Kato RS-2 problem

[jeep35]

I have 3 Kato RS-2 diesels that are giving me a fit. They tend to derail a lot. I've checked to gauge of the wheels and they are fine. They derail in spots where other diesels run with no problem. When I check them closely, the trucks will pivot one way (front to back) fine, but side to side they seem a bit tight. Any suggestions on how I may remedy this.

[Anonymous]

I have an older RSC-2 unit that I believe was made by Kato but sold by Atlas. I'm not exactly sure but it did have Kato molded on the bottom of the truck gearbox. I converted it to DCC by replacing the circuit board. It was a very noisy runner and prone to derailments. I replaced the wires from the trucks to the board with smaller guage more flexible wire (actually extra lenghts from hard wired decoders). I also had to replace the drive shafts and take some plastic off of the bottom of the gear boxes (this removed the Kato markings). Shaving the bottom of the gearbox was the only way I could clear my magnets for uncoupling which were set the specified 1/32" over the railhead. I think this unit has about the same set up as the newer ones. Anyway make sure the trucks can pivot freely in the full range of motion. Any resistance is going to cause a derailment. Try running with the shell off and make sure the driveshafts aren't causing trouble. I hope this helps. Kato units have a good reputation so it should be an easy fix.

[jeep35]

I have some Atlas RS-3's from the original run when they were made by Kato and the trucks do pivot freely in all directions. The weird thing is,
the RS-2's were operating fine. I was running all three together over the Christmas holidays when people came over to look at the layout. Thanks for you help.