Derailing Problem

[Anonymous]

[?] I recently added a new section of track to my layout and placed a turnout on a 22" radius curve. I maintained the radius, the track has no gaps, but when the rollong stock hits the track it derails. It is not hitting the frog or switch. It just goes off. I tried running a truck set over the turnour but still can't see any problem. the only thing I can think of is that I went from Atlas 100 flex track to a Pecco turnout. Any suggestions??

[cwclark]

I would suggest a couple of things...is there a straight piece of track before the train enters the turnout?..if the turnout is directly in the curve it quite possibly can cause derailments...I like to have at least a 3" section of straight track in place before the turnout and deverging route of the turnout, another thing is that the flanges are possibly picking the rail..you might want to take a file and file the points down at an angle at the tips of the point rails...it could also be out of gauge...check the gauge of the points and closeure rails with an MNRA gauge..a little gentle tweeking of the rail with a pair of needle nose pliers could solve the problem...one other thing...if the turnout is a #4 it could be the problem..long rolling stock or SD type locomotives have a hard time making it through a #4 turnoutchuck[:D]

[Anonymous]

Switching from Atlas to Peco or reversed should cause you no problems. I have Atlas and then a Peco turnout using all curved and no problem. When I had these type problems I always found it to be a piece of ballast on the inside of the rail that flipped the front truck up just enough to derail it. Does it do it if you reverse your locomotive and run it the same direction? Also the track is level and doesn't dip a little does it......

[rrinker]

Have you created an S-curve? IE, does the 22" radius curve turn left and the turnout diverges right, or vice-versa?

Also, run your fingernail along both rails at the joint, on top and on the inside. If the joint is not even that can easily be enough to cause the loco to jump and derail. You may need to file the rails or provide some additional support to keep the rails in alignment. The situation is probably magnified with a powered unit because the turning wheels will naturally climb up the rail, and it'll be worse for a 6-axle SD because the longer truck wheelbase will keep the lead and trailing wheels in the truck tighter against their respective rails, especially on a sharp curve.

--Randy

[jwar]

Hi Boyce.
The above are great tips. Being you did not state if it was a locomotive or car, it leaves a mulitude of things.

Being its new track, eyeball the alignment look for both horizonal and vert alignment. Is the track starting a grade. Sounds like its the new track, s-curve- or burr. Isolate the problem, is it a certain car that is the culprit, if so check the trucks for free movment.

When I lay new track I file the burr off the inside of the rail with a riffler file ( it has a flat sided curved end and works fantastic ) and check each joint with a magnifiying glass. It seems rail joiners are not created equal, (some are loose sliding on (use these at sodered joints) A loose joiner leaves can leave the rail joint out of alignment and a few thousants is all it takes in certain areas.

I use to take a penney to check main and rod bearing wear, by just sliding it accross a bearing jormal, sounds weird but the penney magifieys a any slight depression very good, You could check this area at the turnout in that manner, and file it smooth.

Also try backing a long train slowley through a trouble spot, and watch where and how it derails, had a trouble spot that only derailed in one direction and slowley backing, found it was a very slight nick in the rail, the flange on certain cars would grab, resulting in a puzzle such as yours.
But overall the best advice I can give is to isolate what and where it is and which wheel set or are all wheels heading southbound on a west bound track. I hope this and the above tips help you as I have had some great info from these same great modlers.

I also have a car that I swear can derail by just looking at it. I save this one to just check track, as long as I dont breath heavley or cough when running it. If that grimlin can run without derailing its pretty decent track.

Hope you find the problem and let me know when you find it. Take care and have a great day....John

[mcouvillion]

Boyce,

I had the same problem the other day on our club layout, going from Atlas flextrack to the curved route of a Peco turnout. I had a string of boxcars and about three of the string would derail. All the boxcars are set up exactly the same - weighted, metal wheels in gauge, knuckle couplers. I looked at the location of the derailment and it appears the the flangeways are kind of wide in the Peco turnout. I haven't had a chance to fully investigate, but I suspect that there is too much room in the stock rail flangeway so that the wheel going over the frog just goes wherever it wants. Sometimes it derails, sometimes it doesn't. I may have to shim the flangeway a little to tighten up the gap. If it is not that, I don't know what else it could be - yet.

Mark C.

[Jetrock]

I have seen that problem mentioned before (wide flangeways of Peco turnouts causing derailments) and generally the solution is to glue a small piece of styrene strip into the flangeway to reduce the space there somewhat. I use semi-scale wheels and Peco turnouts and sometimes have this problem, but not enough yet for me to bother gluing styrene into my turnouts...

[cacole]

Jetrock's comment is something you need to look into. We have used close to 40 Peco turnouts on the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club's HO-scale layout, and one of them needed to have a piece of styrene glued into the guide rail so the wheels got pulled a little further away from the tip of the frog as a train was using the diverging route into a yard. I used a piece of the clear plastic that is in the collar of a new shirt, cut into a narrow strip, and glued in place with CA. Out of all the Peco code 100 turnouts we used, only one has had this problem.

[mcouvillion]

Jetrock and Cacole,

Thanks for the affirmation that the problem might be the flangeway width. It looked awful wide, but I didn't have time at the time to gauge it and see for sure.

Mark C.