Rear wheels on my 282 derail - Sometimes
- Thread starter Gdelmoro
- Start date
D&J RailRoad
Professor of HO
I would just break those off and run without em.
If that's not what you're looking for, you might take a close look at the truck and axle to be sure it sits on the rails with both wheels. Make sure it has free up and down movement. Use your NMRA tool to be sure the gauge is correct. You do have an NMRA tool, right?
If that's not what you're looking for, you might take a close look at the truck and axle to be sure it sits on the rails with both wheels. Make sure it has free up and down movement. Use your NMRA tool to be sure the gauge is correct. You do have an NMRA tool, right?
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
A spring between the truck and cab, or a small bit of weight may help that trailing truck stay on the rails better.
Selector
Well-Known Member
I have quite a few BLI locomotives from the original Paragon series, their PCM, and their Paragon 2 series. None of them has needed springs or weights on the rear truck swivel over and above what BLI places there originally. Could it be that a small long spring is missing?
I have had one Paragon Niagara that gave me some trouble and a Paragon Pennsy J1 2-10-4. In both cases, I had to bend the drawbar slightly to help it to clear the rear axle or frame of the trailing truck. Once I figured out which way to bend and where, and got it so that it could sweep sideways as the cab swept outward on curves, I never looked back.
I have had one Paragon Niagara that gave me some trouble and a Paragon Pennsy J1 2-10-4. In both cases, I had to bend the drawbar slightly to help it to clear the rear axle or frame of the trailing truck. Once I figured out which way to bend and where, and got it so that it could sweep sideways as the cab swept outward on curves, I never looked back.
D&J RailRoad
Professor of HO
If everything lines up right, run the loco real slow over the bad part of track and watch the rear truck. See if it lifts off the rails at all or is at the extreme of its travel.
Basically there are 3 areas that are the problem:
You haven't really given very much information on what the circumstances are so there isn't much concrete that people can do. Is it actually derailing on a switch? Is the engine derailing on a facing or trailing point move? What size switch is it? #8 or #4? Is the engine entering the switch on a curve? What radius? What is the minimum radius of the curves on the layout? What type of track are you using?
Before you start cutting up the engine or modifying it, you need to figure out where its derailing, if its a track problem you could completely mangle the engine and still not fix the real problem.
1. The track is bad. If the rear truck derails at every switch or "random" switches it is probably not the track, UNLESS all the switches at which the engine derails are the same type of switch, for example they are all left hand #4 PECO switches. Check the gauge, that the points are fitting up, that the switches are flat, etc. If the train is derailing before it gets to the switch then its obviously not the switch, but it still could be the track. In that case look for narrow or wide gauge, kinks, mismatched joints, too tight of radius (anything below 24" radius should be gone over with a fine tooth comb), dips in the track or places where there is bad crosslevel (one rail lower than the other).
2. The wheels on the rear truck are bad. The rear truck wheels could be out of gauge, mounted crooked or binding.
3. The rear truck is not functioning properly. The truck may have its swing limited by the details on the side of the engine or under the cab could be limiting the swing. There could be a spring missing or out of place.
You haven't really given very much information on what the circumstances are so there isn't much concrete that people can do. Is it actually derailing on a switch? Is the engine derailing on a facing or trailing point move? What size switch is it? #8 or #4? Is the engine entering the switch on a curve? What radius? What is the minimum radius of the curves on the layout? What type of track are you using?
Before you start cutting up the engine or modifying it, you need to figure out where its derailing, if its a track problem you could completely mangle the engine and still not fix the real problem.
1. The track is bad. If the rear truck derails at every switch or "random" switches it is probably not the track, UNLESS all the switches at which the engine derails are the same type of switch, for example they are all left hand #4 PECO switches. Check the gauge, that the points are fitting up, that the switches are flat, etc. If the train is derailing before it gets to the switch then its obviously not the switch, but it still could be the track. In that case look for narrow or wide gauge, kinks, mismatched joints, too tight of radius (anything below 24" radius should be gone over with a fine tooth comb), dips in the track or places where there is bad crosslevel (one rail lower than the other).
2. The wheels on the rear truck are bad. The rear truck wheels could be out of gauge, mounted crooked or binding.
3. The rear truck is not functioning properly. The truck may have its swing limited by the details on the side of the engine or under the cab could be limiting the swing. There could be a spring missing or out of place.
Gdelmoro
Member
Thanks all,
And the answer is.... The track is bad! Found that it had nothing to do with the turnouts. about 3 feet prior one of the soldered rail joiners on a curve had too much solder and that's all it took to lift the rear wheels up and over the rail.
I've been running trains over this for years without any issues. Oh well another track work improvement
And the answer is.... The track is bad! Found that it had nothing to do with the turnouts. about 3 feet prior one of the soldered rail joiners on a curve had too much solder and that's all it took to lift the rear wheels up and over the rail.
I've been running trains over this for years without any issues. Oh well another track work improvement
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
Glad you figure it out! As for track, once the solder starts to flow, STOP!
