Easy Access To Your Model Railroad Layout Big Advantage With Derailments

August 12, 2007

Plan your model railroad layout to be easily accessible, so that you can quickly and easily fix problems.

What can go wrong? Regardless of how good your model railroad trackwork is – train derailments still happen.

Sometimes model train derailments are caused by a super-light flatcar being shoved behind a heavy boxcar, or a hopper with out-of-gauge wheelsets somewhere waiting to pick a switchpoint or be forced off the train track.

Model railroad layouts with S-curves can be a hazard for passenger cars. As well as train derailments, locomotives stall on spots of dirty track, or on turnouts that have insulated frogs.

None of these things are much of a problem as long as you can reach the spot of the accident. The trouble starts when you locate tracks and turnouts on your model railroad layout that are outside your reach.

On paper the placing of a critical turnout 36” or more from the layout edge doesn’t seem like a problem, but once the yard starts to operate, it can become your biggest headache.

For more model railroading tips on avoiding derailments.