Just got an atlas Gold series RS1 for christmas and tried to run it arround the layout and it derails on a 28” Curve at the same spot in the reverse direction only. No other locomotive, steam, diesel or freight car or passenger car, 4 or 6 axle derails there. No Steam 060 or 282 or 464 derails. The NMRA Gauge shows the rails are the correct distance apart.
Any ideas?
Gary
Gary,
Check the gauge of the drive wheels of your RS1. Also check to see if the track dips in that spot of the curve. Could be more than one thing going on.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
When i have that happen i find a wire or something not letting the truck rock and track propperly. Run it without the shell and watch. Slow speed and push it through that area. Could also be something like the axles arent tracking because of flashing. I will have to try mine when i get home. Had them for a while. Just have not gotten them through the paint shop
Wolfie
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
If the track is fine, check for a binding in how freely the truck turns. Sometimes the wires lay under the shell in a way that shortens the slack needed to allow the truck to turn.
But if it derails on a turn, there is probably a dip in the outer rail compared to the inner rail. A stiff truck will find that dip easier.
- Douglas
Nice Christmas present! I'm agreeing with what Tom told you, checking the wheels on the loco.
I found the best way to diagnose derailments is get my eyeballs right down on track, and slowly move the loco, or the car, over a trouble spot and see just what is happening. I've even used my optivisor to get a close look. Of course, this only works if it's on a section of track you CAN get that close to, without scenery, etc., being in the way.
Mike.
My You Tube
Ok one at a time I’ll Check each of the recommended actions. It will take me a while but I’ll get back with the results.
Thanks for the posts.
Well that worked!
Front truck wheels were just slightly too close and the track was not level across the rails. Off level about an 1/8th of an inch. Now it flys through and crawls too.
Thans to all.
It's not the track radius. Did you check if the wheels are in gauge?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Henry,
I think Gary answered the question: The front truck wheels were slightly too close together and the rails weren't level.
Well, I thought it was fixed. Runs around curves up reverse (cab forwrd) which is the way i ran it after I thought it was all fixed. I did run it both ways in the tighter curve 26”. When I run it forwards (hood first) on teh 28” radius track it derails about 1/2 way through the curve. Again no other loco had any issue on either curve.
GOT to be something with the trucks. Guess I neeed to take the shell off and look arround.
Post a photo of the curve.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Rich
Alton Junction
tstageI think Gary answered the question:
I did not see that post. But it's still broke.
I still say it's a track issue. Finer models can be a bit more picky, but if they loco runs both ways with no problem through a 26" radius curve then 28" should be no problem. That loco should run at speed through 20" or less radius, actually. I suspect such things as the joiners not holding the rails in exact alightment, so there is a lip on the inside running surface in the middle of the curve, or there is a kink at the joint, or there is a hump or dip in the track through the problem curve.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker I still say it's a track issue. Finer models can be a bit more picky, but if they loco runs both ways with no problem through a 26" radius curve then 28" should be no problem. That loco should run at speed through 20" or less radius, actually. I suspect such things as the joiners not holding the rails in exact alightment, so there is a lip on the inside running surface in the middle of the curve, or there is a kink at the joint, or there is a hump or dip in the track through the problem curve. --Randy
richhotrain Post a photo of the curve. A picture is worth a thousand words. Rich
Ok will do later today
Decided to do this before I shovel snow!
The atlas derails about halfway between the bottom of the picture and the bridge.
Here is a TOP view. The derail occurs about mid point.
I ran a 6 car train backwards through this spot and no detrails.
With track, sometimes a location upstream of deralment may may be the problem. That is the loco may actually be derailing at another location but appearing to be on the track .
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
gdelmoro Decided to do this before I shovel snow! The atlas derails about halfway between the bottom of the picture and the bridge. Here is a TOP view. The derail occurs about mid point. I ran a 6 car train backwards through this spot and no detrails.
And which direction is the loco moving when it derails? Moving toward the bridge or moving away from the bridge?
Is the loco moving forward, that is with cab at the back, when it derails? Or does it derail in reverse, that is moving forward with cab at the front?
It derails on the left track going away from you moving forward cab in back.
