I am having a problem with a derailment on a straight away. I have found where the derailment is. My locomotives are derailing on a straight away where 2 tracks are meeting. There is a tiny space where the 2 tracks meet. I have the tracks completely together as much as they will go. So my question is this. How is the best way to fix the problem. With low temp. solder. My layout is 4x8 Ho gauge. Thank you for any suggestions.
Trainman11
I still don't know what the cause is. It could be a torsion, a dip, a spur of metal intruding into the flange path left over from cutting the rail, it could be a misalignment in any direction... Maybe the first thing to do, if you can still do it, is remove the rail sections and use a metal file to bevel the leading edges of the tips where they meet...where you cut each rail. You must bevel two surfaces, the top where the tires of the rolling stock run, and also the flange surfaces. It seems like it might be a lot of work, but it will take you much longer to take up and then restore your affected track sections. If that is the problem, metal affecting your wheels, then the alternative is to get used to this phenomenon.
Also, I have learned from the School of Hard Model Railroading Knocks, that what you think may be the problem, based on where the engine derails, may not be the problem at all. It is often rearward, along the path just taken. A rear truck, still on the rails, is doing something that the front truck can't tolerate, and out it pops. This has happened to me personally, and gave me no end of frustration until it dawned on me that there is a rigid frame under the pretty shell you like to admire.
Get some strong light flooding the area, use an Opti-Visor or something like it, and watch the whole frame, all trucks, as the engine slowly negotiates the trouble spot. Also, you can place a large straight-edged item so that it sits squarely on the rails, backlight the item and see, when you get your eyes down to rail height with the item between your eyes and the light source, if you can detect light indicating rises and dips that may be confounding your engine.
Gaps in a straight section of track should only become problematic when they are in the range of 1/4" or more...what I mean is they'll be likely to cause stalls if a wheel drops into it. For steamers with large drivers, it probably won't be a problem, just for the smaller wheels on the trucks. Diesels should do better over such gaps, but it does depend on the size of the gap. Gaps around 1/8" or less are not going to cause problems for any items in good condition and adjustment.
Along a curve, gaps do become more problematic, particularly when the radius is down near the minimums for the engine. That is because the flanges are close to rubbing along the flange face of the rail head on the outer axles of trucks and the outer axles of multi-drivered steamers/tenders. This is where the beveling idea (one I took from tomikawaTT) really helps to ease engines around tight curves where gaps will have to be left in place for some reason or other.
-Crandell
I'm going to make a wild guess. When you put the tracks together, one of the rails didn't get into the rail joiner. Instead, it's sitting on top of it. So, there's a step up (or down) going from one rail section to the next. Take a close look at the rail joiners where you're having trouble.
And remember - every mistake I find is one I've made many times myself. I'm far from perfect, but I do have a very good memory.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Before tearing out any track, try running your finger over the area of the offending spot. You finger can often feel any mismatch between the rails. From experience, if the rails are joined using a rail joiner look to see if the bottom of one of the rails is on top of, rather than in, the rail joiner. This causes one rail to stick up higher than the other, and can cause wheels to derail.
Hope this helps