My IHC 2-6-0’s cause an occasional short in turnouts. The drivers can make contact with a point rail.
I was comparing my IHC 2-6-0 to the Bachmann 2-8-0 wheel/drivers and to replacement wheel sets. The IHC is out of gauge (on the narrow side) on ALL wheels, tender or engine. The Bachmann does not exibit the shorting issue. I have not purchased an NMRA track gauge but I think I should.
I assumed the tender wheels could be spread farther apart by hand. I did that and found I was affecting only one wheel and now that wheel is close to the truck frame, not rubbing, but close.
Anyone have a trick to spread the wheel/drivers sets short or having to purchase a NWSL puller. Another concern is the pointed end of the tender wheel sets, I don’t want to blunt then in the process.
Sometimes you can hold the axle with a pair of pliers and “twist” each wheel a little to move it.
Just don’t damage or bend the axle.
Yes! Buy a gauge. A dial caliper will work too if you have one.
I also tried using a pair of pliers, one to hold the axel resting up against one wheel, other plier to pry the wheel gauge wider. This is, like I mentionned, how I got one wheel moved but I end up with wheels not centered on axel this way. I’ll fiddle with it till I get it right.
The NMRA gauge will tell you the gauge is right but not if the wheel is centered on axel, will it ?.
How about the engine drivers ? any trick to spread them apart.
Correct.
The drivers I’ve worked on had a plastic sleeve or gear joining the two metal wheels. I just twisted and pushed or pulled a little to get them in gauge. You must be careful to keep your drivers “quartered” or your wheels and side rods will bind up. Quartering means your wheel driving pins need to be 90 degrees offset from side to side. When one side is at 12 O-clock, the other side needs to be at 3 or 9 O-clock. (depending on the model)
To the question of getting an NMRA standards gauge, YES, this will be one of your most important troubleshooting tools. At the same time pick up a Kadee coupler height gauge. Even if you don’t use the Kadee brand couplers, this is the best reference to use for setting your coupler and trip pin height.
Back to the driver set that’s out of gauge, Lothar touched on the problem of keeping the steam loco drivers quartered properly. This is critical. The best tool I’ve found for setting the gauge on steam loco drivers is the Northwest Shortline Puller that you mentioned. Not an expensive tool but you’ll probably have to have your LHS order it for you. Use this to press the axle into the driver a but further, equally if there’s much of an adjustment needed. Check your work with the NMRA gauge’s wheel spacing notches.
For the tender wheelsets, someone above mentioned holding the axle with pliers and moving the wheels out equally from center. The easiest way to do this accurately is to measure the amount of axle sticking outside the wheel on each side and compare the numbers.
Thanks. But I’ve been at this for 30 years off/on and I’m aware of the details and tools required and availlable. Heck I’ve still got MR mags that date back to 1982 with my favorite small layout, Jim Findley’s Tioga pass.
I was really looking for alternative to said tools, preferably home brewed. Pliers are hit or miss i’ve discovered.
You are probably using Atlas code 100 turnouts. 1. The IHC wheels are slightly wide and contacting the point’s opposite polarity. From your desciption nail polish alone won’t do it.
SOMETIMES just replacing the turnout is the easiest answer (from Atlas to Peco Insulfrog), Micro Engineering, or Walthers. My choice would be the latter two, and would eliminate the short potential but would require slight ‘shimming’, like a piece of cardboard…