Walthers Passenger Cars

[crisco1]

Hi

Can someone give me suggestions on how to fix the walthers new run of Union Pacific passenger cars?  They keep on derailing on my layout.  I have 32" radius curves.  All the passenger cars have metal trucks, factory metal wheels.

Thanks,

Chris 

[tstage]

Chris,

A few questions for you:

1. Are the passenger cars derailing at the exact same place on your curves?
2. What happens when you turn the cars around?  Do they derail the same way, or does it improve tracking?
3. Can you see if and where the trucks may be binding - e.g. against the corner stair wells?
4. How freely do the trucks rotate in the bolsters?  If they are tight that may be your problem.

Tom

[Paul3]

One problem with Walthers passenger cars are the screw heads that hold the trucks together.  At the factory, sometimes the screwdriver slips out of the screw head and causes burrs on the surface of the screws.  These burrs can catch on the metal plates on the bottom of the passenger car body, preventing the free turning of the truck.

A simple solution is to remove the trucks and file the tops of the screw heads.  Not a lot, just enough to smooth out any burrs that may be present.

Rarely, it's possible that the wheelsets are out of gauge.  Check them with the NMRA Gauge.

Also, it's unlikely but possible that a truck is out of square.  Take off the trucks and put them on a sheet of glass (like a cheap picture frame glass).  Try to rock the truck side to side and corner to corner.  The truck shouldn't rock.  Or try to slip a piece of paper under each wheel...the paper should slip under each wheel with the same resistance.

[SeeYou190]

Paul3

Also, it's unlikely but possible that a truck is out of square. Take off the trucks and put them on a sheet of glass (like a cheap picture frame glass). Try to rock the truck side to side and corner to corner. The truck shouldn't rock.

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I do not have any Walthers passenger cars, but I did buy a pair of Walthers trucks for a Sunshine Models express reefer. It had a derailling problem.

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It turned out the four wheels did not sit square as Paul3 wrote.

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I loosened the screws and tightened them again while the truck was on a piece of glass and the problem was solved.

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-Kevin

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