1122 Switch Missing a Part?

The part you are referring to is called an Auxiliary Rail and is part 1122-158 for Right Hand switches, and 1122-159 for Left Hand switches.

See here for diagram, and here for part numbers.

Brasseur has the 1122-159 listed; call and see if he has the 1122-158 also.

Larry

Thanks Larry!   I will give Brasseur a call.  Does the part just snap or press in place?

I believe the Auxiliary Rail is just a press fit in place. Ask Dean Brasseur to make sure.

Larry

Will do, thanks again

Note that its absence is perfectly normal:

Great, more info

There are two kinds of this switch, the 1122 and the 1122E. This designation should be stamped on the bottom. When I was young I ran 0-27 and found I had more derailments on the earlier 1122 switches.  It was a easier switch to work with as it did not use insulated pins, but I eventually phased them out. 

My switch is an 1122 (not an E).   A couple questions.  Is it possible (or hopefully probable) that the auxiliary rail (1122-159 RH) should prevent my 2023 Alco engines from derailing on this switch?   In other words, will the rail "smooth the way" for them or do I need to do something else like grind down a high spot?   

It's definitely a sharp jolt and I've also seen some sparking.   The dummy unit takes the biggest hit but the powered unit also derails from time to time.

Here is a photo of the switch

There is a lot of good service information here: http://www.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=684

In the FWIW category, here are photos of mine.  A 242 Scout goes through these with no derailments.  bmoran has some good advice it seems.

Does anyone think that adding the accessory rail (1122-159 RH) is a good first step to solving this problem?  Will it (does it) smooth out the rough edges and help prevent derailments?  

No, your causes are likely elsewhere and not related to the lack of the auxiliary rail. The documentation I had pointed to you prior...

bmoran4 posted:

There is a lot of good service information here: http://www.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=684

...has specific steps for dealing with all sorts of potential derailment possibilities from upgrading frog styles, smoothing out the rails, adjusting collectors and much much more that would be much more applicable. Please report back once you have evaluated the few pages of troubleshooting steps provided by the Lionel Service documents.

I compared the A and B units and the B unit's collector roller assembly has a significantly steeper angle than the one on the A unit.   Maybe that's what's causing the problem but how do you change it to a flatter angle?  I looked at the diagram of course but not sure how to do it.  Is there a Youtube video or other video somewhere?

Get your eyes down to track level and push the loco slowly over the switch, watching where and how the loco derails.

Does the loco derail on other switches or just the one? If just the one, it needs close inspection to see why.

Larry

I've done the "eyes on the track" thing many times actually, using a flashlight too.  I don't have good vision to begin with but I do see the front roller moves fine and from behind the engine the rear roller looks OK yet something at just beyond the mid-point of the engine is hitting solidly because as I push it forward, it reaches a point where it just hits a wall.  If I force it, it derails.

Oddly, it rolls smoothly and flawlessly on another 1122 near it, either front to back or back to front.  The only difference between the two is one has the auxiliary rail (the one it works on() and the other does not.  I'm thinking about ordering the rail from Brasseur.

According to bmoran’s post above the auxiliary rail just lifts off the switch.  Try putting it on the “bad” one to test if that is a fix.

Thanks Ted and everyone who commented but I'm just going to replace the switch.  It's easier for me to do that then to bend here, grind there, replace here..etc.