A while back a posted a question concerning my Atlas HO code 100 turnouts. I use mostly #6 but have some #4s as well. The problem I initially brought up was what I believed as the cars and engines jumping up as they rolled through the frogs.
After closer inspection, I actually see that the wheels are falling into the frog as if they were running through a pit. The car/wheel set actually drops down into the area of the frog. While most the my rolling stock and engines move through the turnouts, some still want to jump the track. Is there anything out there that could solve this problem short of replacing all of my switches? Can anything be done to the frogs in the switches?[?]
I have used atlas code 100 turnouts for years and have found that some of the frogs need to be filed down with a needle file if the frog causes the rolling stock wheels to lift…another thing i have found is that it is not necessary to nail down the frog where the two nail holes are located…atlas turnouts need to float as much as possible especially at the points and the frogs…I fasten them down with track nails where there are nail holes in the middle of the rails only and no where else…Chuck[:D]
Check the offending cars for proper wheel gauge. If they are slightly narrow, the guard rail opposite the frog may be pulling the wheel set to the side, causing a narrow set to drop into the frog. I had this problem with some passenger cars. They were fine on the straight track, but the gauge at the switches was just wide enough to cause problems. New wheels = no problems.
If the clearances on the frog are too wide, they may also allow the wheel to “wander” and drop into the gap. Narrow the gap with a small strip of styrene, glued in place, and filed to match the railhead.
That’s an inherent problem with the way Atlas turnouts are made. The wheel flangeway through Atlas turnouts is much wider than is really necessary. For that reason, I prefer Peco or higher quality turnouts.
Thanks all for the suggestions. I quiet sure that the wheel sets are in gauge. I switch everything I get to metal wheels sets and check gauge as I install. The problem seems to be the pot hole the wheel dive into. I’ll check the article that masonjar recommended.
And had I known that this would be a problem, I would have paid a little more for the Pecos and did less with the overall layout. I went for the complete build and laid all the track as opposed to going with the mainline and better quality switches.