I was testing my new (Proto 2000) 0-6-0 on my layout and found a problem with the Walthers CURVED turnout I can’t seem to resolve.
When the loco is going through the turnout in the facing point direction, all is well. But when in the trailing point direction, from the non diverging route, the loco derails. Seems to be at the frog but I can’t really be sure.
When I first layed this beast it gave a lot of trouble no matter what loco I tried. At that time I checked the whole thing with the NMRA gauge and it still seems to be correct.
What could I check with the gauge first this time?
I’m going to guess that the problem isn’t with the turnout, but rather with the joint between the turnout and the track the engine is approaching it on. One of the reasons to use a curved turnout is so that the non-diverging route can be a curve. So, we can lay flex track in our desired radius right up to the turnout.
But, most flex track wants to go back to being straight track, so there’s a natural tendency for it to develop a kink where it meets another section of track on a curve. This problem becomes worse when using different brands of track, because the height and rail cross-sections aren’t exactly the same, and a snug fit by a rail joiner on one section may be a bit loose on the other.
So, take a straightedge and check the overall flatness of all the rail joints, rail by rail, on the turnout. Make sure the railheads meet precisely, and there is no kink in the horizontal direction.
If that all looks good, run the engine very slowly over the problem spot, and watch closely from both sides to see where the wheels lift. It could be something silly, like a trip-pin that’s too low and catches, too.
I use curved turnouts at the junction of my main line and the two lead tracks that enter/exit my downtown passenger station.
I had constant derailments at the outset. Two critical steps that I had to take to end the derailments.
One, the curved turnout must be firmly and completely secured to the layout. It cannot be permitted to “float”. Nail it, caulk it, whatever, but secure it firmly to the layout.
Two, it needs to be super elevated so that the outside rail is slightly higher than the inside rail.
Those two steps ended the derailments. I run trains through those curved layouts at top speeds, steam and diesel alike including 6-axle, with no problems.
Bruce, what is the number of the curved turnout in question?
i have encountered problems with code 100 curved shinohara (pre-walthers) switches although, they should be similar if not identical.
all was well until i started operating long wheelbase steam locomotives. the eight and ten couples brass engines gave me the biggest fit but even bachman and p-2-k’s did not go through the switch smoothly and often derailed or bound up at low speed.
source of the problem was the flangeways adjacent to the frog being a little narrow and the gauge in that area being a bit snug.
my solution, and it has worked well, was to scrape the flangeway, guardrail, and frog with a dental scraper, a tiny flat screwdriver, and an old razor saw that i bent to fit in the curved part of the frog area.
it takes a bit of time and patience but one you have removed enough material and polilshed the surfaces that remain you should notice a great improvement.
What Rich said is bang on. I had a thread on this a while back asking for help and eventually figured it out. The problem was/is when a loco is going through the turnout it torques the curve into being tighter and throws the track gauge out. Your loco then rides up and out. Fasten it down with caulk or nails and make sure it is in gauge before the caulk dries.
I have a whole bunch of WS code 83 curved turnouts and only had trouble with one. I think it was a 36"/32" if I remember. Also the cork or whatever your using needs to be rock solid and level under it. Mine wasn’t absolutely perfect on that one turnout and that’s the one I had grief with. Good luck and be patient. It is a problem with a solution.[C):-)]
Bruce, it could still be guard rails out of gauge, a trip pin snagging the guards, a point rail not sufficiently open, a point rail not quite meeting the stock rail next to it snuggly or at the same height… I have found some Peco turnouts need a little extra shimming at the throwbar to keep the point rail from sagging a bit. I had a problem in my yard until I got on my Opt-Visor and had a good look…the point rail top at its tip and just a half-inch along was almost 1/16" below the stock rail. Naturally, the when that route was lined, the flanges couldn’t feel the point rail and would run into a derailment.
Also, have you gauged all the paths along all routes every inch or so? Sometimes we gauge right at the points, or at the frog, but we forget a third and halfway along the points rails. If they are a bit wide at the apex between point and frog, an engine could slip between the rails.
Lots of good modellers have had many problems with the Shinohara curved switches over the years. I’ve had problems too, although I am not so arrogant as to claim without objective support that I am a “good modeller”.
A good way to analyze the problem is to get a friend or family member to man the throttle while you get your eye as close as possible to the action. This should at least help you clearly identify where the derailment is occurring and what is happenning. Having that info is a big help, for me at least, in figuring out the WHY, compared with having to handle the throttle at the same time that I am watching the loco.
We have two of these large radius turnouts on our mainline and had a problem of the engine wheels dropping into the large gap created by the frog. Often this action of dropping into the frog gap resulted in a derailment. One of our guys placed a small piece of styrene (about 1/4 inch) at the very tip of the frog rails. This extension of the tip decreased the size of the gap and the engine wheels are much less likely to drop in and derail. The styrene gap filler is now painted black and is not noticeable. It was a quick fix for us, but it took a long time to come up with the solution.
Even RTR stuff needs a little tweaking, Check all the spike heads, had one that was a problem but it turned out to be some of the spike heads were too high. Molds get old and slop can work in and not be noticed at first at the factory.
