I have about 200 pieces of rolling stock and an NMRA gauge. I have never found a single wheel-set out of gauge. Never! Now that seems very unlikely to me from what I read here. And I do have derailments with certain cars, but the NMRA gauge always says they’re OK. Is there a trick to reading the gauge that I’m missing? Or if the wheels line up in the little notches does it mean they’re OK and I’m just the luckiest model railroader on earth?
Since you checked all your cars the same way and only some are derailing, it sounds as though you are checking the wheels correctly. (this page shows how to use the gauge http://www.nmra.org/standards/rp2.html) I would check the trucks to make sure they are okay - wheels move freely, mounted correctly, etc.
Enjoy
Paul
I’ve only ever had one locomotive with wheels that were out of gauge, an Athearn Genesis SD75I. Everything else was perfect right out of the box, same goes for the Proto wheels I’ve bought to replace plastic ones.
There is extremely little reason for wheels to be or get out of gauge.
Very occassionally a manufacturer has production problems. More often than not this results in wobbly wheels which show up fast and get changed probably faster.
It takes extremely rough handling to knock whheels that are mounted on an axle out o gauge. Whhels that are moulded as one with the axle would only go out of gauge with heat… heat that great would probably damage the rest of the car.
Do you suspect a specific gauge problem or are you just feeling that you can’t be that lucky?
If a wheelset were out of gauge it is unlikely that it would only show up occassionally. Much more likely it would play up at every switch and diamond.
Again, are you getting a clear problem or just not believing your good fortune?
Have a nice (correctly gauged) day [:)]
The only error I’ve ever seen in the use of the NMRA gauge when checking wheels is not holding it perpendicular to the wheels. A slight angle will show that a wheelset is correct that is actually narrow. The gauge and wheelset, when viewed from the end, the edge of the gauge has to be parallel to the axle.
Don’t forget to check the wheels at different points around their circumference. Some wheelsets can measure in gauge at one spot on the wheels and be out of gauge on the opposite side of the wheel.
If your wheels are still in gauge when checked this way, GO BUY A LOTTERY TICKET!! LOL
Darrell, quiet…for now
I have never found a car that all 4 axles/wheels were in gauge.
They were all out just a little. Where most modelers go wrong when checking the gauge is that the flange should slide freely into the gauge You do not push the wheels into the gauge. If you do then ALL wheel sets will be in gauge as the plastic wheels will bend enough to slip into the gauge.
BOB H - Clarion, PA
The biggest problems I’ve had with wheel gauge is with cheap trucks that let the wheelsets move around too much and those multiple piece wheelsets with the plastic wheels and the metal axle. These can sometimes get out of gauge or the wheels on one axle can be too far over to one side while the wheels on the other axle are too far over to the other side, resulting in a dog-leg truck. This will force the wheels against the rails and cause derailments.
I’ve also had derailing cars that derailed not because of the wheels, but because they were not heavy enough or the coupler was too low. I had one locomotive that would run on 22" radius fine, but would derail on 18" radius, which was strange, because it was designed to run on 18" radius. The problem turned out to be that a low-hanging pin on the front coupler was snagging not on the ties, but on the side of the rail as the locomotive entered a curve. Once I fixed the pin, the problem was corrected.
It means they are spaced (gauged) at that particular point. Recommendations are to check at 3 different points. Have you ever heard of ‘toe in’ or ‘out’?
Wheels are ‘press fit’ into place. The gauge won’t tell you off too much right or left of center. Just distance back/back (gauge). Eyeballs best.
Out of gauge wheels used to be common - particularly in cheap kits. They are are better now. Most common problem today is wobble from insulation material around the axle. REAL cars don’t wobble. They sway.
You MAY be lucky - or maybe too busy to notice.
Thanks, all for the good tips on NMRA gauge use… and, Don, the good reminder that eyeballs work real well too. You’re right.
I’m on a quest (my wife says obsession) to make my layout as bulletproof as possible.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Somebody help me! I can’t stop laughing! Bullletproof? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Ouch, my sides hurt!
Darrell, laughing and laughing, but quiet…for now
You need to address this question to a character calling himself fwright; he’s the absolute authority on the NMRA gauge(s). He doesn’t know how to read them; he’s just an authority on them.
Timely post as this just happen to occur to me today. I had a new car on the layout that kept derailing. Like you, I checked the wheels using my NMRA gauge only to find nothing wrong. Put the car back on the track, and again it derailed. Turned out that the problem was not the wheels but the truck. It was slightly off-set during the manufacturing molding process. Difficult to see on the car, but once removed and placed on a flat surface, it was easy to catch. Therefore… do not overlook your trucks as the root cause of your problem.