I have a small 28" x 61" N scale layout for my credenza in my office at work. Originally I had a KC Southern Belle passenger train on the track and it worked fine. I switched it out for a Mikado 2-8-2 and some freight cars. The Mikado handles all the corners fine except one where it has a propensity to climb the outside rail and then slip back down as it comes out of the curve. I cannot figure out what it is doing.
Running my fingernail over the curve doesn't seem to show any issues with joiners I have fiddled with the arc of the curves. Nothing seems to make much of any difference. It is especially puzzling since the first train had no issues. I thought it might be the configuration of the loco but that doesn't explain why it works fine on the other curves. Any hints?
Try shimming the outside rail where the wheel climbs over the rail. There may be a silght dip that you cannot see or feel there. Is that 28" X 61" the footprint of the track or the size of the overall layout?
Lay a level along the length of the track in that area. I bet you'll see that the outside rail is lower than the inside rail in spots.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Dave
Both of the above are good things to check you may also want to check and make sure the wheels on your engine are gauged correctly. I had a similar problem with a pacific om my now defunct (in the process of taking down) layout. Neil
The one corners track is out of gauge!
rrebellThe one corners track is out of gauge!
This is a REALLY good place to start when you have a mysterious track problem. Easy to check, usually easy to fix.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Is this sectional track or flex track? I ask this because I helped a friend of mine build a small layout and he was using sectional track that was sold loose in a box. We had the same symptoms you describe. We had found that every stinkin piece of curved sectional had a slight dip right at the end near the joiner. It was very hard to spot until we layed a straight edge across the track as Jeff suggests. I convinced him to switch to flex track. It must have been a manufacturing defect. It very well may have been why they were all loose in the box and not packaged. Just a thought.
A true friend will not bail you out of jail...he will be sitting next to you saying "that was friggin awesome dude!" Tim...Modeling the NYC...is there any other?
Overall Layout was the dimensions I gave.
Could it be that the radius of this particular curve be a little too tight for this particular loco.I have a Mountain that derailed on a curve that my Challenger could deal with.Just a guess.....
I am just PO you have a Train Layout out in your offices! I cannot have train pictures in mine?
I hate Rust
Simple, the boss is a golfer. One day I went to him and said 'you know how some people like golf and have a putter and mini green and practice puting in their office? He said yes. I said well I like trains. He told me not to get too carried away.
If I could figure out how to attach a picture in this forum I show it off.
I shared an office with a guy and he was into trains also. We didn't ask as we knew our boss would be cool with it as the company policy was your office was your domain to do with as you pleased with in reason so we set up a switching layout on the large widow ledge with Kato uni-track and the thing wasn't up longer then a week and we had people in our office every day wanting to play with the trains. We used to chase em out that is except the big boss
I would run your old locomotive on the track and see if it does the same thing if not go back to square one 'check the track to see if in gage etc. then check the locomotive wheels etc. dollar to donuts it's something simple.
Hi Dave,
I would like to know what happens with the suspect loco when you run it in the other direction. Does it still climb in the same place??
Is there a turnout close to that corner?
Johnboy out.......................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
I found the exact point where it derails it is at. I am replacing the two sections of track involved and see what happens.
Try to find out what's causing it in the mean time. Sometimes replacing the section of track results in the same problem. At least you have it narrowed down.
Springfield PA