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I have a Lionel and two Marx 1666, 666.
I also have a Lionel 1984 8302.
The newer Lionel runs smooth and hardly ever jumps the rail.
My old Cast Loco's all jump the front trucks, mainly on the switches if they are not straight. If they are switched then the front trucks jump the track. Not sure what I can do on these 3 different loco's to keep the trucks on the rail.
One thing with the 8302 is that it's a 4-4-2, the other old loco's are 2-4-2's with the exception of the Lionel that is a 2-6-2.
Any suggestions to keep my front trucks planted???
Well i have combined, them across the changes and see where they jump off but i just don't know why. Almost considering i need to add weight to the top side trucks, to keep them placed company. I was considering including a car rim weight to the top side vehicle to add a little weight....
A free floating truck will follow a well laid track. A manufactured turnout shouldn't be causing the problem.
You will have to take a close look at the front pilot truck on the loco. Does it move freely in all directions? Is there a binding point somewhere in the full range of motion? Do the wheels roll freely? Is it spring loaded to apply pressure down onto the track? Are any of the wheels chipped or do any of them have debris builit up on them? Don't just assume any or all of these are ok, look at them each very carefully.
I have the same issues. I've been thinking about what to do, but haven't invested time into attempting a fix yet.
A wise man once said the start of the problem is the H on the hood. He wasn't a Honda fan. Point being, I think the quality of manufacture has something to do with it.
As far as a fix, I'd be tempted to agree that weighing down the front truck may work. Some trucks just seem to freely float around, especially when there are cars being pulled. To me, this seems to be a weight and balance issue related to a lack of weight on the front. I don't know if NMRA has any standards in this department, but it may be worth looking into.
Some trucks are spring loaded downward. I wonder if the springs could be old?
My last thought has to do with the wheels as Ken mentioned. I wonder if they might need some form of lubrication.
First thing I would check is the wheel gauge. Especially if they are jumping to the outside of the track, I would suspect they are too wide. Switches tend to have a pinch point in their track gauge right where the points meet the through rail. That tight spot will throw wide wheel gauges right up and off the rail.
What type of track/switches are you using? What radius is the switch?
I read in an older MR ( like 40 ago) that the deep flange may be catching the side of the rail and causing it to ride up and over.
However, Marx flanges ... If I remember correctly ... Are not as deep as Lionel.
