Couple Problems

[maczimb]

I have a "couple" of problems (no pun intended)
Some time back before I knew what I was doing (I'm still not sure) I picked up some stuff from a garage sale.
A bunch of Tyco stuff with several freight cars, most of them are very toy like but there are three that I really like the look of, problem is they all have lousy truck mounted couplers. I bought some Kaydee #5's but there's no way I can attach them. The trucks are the cheap snap on type. Perhaps I should consider swapping out the trucks, but with what??? and where from??
Another problem is to do with my Bachmann SD45 diesel, one one particular curve, about a 22" radius, it derails but only when it is hauling one or more cars and only in one direction. I turned it around and hauled in reverse with ten cars, no problem. The couplers are E-Z mate on both the diesel and the cars. I tried to switch to Kadee but I couldn't get them to fit.
Thanks in advance
Mac in 106f Lake Havasu AZ

 

[jayl1]

Try Kadee #27 for the Tyco cars. They come with an adaptor.

 

[hamltnblue]

And with the derailing diesel. Run it slowly and watch where it comes off and what is happening. sometimes there is a dip in the track and the wheel climbs off. You fix that by shiming out the dip. Sometimes there is a kink where the rails aren't lined up at a joint, often caused by trying to make a section fit and cheating a little. those are fixed by straightening the joint out and using a piece of flex track or a series of small pieces to make up the difference.

 

[UP2CSX]

You have several choices with truck mounted couplers. You can use Kadee #27's, as has been stated, which will slip into the standard Tyco type coupler box. This is not an ideal situation since truck mounted couplers are more prone to causing derailments, especially on a backing moves. If you want to retain the Tyco trucks, you can snip off the coupler box and mount the Kadee's in the coupler box that comes in the package. You need to to determine the correct height and, for that, getting a Kadee coupler height gauge is a good idea. You can attach the coupler box with 2-56 screws, tapped and drilled through the coupler box ears, or you can use super glue. I've used both methods and like the screw method a lot better, especially if you have to shim the coupler box to get the right coupler height.

Your engine derailing is almost certainly being caused by a kink, unevenness, or rough joint in the curve. You need to look at each section of the curve with your eyes as close to the rail as possible. You can see kinks very easily doing this. Use you fingers to feel for any rough joints or obvious problems with the rail. It's a good idea to file every joint smooth on curves even if you don't have problems because you eventually will with some engine. There is a small chance that one of the truck wheels is out of gauge. Again, an NMRA standards gauge is a good investment and you can quickly check wheel gauge and determine if you have a problem. This is something you should do with every piece of rolling stock before putting it into service.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Again, an NMRA standards gauge is a good investment and you can quickly check wheel gauge and determine if you have a problem. This is something you should do with every piece of rolling stock before putting it into service.

Jim, this is probably the best advice an experienced modeler can give someone who may not be aware of it.

 

[maczimb]

Derailment

Well guys, let me begin by saying thanks for all the trouble shooting ideas.
After many hours and trying many different solutions to the derailment problem. IT IS FIXED.
The fix was easy once I had identified the problem, however, on the way to the fix, I was ready to slit my wrists.
I have a 36" radius R/H curve through a tunnel, followed by a 12" straight and into the 22" L/H curve where the derailment happened.
At the entrance to the tunnel and at the beginning of the 36" curve I discovered a very slight kink in the rail, at that point one wheel climbed onto the rail, some 48" later after the tunnel exit and at the beginning of the 22" curve, the rear truck jumped the track.
Fortunately I made the top of the tunnel detachable.
I guess that's what the game is all about PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE.
Mac

 

[UP2CSX]

Mac, good work tracking down the problem. You've bought up a good point. Many times. the area that something derails is far away from the actual cause. You had a slight "S" curve even with the straight track and were going from a broad to a more tight radius curve. Any tiny kink, particularly at the start of a curve, is likely to be magnified somewhere down the line. This also a good example of where an NMRA guage would have been helpful. Sliding it through that curve would have revealed that slight change in gauge at the kink. Believe me, if you don't have one, it'll be the best 12 bucks you ever spent.

 

[UP2CSX]

Jim, this is probably the best advice an experienced modeler can give someone who may not be aware of it.

Thanks, CJ. I have learned from long and hair pulling experience that the last thing most rolling stock manufacturers care about is wheel gauge and coupler height. The combination of a Kadee height gauge and an NMRA standards gauge has save me countless hours of frustration. Checking each car and locomotive before it gets put into service has reduced my defect rate to something less than 1% from about 10% before I started doing this. Sure helped diminish those boxes of bad order cars I was going to get to "one of these days".