I have several O gauge remote control track sections: postwar UCS and 5530 reissues from 90's and 00's and they ALL operate the following way. My faint memory as a child over 50 years ago tells me that when you press UNCOUPLE the trigger disc is energized to open the couple and when you press UNLOAD the operating car action begins. Recently I set up a test track with a postwar UCS section and my old 3562 barrel car. When I center the car over the remote control track and press UNLOAD, the car's mechanism starts to vibrate and the barrels unload. If I roll the car across the trigger disc, nothing happens since the magnet is not energized when pressing UNLOAD. So far, so good. But if I have the car centered on the remote control section and press UNCOUPLE, the control rail energizes and the unload process begins. If I roll the car across the trigger disc, the knuckle opens as expected since I am pressing UNCOUPLE. This is not what I recall as a child. Is it me? The reason I ask is if you press UNCOUPLE to unload the car the trigger disc gets very hot and the black or red disc will melt and de-form. Why would pressing UNCOUPLE initiate the UNLOAD process at all?
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