problems with turnouts....


W

wongsing

Member
Hey everyone!

I'm new to model railroading and this seemed like the best site for that so here goes! I'm modeling a 4x8 ho scale layout and roughly have some things set up. Although my track is not PERMANENTLY set up yet, I seem to be having some problems with some of the switches. I have (so far) 2 Bachmann "ez-track" switches and one from Atlas. Sometimes when my cars roll over the Bachmann switches they either A. come uncoupled or B. one of two trucks will try to stay straight while rolling over or before the frog. It only happens sometimes and never with the loco. Usually the 2nd car or so. I hope I didn't confuse anyone and hope someone can shed some light on this. I'm not sure how else to troubleshoot this problem....could the answer be more weight? Is the product defective? Thanks for the response and I hope to get to talk trains with some of you guys...especially anyone who likes the Chessie System or other pre-merger CSX!;)

-Rich
 
Hi Rich. Welcome to the forum!

There are a variety of things that could cause the problem you are experiencing. The wheel guage, turnout point dimensions and car weight are the most likely by far. To correct it, you'll need an NMRA gauge to fine tune with. They can be found at many hobby shops or ordered online for $10 or so. Here's a link to describe what the gauge will check...

http://www.trainbuddy.com/Reference/nmra_gage.htm
 
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I use the ez track switches and I had similar problems. Sometimes the frog sticks up past the rail. I used a dremel to file it down so it was level with the track and that solved the problem.
 
If it is always the same truck derailing, then it is probably a wheelset out of gauge (meaning the wheels are not the correct distance apart). The easiest way to fix that is to use the NMRA gage (yes, that's how it is spelled on the package :confused: ) Grande Man pointed out to adjust the spacing.

If it's a problem with the turnout itself, you'll have to check the clearances, and again the easiest way is to use the NMRA gage.

It isn't cheap, but it's a good investment. If you can't find it cheaper elsewhere, I can order one and ship it to you next week for $10.
 
I had this problem once and the horn and nook couplers were hitting the frog. Might check that. Good luck and welcome to the forum.
 
Here's a quick pic of the track gage we're talking about. Darn thing is too shiny to take a good picture of :rolleyes:
 
thanks guys!

I noticed RIGHT after I posted this that it is in fact only 2 of my cars that seem to have that problem...both centerflow hoppers from the same manufacturer. I will replace the plastic wheels with some metal ones and see if that fixes it! BTW, it seems this is the right forum, as I JUST posted last night and have already got at least 6 responses! I guess there are still people that like to talk trains and help eachother out! LOL!

-Rich
 
wongsing said:
thanks guys!

I noticed RIGHT after I posted this that it is in fact only 2 of my cars that seem to have that problem...both centerflow hoppers from the same manufacturer. I will replace the plastic wheels with some metal ones and see if that fixes it! BTW, it seems this is the right forum, as I JUST posted last night and have already got at least 6 responses! I guess there are still people that like to talk trains and help eachother out! LOL!

-Rich
Click to expand...

If they are plastic wheels on a metal axle, you should be able to slide the wheels to correct the distance between them. If they are molded plastic, replacing them is the way to go.
 
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