I am almost through laying the track on my HO layout, and have a turnout which leads into a tunnel that wants to derail the train every time it passes over the turnout. after carefully examining the turnout I found the rails have came loose from the ties causing the rails to become wider, thus causing the derailment. Is there a simple “fix” or do I simply replace the turnout> If I replace the turnout how is the easest way to do this? The rails have all been soldered. Thanks
Mike
You might be able to glue the ties to the rails with epoxy or super glue. If that doesn’t work, you could drill a tiny hole next to the rail, and drive in a small nail. That’ll hold things in place. Sometimes you can get away with these “temporary” repairs, but in the long run, it might be better to replace the turnout.
It sounds like the plastic nubs that represent spikes and hold your turnout’s rails in place have broken off. You can try some strategically located spikes to pu***he track back into gauge.
If everything is soldered together, you can use a cutoff wheel to cut through the rail on the bad side of the rail joints . Usually, you can loosen the track on either side and lift it up enough to get the turnout out. However, since the track leads into a tunnel and it sounds like you may have soldered the rail joints, too, so this could be dicey. Heating a soldered rail joiner will allow you to pull it off the end of the rails leading to the turnout. After you have the ends of the rails cleaned up, then you can slip new joiners on, pushing them back so they clear the rail ends of the new turnout. Drop the new turnout in place and then slip the joiners out so that they engage the rails on the turnout.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
ouch! what a dreadful hobby this is… i feel your pain. I had something similar, but not in a tunnel. Drove one nail into the cork ballast / baseboard next to the rail so that the head of the nail pushed the rail a tiny bit the right direction, no problems ever since. But I have no clue how you would use a hammer and nail INSIDE a tunnel.
Maybe this should be a stark lesson to the mountaineers among us, to build them removable. Good luck!
It sounds like the heat from soldering the rails together melted the plastic ties/fixings.
In the UK I’ve never heard of anyone welding rail lengths together. As far as I know we all use Peco type rail joiners… not very good looking but they can be disguised. Micro Engineering doe a similar and smaller joiner for code 83.
Solution(S) to your problem.
With a big problem like that I would always prefer to replace the whole switch. Cutting it out shouldn’t be necessary… just unsolder the joins that probably caused the problem in the first place. BUT beware! If the switch is damaged the adjacent track may be as well.
Alternatively you might be able to replace each tie (one at a time) with either a wood tie and spikes or the PCB ties mention elsewhere recently.
Someone else (or another thread) might advise you on soldering the rails together without causing damage. You probably need a heat sink somewhere to diperse the high heat necessary LOCALLY at the joint before it wanders off to places you don’t want it.
Hope this helps.
This might be hind sight but I will mention it anyway:
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Replace the turnout. I’ve tried repairing them and only made it worse.
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NEVER solder a turn out. I have 27 on my present pike and none of them are soldered. I’ve never had an issue with them this way.
Something I forgot to mention is that the turnout is on the end of a reversing loop, thus only one end is soldered. The turnout is not in the tunnel but rather is on the track leading to the tunnel. See pic, it is the second turnout on the straight line.
Mike
Check gauge of the rails all the way through the turnout, then invert your gauge (you DO have one…right?) and check the flange pathway…all the way through. If that doesn’t solve the puzzle for you right away, there are two possiblities left.
A- one or both point tips need some adjusting or filing; or
B- it isn’t the turnout, and will be the approaches in the three directions.
Note - I assume that most items derail at this location, and not just one particular loco or item of rolling stock.