After laying down the tracks i want to test them with a “difficult” locomotive which demand very good work in track laying.
Which is the most “difficult” locomotive you have seen?
In my experience, it is always the high-drivered 4-8-4 Northern Type. I have a 2-10-4 PRR J1 that instinct suggests would be a bear on mediocre track, but it will happily go through track up to which my Niagara turns its nose.
I have heard that the PRR T1 4-4-4-4 is also a stickler, but good luck finding one, except maybe from Bowser as a kit.
A 0-4-0 or better still a freight car with .088" flange…Once you get that car to traverse the layout without derailing you have bullet proof track.
The BEST locomotive to try would be the C&0 12-20-20-12-5-4-3-2-1
six axle diesels are picky about perfect track if your not into steam. my atlas sd35’s will let me know when there is an uneven joint or a kink that is barely noticable.
Ah, yes, especially the non-die cast one with the 44 traction tires, LOL!
Seriously, though, the one loco I’ve found on my layout that will really let you know you need to adjust track-joints is the BLI Pennsy J-1 2-10-4. And it will CERTAINLY let you know if you’ve misaligned the turnouts in a Ladder Track. WHEW!!
Tom
My Lionel Turbine, with 4, 4 wheel trucks, is the hardest one on poor track that I have.[:(!] My 4-6-6-4 challenger & 2-8-2 have no problems![angel]
The Bowser T-1 locomotive is n ot the problem. It’s the tender. The eight-wheel trucks are very rigid and will not adjust handle changes in rail elevations caused by super elevating tracks beyond a turnout. I solved the problem by subelevating the turns (lowering the inside rail instead of raising the outer rail). This is why placing turnouts on sublevated curves is gnerally not recommended.
A steamer will always be your toughest critic. I had everything fine until my little 0-6-0 came along. I ripped up ballasted track to fix it for that engine. I thought I was good until I got the BLI Hudson 4-6-4. It found another spot that I’d have to agree was less than perfect, but “good 'nuf” until that time. That spot is only pinned down, though, so I don’t feel so bad.
The Sunset 4-12-2 pictured below. I have all the flanged wheels on. It requires top notch track work. That’s why I can’t run it like it should be run at home. Even though I have mostly NO.10 Shinohara turnouts with nothing less then a NO.8, it will jump at the slightest track trouble. It does help find the problems fast.
ANYTHING brass. Brass has fun on finicky trackwork.
Some of the answers given thus far beg the question…if a certain locomotive such as the 2-10-4 can find bad spots in your track, or even some other locomotive that others have mentioned, “what was the cause of your faulty track”??? Bad alignment? Kinks in the track due to bad job installing flex track? Inquiring minds would like to know to save trouble and stress when building layouts.
Thank you in advance,
For me - It’s trial & error.
Whatever I did, there was always SOME locomotive (or car) that didn’t like a previously OK switch - generally the last one purchased. Modifications were in order.
Derailments are wheels not following the track - for various reasons: Curveture too tight’ Speed too fast; wheelbase too long/short.wheels out of gauge, trucks too tight; etc.
IN GENERAL: #4 minimum’s for 4 axle diesels. #6’s for 6 axle diesels and steam. REAL RR’s use #12 and longer. Passenger & long cars need wider curves (up to 44"r), 22"r min for main, 18" min. for yards.
MOST derailments occur in/are caused by switches/turnouts due to gap in the frog rail,and the difficulty in maintaining tolerances during manufacture. This where the better switches excell and earn their $20 price tag.
If there WAS any single engine that liked to derail, it was the rigid-base, 4-wheeled, Athearn’s ‘Little Hustler’.That, plus it ran too fast.
I also have the J1 and that thing will find any flaw.
If they would just fully spring the drivers independantly it would be fine. That is one of the reasons im considering Kato Track in some areas.
I recall another engine years ago that will go down to the ground if anything was wrong anywhere. It was a trainset engine from tyco and I think it will go down on the ground anyway. It finally went into the trash decades ago and good damn riddiance.
With such a ridged wheelbase of a 4-12-2 it was bad track sections. I didn’t have any problems with my AC4400 or a SD90/43MAC’s. I found out that small places were the track wasn’t nailed down completly was a cause. The slightest raise in some spots was all it took. I also learned a huge piece of advise. I sanded all the places were the track joined. And scraped my fingernail across it to make sure, if it hung up then it needed more smothing. I also found that was the cause were it entered a turnout. I also found out that filing the turnout legs (the part that moves back and forth, can’t remember the name) was a huge problem solver. I simply filed the inside of each leg a little bit. Making sure you have a big enough radius also helps. But I doubt many people need huge radiuses to run the big ridged wheelbase loco’s.
Myself ,I perfer to push two 50ft cars around the layout. I have found that if you can push them you won’t have any trouble pulling them. bullet proof. Never have had a car derail because of track.
People will need “Big huge Radius” to run really big engines. My J1 needs 26" or better just to maintain whatever speed it happens to be set at the time.
That is one of the reasons I purchased an ABBA F unit set. If the big steam cannot do it, break out the Consist.
Guys,ZERO derailments should be your goal…Never accept anything less then that.
In no particular order:
Not maintaining the rate of curvature when you have a join on a curve. You cheat a bit, likely without really doing it on purpose, and you have an effective 3" tighter curve radius for the two inches on either side of the join as far as the traversing locomotive sees it. You must make absolutely sure your curve is precisely matched at the join and beyond. If you solder these joins on a bench with the sections still straight, and then bend them along the centre line you have drawn, you are unikely to experience this problem.
Not keeping the track level from side to side so that as the train traverses a section or even over a join, it does not have to rock from side to side to keep its balance on one rail that dips slightly. Take it from me; if you have such a dip into or out of a turnout, or along a somewhat tight curve, you will have many steamers say “See ya…!”
As stated above, perfectly laid curve that is simply too tight for the engineered give that the drivers/trucks/couplers can manage in the model, no matter if diesel or steam.
Improper gauge due to mishandling, leaning on the rails, dropping things on them, pinching them during application of joiners, or any number of other no-no’s.
One or more axles out of gauge on the item. Even if they are in gauge, do the wheels and their flanges track each other in line when rolling freely? I
Actually your best bet is two sets of trucks from an old trainset or LL car. If they’re the ones with truck mounted couplers, detach two of them from a car, and couple them together. Just run them along the track. These two trucks will find ANYTHING, first because they’re plastic and second lighter than a feather.