I am sure that 99% of derailments come from track issues or going to fast. I am having a derailment issue and want to make sure I am not missing anything and also looking for information before I go out and purchase another engine.
Are there types of engines (steam or diesel) or certain companies to stay away from because they are known to have more derailment problems than others?
The derailment problem I am having is the engine derails at the same point at different speeds. I have changed the section of track where it derails and am having the same problem. I have HO and am using Atlas code 83 track. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Bigger engines are generally much more fussy than smaller engines. Larger-diameter wheels seem to be a bit worse, and 6-axle engines are worse than 4-axle engines. Big Steam has the well-deserved reputation for being the thing to check your trackwork with, because if Big Steam stays on the track, so will everything else.
It may not be the track, though. Brand-new engines sometimes have out of gauge or off-axis wheels, and this is a typical cause of derailments.
Or, it sounds like you could have a twist problem. I assume this problem area is not on a switch but plain line. If it does it at the same place each time, i’d check the height of one rail relative to the other at 3 or 4 points over roughly 1 foot with a straight edge along the each rail and a spirit level across the rails. Because our models have no susspension or compensation in the trucks, a badly aligned and leveled road bed is a real issue, it has to be as flat as glass for reliable running. Personaly, i cant say that one make of locomotive is any worse than another for derailments. I would take a close look at the above before i condem the model. As Mister Beasley has rightly said, The longer the wheelbase of a model, the bigger the problem of twist and uneven road bed becomes.
Track twist (unless its a designed twist for super elervation) is a derailment issue on the model aswell as the prototype!!
If it’s one specific piece of rolling stock, and no other, the twist problem may be in the offending truck. It doesn’t take much to lift the flange over the railhead, since there isn’t much flange to begin with.
If the problem is only occurring at one rail joint , check to see that there isn’t a minor misalignment (horizontal or vertical) or a tiny burr on the railhead.
With the longer driver bases on large steamers, I have found that a single kink, or a series of 1/16" depressions along a curve will almost certainly lead to derailments. Minor depressions on a tangent are usually forgiven even by steamers because their noses are following the tangent. It is on a curve, including diverging on turnouts, where very minor dips, in either one rail or both, can often cause one of the driver axles to lift out and prefer the inside of the curve. At this time, those aft will tend to follow, and you get the clunk.
I agree with the twist option. I had a section of track that was giving me fits with a P2K PA1. All my other diesels made it through ok, but they are for the most part 4 akle units. The others are 6 axles but trucks have a bit of play. The trucks on offending unit were very tight and wouldn’t rock much to the front or rear. I replace the section of track but it kept happening. I then checked that part of the layout and found that the track was being twisted slightly so that one rail was higher than the other and was causing the wheels to ride up on top of the rail and drop over. After I corrected this, I didn’t have any more problems there.
I had the exact same thing on my old/now deceased layout. You couldnt see anything wrong no matter how hard you looked along the ‘top’ of the rails, it was only when i checked with the edge of a steel rule along one rail you could see day light between. Strangely, loco’s seemed to go through it ok but some 4 axle 70" container wagons i had were a nightmare for derailing at this spot. These were very rigid with no compensation whatsoever between the 2 trucks, no matter how hard i tried , i couldnt sort it. The only way was a new road bed in this section. I sure learned the hard way and soon realised i’d skimmped on accurate road bed construction.
One way to look at the problem is a chair or table with with one leg shorter than the other 3, it rocks! This is exactly how the 4 corners of a rail vehicle behave on badly twisted track except that the legs are now the wheels!
Ive made sure that the road bed (raised) on my new layout is as flat and level as glass as humanly possible!
However, as mentioned above, a small misalignment of rail ends at a joint is sometimes enough for a flange to catch and ride over, especially in a curve.
Ditto. Had the same problem on an inclined curve which would cause 6 axle diesels derail when going up the inclie but not coming down. I found the outside rail was slightly lower than the inside rial as on incline the traction of the locomotive coupled with the lwoer rail and the curve would drive the front axle right over the rail top on all but the lowest speeds. I leveled the railhead heights side-to-side and no more derailements. I also place rerailers on the layout. Typically in hard to reach places, places where they can’t be seen or in tunnels. They can help with simple axle float issues.
Thanks for all the info. The problem I am having is a twisting problem. Now that I (with all your help) have identified the problem are there any quick fixes or tips to correct the problem? Some of my roadbed is already glued down and I would like to avoid pulling it back up, but if I have to I will. The track is nailed down and I do plan on adding ballast sometime before 2011. As always thanks for all your help and ifo, it is GREATLY appreciated.
Use small cardstock shims to elevate any dips and use glue or nails to depress any elevated rails. Either those, or you’ll have to take it all out, fill in a proper subroadbed, relay your roadbed, and then attach the track atop it all.