How to Repair Lionel Pre-War Couplers

Repair Stuck Coupling

• 1

  Place the Lionel train engine on a table so that the coupler is facing you. Blow off the coupler with a burst of compressed air.

• 2

  Moisten a model paintbrush with coupling oil. Apply the moistened brush to the top, sides and bottom of the coupling. Reapply coupling oil to the brush. Apply the moistened brush to the bottom edge of the coupling where it meets the back end of the engine. Let 10 minutes pass. Repeat the procedure just completed with the freshly moistened brush.

• 3

  Grip a side of the coupling with the needle-nose pliers. Press down on the coupling. Move the coupling left and right three times. Remove the pliers. Flick the coupling with your finger to the left to ensure that it now moves. Flick the coupling to the right to check this movement as well.

Repair Rusted Coupler

• 4

  Place a sheet of newspaper on a table. Place the Lionel train engine on the newspaper with the end that has the damaged coupler facing you.

• 5

  Spray a soft cloth with household cleaner. Wipe the coupler with the moistened cloth. Apply brass cleaner to an edge of the cloth. Rub the edge of the cloth against the rust on the train̵7;s coupler. Continue to rub the cloth for a minute. Inspect the area that has been rubbed to see if the rust is gone. Repeat the procedure with the cloth, after reapplying brass cleaner, if necessary.

• 6

  Repeat the procedure with brass cleaner and a clean edge of the cloth until all of the rust on the coupler is gone. Rub the spots where the rust was with an edge of the steel wool. Blow off the coupler with a burst of compressed air.

• 7

  Shake the can of lubrication solution for five seconds. Insert an end of the included plastic tube into the nozzle on the can. Hold the can so that the free end of the tube is an inch or two away from the coupler. Spray the coupler with the lubrication solution. Wipe the excess solution from the coupler with a dry soft cloth.

• 8

  Place the coupler at one end of a train car against the coupler that has just been sprayed. Connect the two together by overlapping one coupler on the other.