Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Curved Turnout Issue.

9515 views
30 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Thursday, October 21, 2010 11:58 AM

Brent, I think there must be something else going on. 

First, I expect your Texas type has a blind driver, maybe two?  So the driver base is not the impediment here.  That curved #8 will have an outside radius near 30-32".

One of the flanged drivers on the steamer is not loose, allowing the flanges to creep inward or outward on the axle?  Pressure at some point in the traverse of the turnout may cause one wheel to migrate a bit, and later the flange snags the guard or frog point?  I'm not sure where the snag is....

Have you actually gauged the points in five places down their lengths...they are quite long?  Maybe one of them needs some tweaking, but I would doubt it....a lot.

Is the throwbar supported throughout its sliding range?  If one side is a bit low, it allows that point to sag a bit, and the flange on that side will not get its guidance...engine slips between the rails partway along, or the pilot truck does it right away.

I would not glue the turnout.   I have done a lot of cardstock shimming, lemme tell ya, but that is the way to get a turnout to work.  It needs to be planar and well supported...no sagging places!  But I have shimmed the throwbar occasionally to get the one point to rise up to where the flanges make contact and go the direction you want it to go when the points are thrown.

One other fix may be that you'll have to glue/epoxy a thin shim against the flange face of one of the guards or wing rails at the frog.  Sometimes they are set too far from the weight-bearing rails and essentially do nobody much good...certainly not a heavy long engine like the Texas type.

Crandell

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Curved Turnout Issue.
Posted by BATMAN on Thursday, October 21, 2010 11:44 AM

I have a few Walthers #8 RH turnout on my layout. All three tracks are caulked down securely right up to the turnout. The turnout itself is not caulked down. When my 2-10-4 goes over it about three times it goes out of gauge. I think I will have to fasten the turnout down to solve the problem which I would rather not do. Like I said I have a few curved turnouts on the layout but I can't figure out why this one is causing me grief. Any thoughts on the matter appreciated. Thanks

 

                                                                    Brent

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!