turmout question?

[JeremyB]

Hi guys

when a locomotive travels over a switch with plastic frogs is it normal to rock slightly a little?

Jeremy

[DSchmitt]

Neither plastic frogs nor metal frogs should cause a locomotive or car to rock.

Check both the loco and the turnout to see if they ar in good condition and meet NMRA standards.

Possible solutions modify the loco, replace the turnout, do both, live with it if there are no derailments.

[Anonymous]

Mine do all the time in fact a lot of my swiches i don't have any trouble with even though they dont have machines

[Budliner]

see if it happens if tou enter the turnout at a slight angle away from the switch

[Anonymous]

Having stood above and behind while watching a train going over a switch, I've seen the locomotives rock a bit. Nothing too wild, but considering you're making a rather massive object change direction, I would think that a small amount of inertia would try to keep the locomotive going in the original direction. (Newton's 1st Law of Motion.) It's even more pronounced with the enclosed TTX Autorack cars.

[Eriediamond]

Want to add some thing here of interest and help hopefully. Is rocking mostly on longer locos and entering the switch from the lead end from a parallel track on a #4 switch? If so, you may have to do like the real railroads do an put a ( for lack of better terminology) lead curve into the switch. This gives a "set" to the leading loco truck (which I bet is causing the rock) so when it reaches the frog it is not depending on the wheel flange for guidence through the switch. Hope I'm makeing sense here. Look at some pictures of full size railoads and notice how a parallel track some times curves out away from the main line before curving back in to the switch. Shorter locos and cars usually don't have this problem.

[Anonymous]

I had an issue similar to what is being described with one of my engines. I was able to conclude that the wheels were too close. So I reset the spacing using NMRA standards and it now runs smooth. Thanks to this forum I was able to acquire the link that gave me the correct spacing. Below is the link.

http://www.nmra.org/standards/s-4.html

[Fergmiester]

My larger locos will sway coming into a turnout. From what I remember riding the Subway in Toronto this was not un common especially if you coming into the switch on the curve and not the straight. I agree this is much more noticable with heavier engines. The other question is: What speed are you hitting the switch at? Is it a scale speed or a hell bent for leather speed?

[Budliner]

ok all I see is that at the frog the track can go in two directions and that X has a dead spot in the center if you look the wheel will fall in the divit and that is the rocking piont on all cars and engins --_--


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