Wanted to pull out the old ones today Lionel 2855 etc.. first time on this layout .. The cars have electro couplers and when you go over a 022 switch they open! any ideas other than disconnecting the wire to stop it thanks...daniel
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You could use a piece of tape over the shoe and coupler plate to tape the shoe in the up position.
Well I sort of used your idea! I took the axles out and this type uses a copper strip which springs on the shoe pickup so I used electrical tape and lubed the axles and its perfect for my layout no more opening ...thanks ...daniel
There is a counter bore molded into the sliding shoe where the head of the rivet should be seated. Reproduction sliding shoes some times do not have this counter bore made properly. This causes the rivet head stick out too far and sometimes it will hit the center rail when going through switches causing the coupler to operate. There are also some reproduction rivets out there that do not have heads made to the proper dimensions. This will also cause the rivet to stick out to far. If the couplers that are opening have had the sliding shoes replaced this could be the cause. When replacing sliding shoes, check the fit of the rivet head in the plastic shoe prior to insulation. Problems can be corrected by using a drill to make the counter bore larger in diameter and deeper if necessary.
