5 Unit Thrall Well Cars derailing

[railBuilderDhd]

I recently built the Walthers 48’ thrall well 5 unit kit and when I set the cars on the layout I noticed the cars derailed on my 18” radius turn. I wanted to know what others have found to be the tightest radius the articulated well cars can run through. I changed the wheels from the included plastic wheels to the scale 33” Proto 2000 metal wheels. I changed the wheels back to the plastic sets and still the cars derailed when running through the 18” turn.
Thanks for any ideas on helping me keep my cars on track.
Dave

 

[kenw]

make sure the trucks aren't binding as they turn.

are they weighted? these cars are very, very lightweight and can be pulled off track on turns very easily if not weighted.

 

[diburning]

are they articulated or hooked together by drawbars? The Walthers well cars with drawbars like to derail on switches and curves because the drawbar holds the car up so that the full weight of the car isn't always on the truck.

The Walthers intermodal cars shouldn't be underweight as they are cast metal.

I'd suggest getting some metal wheels with metal needlepoints and metal axles such as Intermountain wheels since they track better.

If the car is articulated, the trucks where the articulations are should have 36" wheels, not 33s. Walthers may have just put in generic 33" wheels. Only the end trucks on the end cars should have 33" wheels.

 

[jbaakko]

The Walthers Thrall cars are weighted with a flat metal plate under the well. They really only operate down to 22".

 

[diburning]

Really? Why didn't they cast them in metal like they did with everything else?

 

[Littlefoot14]

I have the same set, and they were ok on a loop of Power-loc track. I havent gotten around to towing them behind a locomotive yet though.

Josh is right, plastic with a black piece of metal tacked onto the bottom for weights. However, the one set i was using didnt have weights, and was completely empty.

 

[jbaakko]

Really? Why didn't they cast them in metal like they did with everything else?

The 48' wells they produce are old, like 10 years old now, where as the 53' wells are newer, thus cast in metal.

 

[Larry]

Just for the heck of it. See if the wheels are hitting the coupler pocket on the end cars.
I had to shave off the sides of the coupler pocket on my well cars on my other layout before this one. So much that the metal plate for the coupler was showing. I also added some weight w/some thin metal plates that I bought at my local Ace Hardware. The plates were used for strapping to tie down a roof to walls. They had to be shortened a little, but they were the correct width. The containers I was hauling also had magnets inside the floor & that helped a bit more w/weight.

 

[railBuilderDhd]

Thanks guys - Larry you are right on about the wheels hitting the underside and coupler pockets. Josh is also correct that they are plastic ones and about 10 years old. Not to bad for 10 years old but not really as good at the ones we see today. I plan to have them as filler in the intermodal yard I build.
Dave