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5 Responses to Front Trucks Derail at Points
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check the height of the plastic channel sometimes they are a bit high and need sanding
I would ensure that the front truck swivels freely and ensure that it also swivels up and down and clears any framework that it could come in contact with as it swivels. In reverse does it do the same thing or is it only unique to the front truck. I had a brand new Diesel that it caught the very edge of a piece of frame as it swiveled. It also did better in reverse. When the truck pitched up or down with the track it also would put the piece of framework in the truck’s path. Start there and eliminate that first. from Newman
Thanks Newman. I had a closer look and the front truck doesn’t have the same degree of rotation because of the short driveshaft linking the front truck to the gear box. The drive shaft on the rear truck is much longer and doesn’t inhibit the rear truck from rotating.
2nd thing Have you gauged the clearance between the points of the switch? or does the switch rail not tuck into that cut area of the stock rail. Many switches don’t have quite the right clearance at the switch points especially if the switch rail does not tuck in well. Also if the switch rail that is not in use at the moment does not give the clearance for the wheel flange to clear then that can give you trouble. Is the switch point end taper into the stock rail ok? If you have an NMRA Standards gauge check the clearance on those rails.
Then use the gauge on your wheel flanges of the troublesome truck and ensure the wheels are not too far apart or too close to each other. This can make it look like the switchrail is causing the problem when it really is the gauge of the wheels. from Newman
Had the same problem on a new 2-6-2 Bachmann steam engine and found that the flanges were too small for a start and the spacing was wrong when checked with a gauge. Since it was not feasable to space the wheels closer due to the construction of the pilot I made new wheels and made the hub to correct the spacing and made the flanges 12 thousands of an inch taller and now have slight problem where the bounce of a soldered joint sometimes causes a derail. A small piece of .062 solder flattened and attached to the top of the truck with CA solved the problem totally. This engine had a lot of other problems but after about 10 hours of modifying it runs nicely.