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Bought a new Lionel freight car but one side of the coupler won’t lock on to another car.  The plunger seems to hang too low.  I remember reading one time to remove the plunger and gently bend the metal so the pin stays engaged and the coupler stays locked.  When I took off the screw holding the plunger plate, I still can’t remove the piece to gently bend it because one of the axles is in the way.  Any easy way to remove the one set of wheels so the axle is out of the way and the plunger piece can easily be removed, slightly bent upwards and replaced?

see photo



thanks to all who can help this novice!

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If it's a molded plastic truck, you can spread the plastic side frames apart at the axle to allow removal of the wheel/axle assembly.  If it's a die-cast metal truck with the side frames mechanically pressed to the bolster, then there is practically no way to remove the axles without destroying the truck.

The easiest way to fix your dilemma, for either die-cast or plastic truck, is to simply double-wrap a small rubber band around the coupler shank and metal pin arm.  I bought a package or cheap black plastic bands at a dollar store that work great for this.  Young gals like to use them to tie their hair in ponytails, so you would most likely find them in the hair care section of the store.  As small as they are, these plastic bands can stretch a crazy amount before they break.

Once you have secured the uncoupling pin to the coupler shank with a plastic band, most likely you won't be able to use it over an uncoupling magnet due to the stronger tension of the band, but at least the knuckle will stay shut.

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