DSchmitt With track, sometimes a location upstream of deralment may may be the problem. That is the loco may actually be derailing at another location but appearing to be on the track .
Yes, been there :(.
I watch it derail about half way through the curve so I know it’s godo until then. You can also hear it when it derails.
gdelmoro It derails on the left track going away from you moving forward cab in back.
Which truck derails?
Is this the only way that this loco derails? No other way and only at that spot?
richhotrain gdelmoro It derails on the left track going away from you moving forward cab in back. OK, that helps. So it derails on the left track headed toward the bridge in forward postion. Correct? Which truck derails? Is this the only way that this loco derails? No other way and only at that spot? Rich
OK, that helps. So it derails on the left track headed toward the bridge in forward postion. Correct?
Yes toward the Bridge, front truck.
yes does not derail going the other way. That would be simply reversed
gdelmoro richhotrain gdelmoro It derails on the left track going away from you moving forward cab in back. OK, that helps. So it derails on the left track headed toward the bridge in forward postion. Correct? Which truck derails? Is this the only way that this loco derails? No other way and only at that spot? Rich Yes toward the Bridge, front truck. yes does not derail going the other way. That would be simply reversed
Hard to tell, I cannot get directly in front. I see the left come off but can’t swear the right didn’t come off first.
It's easy for the angle to not be perfect and mess up the persoective, but in the overhead view, those curves don;t look all that smooth.
Does it derail if you have it creep at speed step 1 over the trouble spot? If it does, that's probably the best chance you have of seeing what happens, closely watchign the truck as it slowly creeps ahead and you cna find the precise point of derailment. Could even be something as silly as a stray piece of ballast. Or maybe that Kadee spring you thought flew to the floor months ago - is now found.
gdelmoro Hard to tell, I cannot get directly in front. I see the left come off but can’t swear the right didn’t come off first.
One other thing to try is the level/square of the truck.
Take a sheet of glass (an 8x10 picture will do) and lay it on a level counter/bench. Place the loco on the glass. Now take a small piece of paper (printer paper is fine) and try to slide it under each wheel, one at a time. The paper should slider under each wheel with equal force.
If you find that one wheel is very hard to get the paper under, or with another wheel the paper just slides under it with ease, you have a crooked truck. Sometimes the truck has been assembled crooked and a little twisting can solve it. Sometimes a bearing is out of position or bent. Sometimes a little filing can fix the issue. It depends what it is. I've even seen the worm cover cause a crooked truck, or the bolster itself.
But the sheet of glass trick really does work well to find problems. I've used it on steam and diesels with good results.
I’ll try all these and get back
Ran it backeards (cab forward) to see if I could get past the area it derailed going forward but it derailed a little further up towards the bridge.
So i took it back to the other side of the layout and turned the loco arround and ran it forward from way back before the bridge (about 12’) and it mad it through the curve speed step 1 and 7. No derail.
After it was about at the bottom of the picture I reversed and it derailed about 8” before the bridge. A little further than usual.
I placed the loco on a plate glass shelf and ran a piece of copy paper under the trucks. The front truck (w/hood to the left and cab to the right) papper passed easily (no resistance) under both left truck wheels. When I ran it under the back wheels (same side) it passed under but there was obvious resistance .
I turned the loco arround (cab to left - hood to right) same thing the rear most truck (now to the left) the paper slid right under no resistance. the front most trick (now to the left) clearly had more resistance. Shouldn’t it be hard to get the paper unde any wheels and not be able to pull it through without the locomotive moving?
It could be the trucks or it could be out of gauge wheels, but my gut tells me it is the track.
The RS-1 is a 4-axle diesel, so it is less likely to derail than a 6-axle diesel even if the trucks are not perfectly sitting on the rails.
On the RS-1, the cab is in the rear as the locomotive moves forward. There are four movements on a section of track.
If I understand you correctly, it sounds as if the locomotive derails heading north whether moving forward or in reverse. But, it does not derail when headed south, whether moving forward or in reverse.
My suspicion is that the track is not flat. One rail is higher than the other. Or, the curve is not smooth. There is a kink in it. That is my educated guess.