Lionel 6-8669 and 6-8556 coupler centering springs

I've captured a picture of a carnage:

This is what it should look like:

This is the side that went up in smoke:

Was there a fiber washer under the retaining ring? See here, pages 398-399 for an exploded view and parts list of the truck.

Larry

I used a pair 671M-23 washers and a 671M-22 retaining clip. Both appear to be metal. Even if plastic, I would think the pickup roller shouldn't make contact?

The fiber washer would have prevented the roller from shorting out on the retaining ring and coupler and doing the damage you describe.

It seems Lionel possibly foresaw the roller touching the coupler and shorting out, and substituted a fibre washer to prevent a short.

The metal washer was used on the postwar locomotives with that design coupler, such as the #600.

Larry

Larry,

I work with almost exclusively postwar and immediately recognized the coupler assembly style and didn't think it would be different. I didn't have a reference to look at anyways. That PDF you linked to is a gold mine for the 70-86 items! Do you know of a pre/postwar equivalent?

As for my fix, it looks like am going to have to take a hit on shipping for these small silly parts.

Here is a link for almost everything pre/postwar Lionel and a few other manufacturers.

There are 46 more supplements to download from Lionel for products up to 2004. Supplement 17 is an incomplete index.

Enjoy.

Larry

I received my parts and installed them last night - the fiber washers are slightly smaller than the metallic ones and do not interfere with the center rail pickup rollers. I'm good to go now! Thanks!