Couplers – Introduction

Standard Lionel operating couplers from the postwar era came in two varieties.  One used an electromagnet embedded in the Lionel Remote Control Section (RCS) of track to cause an armature to deflect downward releasing the spring loaded coupler knuckle.  A second variety had an on-board solenoid that would pull back the solenoid plunger thus releasing the spring loaded coupler knuckle.  This coupler picks-up electricity from a shoe that connects to one of the interior rails of the RCS.

Since the Lionel Burro Crane car has dummy (non-operating) couplers, for the Ultimate train set build, these will be replaced with the built-in solenoid style coupler (sometimes called a coil coupler).  The idea is to connect the coupler to a modern version of the Electronic Set receiver.

Left to right: dummy coupler (Burro Crane), coil coupler, coil coupler, dummy coupler (Burro Crane)

As a side note, the couplers electrically work with both alternating current and direct current.  This gives us some flexibility in determining a workable solution to the electronics modifications.