I purchased two Mantua passenger cars for my grandkids. I wanted to see how they would work on my layout. They derail going down a straight, around a curve and over a switch. The trucks seem a little cheap, the couplers are attached to the trucks. Can anyone tell me what to do to make these cars travel on the track. My cars on my layout will run for days without a derail but these can’t make it around once. I have bachmann ez track.
Thanks
Joe
I’m not familiar with these cars, but some things to check:
Are the trucks screwed on too tightly?
Are all the wheels on the track?
Are the couplers sagging and the pins are catching on the track?\
If you replace the trucks do they do better?
Good luck
Paul
Are these the “old fashioned” wood cars? Manuta also made 60’ streamlined cars that had some tracking issues in the later days of Tyco.
I would first check the gauge on each wheel using the NMRA tool.
I then would check to see if the wheels turn freely in the trucks. There is a special tool for reaming out the bearing area but in pinch a small phillips screwdriver twirled around can smooth out any rough spots.
If you roll a car on the track with your finger pressing down firmly on the roof, do you feel any irregularities in the smoothness of the ride – bumps or sideways wandering – is there perhaps a bit of a flaw on a wheel, for example? Sometimes a bit of casting flash isn’t properly filed off.
The couplers mounted to the trucks should not cause this problem (although they can cause other problems such as when backing up) unless you have very poorly laid track with very sudden and awkward kinks. However if the couplers are off center, or if the coupler spring is inflexible, that can cause problems on curves. Do the couplers move back and forth easily when pressed by a finger?
Another thought – same problem, but it might be the coupler on the locomotive that is pushing the cars to one side.
It may be that the cars are slightly under weight (I do not have the Manuta Classic cars at hand – the old Tyco trainset cars that the molding came from were on the light side but generally tracked ok). Glue a few pennies to the inside floor – that might help.
If the car tests out OK – it could be the track. Does the shop where you bought the cars have a loop of track you can take them to to see if they have the same problems?
Dave Nelson
My guess is that one (or both) trucks are too tight on the bolster. If they don’t rotate/swivel freely then the car will derail. I would check that first and loosen the truck screw, if it’s too tight.
Tom
Both trucks must rotate freely, and one of the trucks must be able to wobble a little vertically.
ROAR
Nelson, I used a screwdriver and and smoothed out the rough spots now It works fine. Thank you so much
Joe
I have one of these cars and after a bit i=od fiddling and adding weight it is fine. BUT I would not buy it again I should not have to add weight.
And, if they are the one’s I’m thinking of, they are severely undersized length-wise.
Tom
that could be but the one I have runs as a one car tourist train on 18" curves