Does anyone have a solution to unwanted de-coupling? I have a
passenger train with link couplers that I seldom want to uncouple
that frequently uncouples itself and then crashes into itself!
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A simple fix is to replace your pin with an appropriate sized cotter pin & bend one leg.
Doesn't need to be a right angle bend, just enough so it doesn't work out of the pocket.
djacobsen,
I don't understand your response. I am referring to original Gilbert
American Flyer link couplers.
gerd
Or, if the couplers don't already have the weights that AF added to the later link couplers, you could add a weight to each one.
Bill
Gerd,
sorry for the confusion, I thought you were refering to link & pin couplers.
Dave
I've found that the link couplers are quite reliable if adjusted properly. You have to make sure that the pins are parallel to the ground, and in line with the axles of the truck. The links themselves have to be almost level to to the track, and if not, their mounting on the truck can be bent so as to make them so. The links themselves must engage the pin on the mating truck fully. Not to high, and not to low. Make sure that the lowest part of the link does not fall below the rail height, or a Gilbert track switch will make them uncouple. if all else fails, a VERY small semi circle can be filed in the end of the link so as to have the mating pin fit into the semicircle on the link. Of course, the link couplers with the weights are also more reliable due to the weight keeping the link engaged.
They may not look the best, but if adjusted, they can be as reliable as the knuckle versions, and they couple the cars closer to each other than the knuckle versions.
Good luck. If you want any more advise, feel free to contact me off list. I might even try to post a few photos illustration what I've been talking about. But lately I've been rather busy with less important things. 
If you aren't concerned with switching the cars, and run the train as a "unit train", some guys recommend using a small rubber band looped over each pin and over the links to keep them coupled semi-permanently. A twist of the cars will remove the rubber bands.
Jerry
Originally Posted by gerd:
Does anyone have a solution to unwanted de-coupling? I have
passenger train with link couplers that I seldom want to uncouple
that frequently uncouples itself and then crashes into itself!
There is also a small spring that Gilbert introduced with the aluminum passenger cars and the link coupler ALCO PA/PB set. This spring mounts on the pivot pin and helps keep the coupler down. The major Flyer vendors should have them.
A few years ago at a train show I ran across an item made to solve your problem.
It was a strip of rigid black plastic about 1/4 inch wide by 1 inch long.
There were 2 holes drilled in the plastic strip near the end sized to match the coupler bar (pin) diameter.
The idea was to put one of the coupler pins in one hole and while mating the two cars together by sliding the couplers (side to side) the mating pin would go in the hole at the other end of the plastic strip.
This would effectively trap the strip between the two links and hold the two cars together by the strip-joined pins. Get it???
It's much easier to see than describe it so I will attach a (very poor) drawing of sort-of what it looks like.
You will have to take careful measurements to get things aligned but it doesn't seem like a difficult thing to make.
Mark
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banjoflyer,
That's exactly the solution I was looking for! I started with
some 1"X1/4"X1/16" plastic stock and drilled two 1/8" holes
7/8" (on center) apart. They are tricky to install between
the link couplers, but work great! Thank You.
gerd
