DERAILING LOCOS AND ROLLING STOCK...HELP

Garden Railroading
1

I KNOW THAT HO SCALE IS NOT THE RIGHT SCALE TO USE IN THE GARDEN RAILWAYS BUT HOWEVER I CANT AFFORD TO UPGRADE. I HAVE YEARS OF TIME INVESTED IN MY HO SCALE BUT NEVER HAD THEM OUTSIDE. I DECEIDED TO TRY IT OUT. WHAT THE PROBLEM IS IS THAT AS I LAY TRACK AND TEST IT OUT AS I GO ALONG THE LOCO RUNS OK BUT AS SOON AS I PUT STOCK ON THE LOCOMOTIVE IT DERAILS. ALSO IN THE SAME SECTION OF TRACK A DIFFERENT LOCOMOTIVE WILL DERAIL WITHOUT THE ROLLING STOCK. HERE IS HOW THE TRACK IS SITTING OUT THERE. I DUG A TRENCH WHERE THE TRACK IS TO BE LAYED I THEN USED PIECES OF FLAT CONCRETE IN THE TRENCH THEN LAYED MY TRACK ON THAT. I KNOW THAT THE TRACK HAS TO BE LEVELD FOR ALL TO WORK SMOOTHLY WHICH I HAVE CHECKED. IN SOME SPOTS A LOCOMOTIVE WILL RUN FINE THEN WHEN I SWITCH LOCOMOTIVES THAT ONE WILL DERAIL…HELP WHAT DO I DO. I ALSO KNOW THAT HO TRACKS WONT LAST OUTSIDE BUT I WANTED TO TRY IT OUT. SHOULD I JUST GIVE UP THE IDEA OF LAYING HO SCALE OUTSIDE. I ALSO HAD MY LOCOS CHECKED OUT AND SERVICED AT MY LHS. HELP HELP HELP

THANKS ALL.

2

HO in the garden has been tried by many with few good results. HO is probably best to be left inside. But about the derailing, the track not being level was the first thing that came to mind. If it is level, are the rails correctly in gauge? Are the wheels correctly in gauge? Is there anything in the flangeways? Those seem like basic questions but they are some of the common causes for derailments. Good luck and keep us updated with your progress.

3

Double check your cross level (side to side), and make sure there aren’t any high spots or dips…

other than that maybe hardibacker type stuff for subroadbed?

4

It may be that your track is warping as the sun warms it up?? is it free floating or nailed down??

Dave