Need a little help with stubborn rail joiners


Ok, After half a day, and a good bit of serious dark and scary cussin, I got the track DOWN. So YEA. Now all connection points will need solder, filing, fussing over, hopefully tomorrow. And I am sure I will have spots that need tweaking. Just pushing a caboose with my fingers I can see already a few minor issues.

However ONE HUGE issue, that one and only switch track? Not the connections but the track itself seems to cause derailment.

Now.... I know it gets power, and if I need to start a whole other thread someone tell me. But I have right now three engines to test with. My husbands which functions just dandy but is WAY too long to handle the tight turns. It runs, as far as I can before the trucks simply won't swivel enough and the car can't get around my mountain. Then, I bought a sweet ATSF 3420 steam loco, and though it works, even has a headlight, it needs some tlc. I tested it on a plain straight piece of flex track and it runs, stops, like that. Pretty sure it's a matter of taking it apart, likely removing dirt from axles, possibly wheels too, they might not make good connection if there is a layer of crud, and some lube around the worm gear. Got the lube, just gotta do it. Now this isn't the one I really plan to have for this track.

For that I landed a full train the (sadly Bachman) Jupiter. It's adorable and I got a bunch of matching cars with it. BUT I discovered the problem is between caboose and engine is a transmission rod. Found that part on Bachmans site, and that just came yesterday. Know what, I'm going to go ahead and post pictures of where that needs to go, and if ANYONE has ever done this, please chime in. Though I found videos on the part itself, none show actually replacing it.
 

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From what I'm seeing the loco probably derails entering the switch from the outside loop and again as it leaves the inner loop that may be because the turn into and out of the switch to the outer loop is too sharp, you need to ease that so the track gently curves into the switch.
 
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No no... it SEEMS to derail right in the middle of the switch, half the car wants to go down one track and the other half gets confused as to who is leading. So far only my boxcar has done that, the caboose doesn't. Again though, I'm pushing it from behind with my finger, until I can get one of my two engines running. And again daughter is bring the solder gun, hopefully tomorrow. Every single connection on there was a royal nightmare. I got my replacement power leads today, Atlas, and they have the exact same size issue with the connectors. (Exacto knife, cussing.... got it on.)

(note to self. If you EVER do this again keep track of what parts you bought so you know what to NEVER do again.)

Already kinda half thinking going with code 55 might have been a mistake. The taller rail, though not quite as authentic, probably works better.
 
ArtmakersWorlds said:
However ONE HUGE issue, that one and only switch track? Not the connections but the track itself seems to cause derailment.
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Yes, I hate to say it because I know it was so hard to get the track down, but there are some serious kinks and super tight radius curves in there. I am guessing maybe even some 5" or 6" radius just off the crossing. See marks in red. I think almost every locomotive is going to have a hard time getting through that. The curve should come off the end of the crossing straight and then go into the curve smoother as in the yellow.

I don't know why it would want to split the frog and go the opposite direction. Pushing is never as good as pulling in that regard.

It would help if you had a steeper degreed crossing. That one looks like about a 22.5 or so. I'm thinking a 30 would serve you better. Not only would it help with the kink problem because easier angles, it would be a shorter straight section do deal with.

kinked curves.jpg
 
Iron Horseman's right, you'll need to ease those curves he's marked and see if that solves the problem, if not, the only other solution I can think of is to shim the switch, unless someone has a better solution.
 
I did consider my pushing the car instead of pulling it might be the issue. Again can't really test that till I get a working engine. Now the Jupiter is only a 4 4 0 so should have no problem with this. Tight though the curves are. I know. Again this thing is meant to fit under a table top so I really had little options here. I suppose I could have just made one circle of track, but I love a challenge. The points in red so far have not been an issue even with my pushing the car with my finger. What appears to happen, (and so far only with the box car I have) is with those little brown sections IN the switch. It's almost like they are too tall and the ridges of the wheel rid on them. I'll have to take a closer look once the train is running, and pulling. Might have to take my dremel to it. We'll see.

