Help With N Scale Steam Locos & Peco Turnouts PLEASE!!!!

[mavrick0]

As far as I know this was a code 80 problem, the streamline code 55 switches are NMRA compliant so you should be good there.

[willayerst]

Just to clarify, this doesn't happen with the Peco Code 55 does it?

[rlandry6]

Actually the problem is with Code 80 Peco turnouts, and that's exactly what has been happening. The diesel locos go through the turnouts fine, but the pilots truck on my steam locos, catch the frog and it's downhill from there.. I noticed the trucks catching and increased the spring tension and it helped a little, but it was obvious that wasn't the cure.. Thank you very much for your response..

[mavrick0]

I am going to go out onto a limb here and assume you are talking about code 80 peco turnouts.  This is a common issue and is solved rather simply.  Because these turnouts are designed for European standards the distance between the guard rail and rail is larger then what the NMRA standards are.  This is to allow the thicker European flanges to clear.  Because of the increase in the gap it allows the wheels to float through the points and pick them.  You can see this by taking a spare truck and running it through the turnout by hand.  First keep it tight against the rail and it will follow the path correctly.  Then try the same path but keep the truck tight against the guard rail and you will see the wheels pick the frog.  To fix the problem take a .010" piece of styrene and glue it to the guard rail, cut it flush at either end and flush to the top and this little spacer will make the gap proper for NMRA standards and should solve your problems.  I've added a picture to show what I mean to help you out to visualize everything.

 

[pcarrell]

I agree, that is strange.  Peco's don't usually have flange depth issues.  Could the guard rails be too tight?

[R. T. POTEET]

Bizarre? You can't get

any steam loco

to get through

any Peco turnout?

That, my good friend, is not bizarre! That is spooky!

After you have made a concentrated search looking for gremlins the only suggestion I could make would be to grab a file and make sure that everything is smooth and even at the frog.

Any (steam) locomotive? Any turnout? Spooky!

[rlandry6]

The points are not where the problem is happening. It appears that the frog is where the problem is occuring and it happens with every steam loco I've tried(different brands) and at literally every turnout. All of those locos shouldn't have wheels that are out of gauge, and actually, I have checked them with a gauge and they all appear to be OK.. The locos hop and bounce just when the drives are passing over the frogs. Maybe I need to go ahead and modify one of the turnouts and see if that makes any difference.. Puzzling...

[pcarrell]

The two things that most commonly cause this kind of issue are wheels that are not in guage (and steam loco's seem to really be offenders of this) and turnout points that need to be tuned.  For the wheel problem just use an NMRA guage to make sure that every wheel is set to proper guage.  You'd be surprised at how many come from the factory out of guage.  This should help a bunch with the frogs and the guard rails issue.  Next, use a jewlers file (you can get mall files at the local hobby shop or on line) and gently file the points on your turnouts (both sides, inner and outer).  It doesn't take much usually.  You just want those points to lay up tight on the rail they lean on.  If you get really fired up you can file tiny notches (featherd on the edges so as not to cause any burs) for the points to lay into.  It's tedious work, but it makes that turnout function at it's best.  Tuning those turnouts will help keep from having your rolling stock "pick the points" and derail.

Lastly, on some loco's it helps to add a small amount of weight to the lead truck.  At the hobby shop you can get moldable lead putty that works well for this.  This is best to do as a last resort.  Try the other stuff first.

[rlandry6]

This is going to sound really bizarre. I'm having problems getting ANY of my steam locos, Kato, Bachmann, or Model Power, to get through any of my Peco turnouts. They bump and hop as the wheels cross the plastic frogs and even the re-railer pieces on the turnout, most often resulting in the front or rear truck derailing and almost everytime, one of the tenfer trucks will try to take the wrong path and derail. All of my Atlas RS diesels run through them like glass. It's most troublesome when the loco is going through a thrown turnout and it's going through the curved leg. I'm using Peco Insulfrog Code 80 turnouts and it wouldn't seen that wheel flange height on these locos should be an issue with Peco turnouts, but that's exactly what it looks like is happening. I even replaced one turnout and the track associated with it, thinking that it maybe was just a bad turnout. The turnouts and track are laid on Midwest corkbed and I've checked everything for being level, and I just don't see any problems with the way it's laid. I understand that diesels will get through bad spots on track and turnouts because the trucks are floating as opposed to fixed drivers on a steam loco, but give me a break..I just don't relish the idea of having to take sandpaper or a Dremel and deepen the plastic grooves on 30+ turnouts, and I havn't even laid any yards yet..