One other question should the coupler move independently of the truck? The coupler arm has a screw to hold it to the truck and a plastic E shaped type spring to allow it to come back to center when moved. My newer cars have a ridgid arm that is part of the truck and only moves with the truck.
John

[lionelsoni]

You can replace the knuckle, which includes the plastic knuckle "spring". Remove the truck from the car if that is easy to do. In any case, drive the hinge pin out from the bottom using a slender pointed object, like an old-fashioned ice pick, supporting the rest of the coupler on something solid. When you put the hinge pin back in, flare it very slightly, only enough to keep it in place, to make the next removal easier.

Some couplers, particularly those on passenger cars, have longer drawbars like you describe with centering springs.

[brianel027]

Yeah, John like I was saying up top, it's a good idea when you place a parts order or are at a train show that has a parts dealer to buy a dozen or so of the plastic knuckles with the "plastic spring" (which as Bob said is nothing more than a thin piece of plastic that behaves like a spring).

It is inevitable that these wear out or break in time. The Lionel knuckles will also improve operation of K-Line plastic trucks. For that matter you can also replace a plastic knuckle with a die cast metal one, but they won't spring open unless you also add the separate metal spring. But those dinky springs are a pain to get into place and require more patience than I have. I've replaced a few plastic ones with metal knuckles and they open fine over an uncoupling track - the vibration will cause them to open on their own.

Sounds to me, if it is the herky jerky motion of slowing down and speeding up that there might not be enough pressure on the tiny plastic pin sticking up from the armature into the coupler. Bending the armature might help. Another trick that has worked for me is to take a needlenose set of pliers and re-crimp the rivet that inserts into the coupler and holds the knuckle in place. Don't do this super hard though or you won't be able to open the knuckle at all. Sometimes the crimping of the rivet will solve the problem. You might even try switching armatures from one car to another.... I know that also sounds dumb, but I've had that trick work for me so that's why I suggest it.