The "minor issue" I spotted right away was on the back end, where I have a very slight bridge over the river. Track isn't quite level. Not bad, but just enough of a lean, combined with the tight turn, that the car tends to roll off it's wheel base. Now that can be adjusted after I get all the connections soldered together. I can always tack down the track a bit, if any lean have it lean in instead of out, get it perfect before laying ballast and gluing it all down for good. It's all still loose enough that if I have to adjust a connection I can.

Work in progress.
 
BTW, I only have about a 6" piece of left over track, so really don't want to do any major overhauls now. Again at this point waiting to get an engine running. Had enough for today, family coming home tomorrow. I'll post updates as I get them.

Cheers all
 
ArtmakersWorlds said:
Then there is the fact that this flex track seems to only be lightly clipped onto the rail, at least on one side, and after that pops off enough times it simply will not STAY on
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If what you have only "slides" on one side then you will have atlas stuff. If the rails are coming out of the "ties", all I can think of is you are trying to get too much curvature from the track which is causing the track to buckle OR, if it is atlas stuff, then you are trying to "flex it" in the wrong direction ??
 
As said above, if you took my advice and filed the bottom of the rail, to the leading edge, a little - and if you have the correct joiners - they will slide on without any issue at all using your fingers.

The minimum radius for N Scale to run on is 9.75" radius, anything smaller than that might/will cause you problems. I'd suggest if the engine is derailing in the middle of the turnout (cross over) and it is ONLY THAT engine, then it is most likely the engine that is the problem - wheels out of gauge perhaps or trailing wheel set catching on something perhaps - I am only guessing.

If I recall correctly, you said you had a 20" circle while that will allow a 10" radius (edge to edge) it is very tight. I am also guessing that this was your first attempt at a layout. Don't be disappointed by anything, regard it as a learning curve. If I were you - I'd start over ensuring that I could have a minimum of a 10" radius (2' wide area to work with) buy new and work from the bottom up. If your cork road bed is all over the place then so to will the track that sits on it. That, in itself can cause you issues, especially with turnouts. and especially in N Scale. N Scale is not quite as forgiving as HO.

As said, if I were you, I'd buy myself a few lengths of Peco Code 80, Peco Joiners (or Universal Joiners as they work well with Peco Track) and Peco Turnout/s and start again. Get the road bed down FLAT, and that will give you the base for everything else.
 
ArtmakersWorlds said:
Might have to take my dremel to it. We'll see.
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Do not use a dremel on the crossing, unless you have a spare one lying around that is, there are probably electrical connections buried in the crossing, you'll cause yourself more of a headache. If the wheels are riding up as they pass over, likely the gauge between the wheels is incorrect as Wombat457 has said, check that first.
 
Seems as though you have more issues than just at the cross over - it looks as though your either not getting power to the track OR (and this is the more likely) the engine is knackered in one way or another - wheel alignment is a possibility, gears binding some where is another.

Do you have another engine to run? If the same thing happens then you maybe able to count out the engine as the problem. From what I could see, I don't think your cross over is the problem although it is hard to tell.
 
I had one of those engines, and you're not going to like what I tell you about it.
The reason it derails is the front truck is too stiff to swivel, and too light to track through the turnout. The wheels will want to go straight, instead of turning. I know it looks cool, and simply going in circles it will probably do okay, but it will never, ever be reliable to do much else. I'm sorry I have to tell you this, but it will save you much frustration.
 
Yea I put all this in the description, I KNOW the engine needs work. Just judging from the amount of dust on the couplers, probably even more inside. And the electrical pick ups under the tender, crud on the wheels. All fixable I'm sure. Just gonna take my strongest reading glasses AND magnifying glass, AND good light, huge dose of patience. I'll get it. My other steam engine also needs the same, so I see a day of basically watch repair in my future.

I can do it though, I don't even have any of the figures I bought unpainted and did them by hand. Using a brush with about three hairs in it.

And I know the track isn't finished at all. Solder will probably help that a ton considering not one joiner on this layout wasn't badly mangled before I could get it on.

Hey it's a beginning right?
 
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