Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Okay I'll look on ebay for the trucks
Pilot truck keeps jumping the track
- Thread starter Modeltrains2021
- Start date
westtexjohn
Well-Known Member
Try adding a bit of weight to the trucks (pilot wheels) as this may help. Add a penny or nickel stuck with RTV so you can remove it if the weight does not fix the problem. This is an easy fix if it works for you.. This worked for me on a BLI steam loco. I used sheet lead (from A-Line I think) and painted it flat black.
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Okay thakyou
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
Yea that could be
.....problems with small dia wheels dropping into these 'frog valleys',...even steam engine leading trucks??
https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...eel-dips-in-turnouts.35889/page-2#post-576000
But yesterday I experienced another hic-cup that reinforced my desire for gap-less turnouts. I was playing around running a couple of my steam engines thru a track section on my upper deck,….a mainline section that would take my trains pass the port facilities and into the SantaFe train station. Bumpy, bumpy, bumpy, as they traversed this series of 3 curved-switches, then a 3-way switch at the end. Here is that section of track,..
It appears as though the leading truck wheels, and possibly some of the tender wheels all took turns dropping into the frog voids. In some cases the leading truck wheels even wanted to derail, and some did. I took out one of my very nice Kato trucks and pushed it thru that section of track,...same thing, bump, bump, bump as it dipped in every frog. And look at the Peco turnout, it certainly looks like close tolerances that should prevent this excessive dipping !!
The Peco 3-way is even a bigger problem in the straight thru direction,...both wheels drop into two frog voids simultaneously,...and I have multiple 3-ways on my layout.
Likely one of the problems here is the small diameter of those wheels. Look here at their size in comparison to the leading truck wheels on several steamers, and a container car,..
Actually these pilot trucks can derail on those switches somewhere in advance of where you first really detect it,..making you think it was not a result of the switch itself.
https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...eel-dips-in-turnouts.35889/page-2#post-576000
But yesterday I experienced another hic-cup that reinforced my desire for gap-less turnouts. I was playing around running a couple of my steam engines thru a track section on my upper deck,….a mainline section that would take my trains pass the port facilities and into the SantaFe train station. Bumpy, bumpy, bumpy, as they traversed this series of 3 curved-switches, then a 3-way switch at the end. Here is that section of track,..
It appears as though the leading truck wheels, and possibly some of the tender wheels all took turns dropping into the frog voids. In some cases the leading truck wheels even wanted to derail, and some did. I took out one of my very nice Kato trucks and pushed it thru that section of track,...same thing, bump, bump, bump as it dipped in every frog. And look at the Peco turnout, it certainly looks like close tolerances that should prevent this excessive dipping !!
The Peco 3-way is even a bigger problem in the straight thru direction,...both wheels drop into two frog voids simultaneously,...and I have multiple 3-ways on my layout.
Likely one of the problems here is the small diameter of those wheels. Look here at their size in comparison to the leading truck wheels on several steamers, and a container car,..
Actually these pilot trucks can derail on those switches somewhere in advance of where you first really detect it,..making you think it was not a result of the switch itself.
Modeltrains2021
Active Member
I'm going to take my steamer to my brothers layout and see if it derails
