Skip to main content

I have some scale wheel cars that very ably negotiate Atlas O 072 switches without any problem.  I have others that seem to derail at the frog.  My "analysis" is that the guardrail...opposite the frog is not doing enough to keep the scale wheels from "clipping" the tip of the frog and, then, derailing.  My solution would be to make that guard rail a little "thicker" or "wider" toward the rail to cause it to better guide the wheel through the frog.

 

Have any of you modified that guard rail?  If so, what did you do?  My inclination is to glue a thin piece of plastic to the wheel side of the guard rail...thereby keeping the scale wheels pulled left and away from the tip of the frog.

 

What materials and techniques did you use??

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

I agree that the use of styrene on the top of the guard rail is helpful. I also had problems with "some" cars when the switch was set for the diverging route. So I ran some tests and carefully inspected the cars that had problems. They were almost all Atlas cars, most of them early  cars. What I found was that, in a significant number of instances, the LATERAL play of one or more wheel sets in the Atlas trucks would not allow them to "follow the car and the truck" into the turnout. I don't know what the maximum amount of lateral wheel play should be, but certainly 1/8"+ is far too much. Ideally, they should be "as snug as possible and still roll freely".

Atlas sent me some replacement trucks that would not install on their earlier cars...in fact, they sent two different types and neither would fit without drastically altering the height of the car such that LARGE coupler shims would be required.....

The trucks on these cars are made of what I would generously describe as "pot metal" and several bolsters broke. With this failure mode and the failures of the Atlas couplers which resulted in my cabooses becoming a target, I have sworn off Atlas products.

I have found lateral wheel play on different engines and cars to be highly variable. I have a 90's MTH switcher that's tight as a drum and a 2013 PS3 that just sloppy. Easily ±0.125. Cars also vary including wheel spacing which should NOT be variable. Hence variable performance through switches on occasion. Although I don't like the bedside manner of his post I will take Mr. Water's advice and research past posts on the subject. I have a big expansion coming up that involves a lot of switches. Definitely some shims here and there will be required.

 

S

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×