400e front truck derailing-Update-Thank you Steve Eastman

Bob,

   What Track are you running  on?

PCRR/Dave

Hi Dave,

   The track is USA 87" curves and mostly USA straights. The left front wheel rises and stays up causing the front truck to derail.  I was running it with the left front wheel on  the inside of the curve. It would derail coming out of the curve. I turned it around and now it derails on a straight. I have been running this loop of track for almost two years without problems.

Hi, Sorry about your trouble. I don't have any type of 400e (yet), but from your photos, it looks as though that front axle is not the same height as the rear axle on the front truck. Are they independently suspended within the truck itself? If so, that would account for it. If not, check to see if that axle hasn't popped out and moved up on the truck somehow.

Bob

Bring it by my house on your way home from work and I'll look at it.

Steve

Bob,

   There ya go, Steve is the guy to see!

PCRR/Dave

Looks like something askew where the truck attaches to the frame. 

Dreyfuss, thanks for your response. The wheels act independently and each wheel has a spring and slider that allows it to rise and fall. It will rise at times and derail (usually where I can't reach).

 Jim and Dave, thanks for your response.

Steve: I'll call you this week.

Thanks again,

Bob

Bob,

   Let Steve take a good look at your 400E, it almost seems like part of the bracket holding the front Truck got Bent in some way, not allowing your front truck wheels to ride correctly.

PCRR/Dave

Like it's not sprung effectively, or the pilot truck frame is askew on the pivot point? Maybe you can just add lead weight to the front of the pilot truck, which has worked for me on some locos.

Does the who front truck come off easily?  Looks to me like a little bend on the bar that attaches the truck to the frame   might fix the problem....  Can't really tell from the pic. 

Bob,

I had the exact same issue with my new PS3 right out of the box (pit in stomach)

it is as though the spring is too extended and has too little downward push on the trucks to keep them on the track.  There are two screws that attach the truck assembly to the frame.  You can see one of them immediately behind the cow catcher in photo 4.  My quick fix was to back these screws out and shim the truck assembly away from the frame with one small washer.  This has worked flawlessly so far (my thought is that the spring is not extended quite as far and puts more push on the trucks to stay down). I wonder though if a better solution is with the spring itself.  If you and steve look into this in greater depth I would love to hear what you come up with. 

Steve Eastman saved the day (again). He slightly opened up the space where the spring slides up and down and had to bend the front truck metal plate. Several laps last night resulted in smooth running. Thanks to everyone for your comments. 

Bob

CP Bob,

    I figured Steve would adjust the trucks and spacing and everything would work perfectly, not the 1st time this has occurred on Tin Plate engines.

PCRR/Dave