switch problem

[Anonymous]

I know this is the place where all the great minds of garden railways gather to discuss our hobby and so I have come here to ask if anyone has had any problems with derailments on a Aristocraft #6 switch . It seems as if the one I installed two years ago outside on my railroad has developed a tendency to derail my Aristocraft dash-9 . All of my 4 axle units go through it fine . It seems that when the locomotive enters the deverging route of the switch the outside of the truck runs on top of the outside guard rail . It almost seems as if the switch is not in guage anymore . Thanks in advance , Mike Dorsch .

[Curmudgeon]

Ah.
Did you check the G1MRA/nmra approved wheel gauge measurements?
What is the back-to-back on the -9?
On the others?

[Anonymous]

Is it possible for the wheels to go out of guage with use ?

[piercedan]

I have found that my SD-45 (same motor block as the -9) does not like track/switches that is not level side to side, especially at the frog.

[kimbrit]

I've found with aristo switches that when the switch is set for the diverging route the flange of the track does not mate up with the straight through track and there is a small gap. I cured mine by bending the flange further over to make up the gap, this was a couple of years ago and never had any problem with any loco in any direction.
Cheers,
Kim

[Tom The Brat]

I had a wide radius switch (10ft diameter) that had lots of derailments. When I looked close, there was a burr on one of the points that would catch a flange and roll it up on top of the rail. A minute with a small file and all was well. I laid my #6s nice and flat and they ran smooth right out of the box except for when a tiny rock got under one of the throw bars.