I am building a layout that is a variation on one of the ‘101 Trackplans’. (Great book!) Unfortunately, about a third of the track is 2.2% more-or-less grade and I plan to have a turnout near the top of an S-curve. All well and good, but I’m having trouble coming up with something to stop an uncoupled train from rolling down the hill while its loco is servicing that spur. I sort of remember something on this topic some time ago in a magazine but don’t know where/when. One idea that might work is to raise a row of small artist-style paintbrushes up between the ties vertically with a Tortoise machine, thus snagging axles or couplers to stop a roll from happening. These things would have to pop up through small tubes to keep the bristles from splaying out. Does anyone have a better idea, or a lead on that article? Thanks, G.
I’ve seen two ideas (in print) that might help you.
First was a piece of rather thin panio wire preminantly sticking up through the ties, just high enough to catch the car axles, fine enough to be tipped out of the way when they are being pulles (or pushed) over it, but strong enough to hold non-moving cars.
The second was a stiffer piece of wire on which could be pushed up through when needed, set it to come up far enough to catch the axle. If I remember right they recommended something like a choke control from your local auto parts store.
Hope one of these helps.
Good luck,
Hi bigG
You could always do what the prototype did in that situation and put a working catch point in to stop the runaways geting to the hill Peco make working catch points
Which can be set up so they work in correspondence with the set of points at the top of the hill.
Remember these things work so make sure your wagons will not hit the floor when they derail.
regards John
Those are called “split point derails” and are meant to derail a runaway train, not catch it and hold it, which is what bigG wants.
Two solutions.
Use a pushpin behind the last car to set a brake. I use one of those on several areas on grades on my layout.
Use choke cable or R/C plane control rods to activate a metal pin or rod that pops up vertically from the roadbed betwee the rails just high enough to hit an axle, but can be retracted below the top of the rail when not holding a train.
Dave H.
The November 2001 issue of Model Railroader page 109 had an article by Andy Sperando titled “A Tortoise hill brake”. Perhaps this is the article you were thinking about that uses a Tortoise.
On our club layout we have some hidden holding tracks on a grade. We used brush brissles poking up from the ties. We disassmbled the brush and glued the brissles into holes drilled into the to of the ties. They are tiny and black so nearly invisible. But they are perminant, they are always there. A regular train just pushes through them. At first we had too many and had to go back and cut some of them out.
One of the model railroading magazines many years had a small project to do just that. I do not recall the magazine or even year.
They were using the stiff nylon bristles mentioned above, cut off just about axel height. Don’t put them right in the center or they may catch on your coupler pins, but I would think you want an equal number on each side of the centerline so they don.t skeew the axel when moveing.
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR
How about a section of small bore brass tubing inserted through the roadbed? Pinch closed the bottom and stick a piece of wire, plastic rod, unbent paperclip, finishing nail, etc into the “cup”. Pull it out when not needed. 'Course you’ll have to either put it somewhere where you can find it or have a ready supply of whatever you’re using.
Cheap, easy and should take about 2 minutes to install.
I use a variation on this idea, just a different type of pin. I like it because I’m never sure where the back end of the train will be when I cut off the engine and a couple of cars to switch, and have to leave the train on an inclined mainline.
Regards
Ed
This is great; thankyou to all who sent me ideas. It looks like the Nov 2001 article will do the trick nicely. It is the one I remembered. Simple and elegant too! The only difference in Andy’s usage and mine seems to be that he pushes his cabooses up the hill for parking, where in mine I pull the train up the hill to uncouple and need to keep it from rolling away. Anyone know if when the pin hits an axle, does it cause a derail, or just glance off? I suppose it depends on how stiff and sharp the wire is… George
Sorry but they are called catch points on the railway I work for and also in the Peco catalogue looks like the divided by a common language strikes again.
If he wants to hold the train then my answer is a wheel chock with a big over sized wheel chock flag on it the idea of a tiny rod sticking up would bother me
I have the feeling it is to prone to loosing cow catchers off the front of loco’s and derailments on the main line at least with a big flaged chock you have a chance of seeing it before you hit it
It would however be far better if the problem can be designed out of the layout
regards John