My new Athearn 4-4-0 with DCC and sound hangs up on an invisible kink on my HO layout. The track gauge is right on as is the locos wheel spacing. My 2 Pacifics and even a BLI Mikado have no problem in the same spot. Neither do any of my 4 wheel diesels. Why does a short whelbase 4-4-0 bind when the larger engines do not? Yes, there is a physical bind that I can feel as the loco is pushed through the spot.
Fix the bind. It will be a problem for other things as well.
First of all, it is a Roundhouse 4-4-0. Check the Roundhouse site.
http://www.roundhousetrains.com/Default.aspx
Caboose Hobbies where I bought mine from has it as a Model Die Casting product.
Check the brake shoes on the drivers. Sometimes the brakes rub against the drivers. Pry the offending brake shoe away with an Xacto knife.
Rich
If it is just one spot on the railroad there is something on the railroad that is causing it rather than on the engine. I’d look for a high guard rail like in a turnout if that is the place or something on the outside of the rails that is doing it. I’d also check if something is skewing the engine causing it to bind there. A longer whellbase engine will stay straighter due to the longer wheelbase. That is why the 4-4-0 may be hanging up some.
An image, a close-up of the area would be really helpful…especially if you could show two of them. One from directly overhead, the other taken from a shallow angle above either approach to this place.
Right now we don’t know if it is the front truck or the drivers. If the drivers are spread a distance apart, as they often are on the Americans, you may have a good old fashioned driver bind as you would for an eight-coupled. It’s possible, if unlikely, but we can’t be sure.
I would check for obstructions of the kind suggested above…a track nail, a well glued chunk of ballast on top of a tie that picks the uncoupling pin hanging down from the coupler.
In fact, now that I think of it, have a close look at the front edge of the pilot all along its frontage, including whatever hangs over the rails and the outer ties. My IHC Mike is easily my worst loco for picking stuff at trackside with its very low and wide pilot.
That’s about it from me, Bruce.
There seems to be an anomoly in the geometry of the pilot truck. Mine would hang up on 18r curves that weren’t perfect but didn’t appear kinked. They would go around 15r with no problem. The pilot wheels hang up on the cylinders. I replaced the pilot wheels with NWSL 30" ones and have had no problems.
A much modifed but stock chassied Roundhouse 4-4-0
Harold
Seconded. I had a few club diesels that hung up because of molded brake cylinders got hung up on the steps, I think these were f7s, of PAs. they popped right off, and she worked.
Point is, little details can cause large issues.