Atlas turnout issue with some Lionel Engines

Hi Joe,

You can find the thread by searching "engine hops".

Also, did your switch include a plastic insert to place between the split center rails?

Regards, Allan

Hi Alan,

Thanks for the reply. I did a quick search and so far no luck with the particular article I recall. I actually never needed those plastic inserts in the past. I'll see if I can find them.

Thanks,

Joe

here are the pics I took for that problem

Those are the pictures. Thanks guys for your help.

Joe

ironman: Those plastic insert do indeed serve a purpose as they do provide a ramp for the pickup roller to climb back up on to the center rails while crossing the turnout.

Another issue I've encountered with a few Lionel locos is the pickup roller was mounted skewed to the center rail, instead of being perpendicular. A little adjustment will cure that issue.

I have all Atlas 7.5 degree turnouts with the exception of one 0-72 unit and do not have pickup issues crossing any of them. The biggest issue I've had with the 7.5 degree units is having to grind more clearance between the divergent center rail and the straight-through outer rail to prevent electrical shorting by some wheels that are too thick. Too bad we can't have an NMRA "standard" wheel in 3 rail "O".....

Hi D&H,

I actually only have a problem with one locomotive, a Lionel Legacy EM-1. I have 2 others, one also Legacy and the original TMCC, with no issues. I'm nearly positive you could be right about the pickup roller. I checked the rollers when I first noticed the problem, but I think I'll check closer. Since I never really had a problem before I never used the plastic inserts. I have since misplaced them and I'll admit I'm not even sure how they attach.

Thanks,

Joe

ironman1: I think you'll be happy if you can find the ramps as I haven't had any "stub your toe' issues with my pickup rollers with them installed.

Attached is a pix of one of my 7.5s with a ramp installed - they just snuggle into the "V" created by the two divergent power rails.

FWIW: Sometimes, when an engine derails for this issue, it will knock the roller out of the correct alignment due to the sudden stoppage with all the engine's weight on top of it forcing it to "move"....

I'm sure it's good advice and I will look for them.

Joe

I have no idea if this would apply but I have had problems with Lionel engines and Atlas switches.  Unfortunately the problem was the gauging of the wheels on some Lionel engines.  They were diesels that were new out of the box.  Rollers were not the issue.  I regauged the wheels and never had a problem after that.

I never had the problem with a Lionel steam engine.

whatever problem causes the rollers to drop in the large space at the frog (skewed, too narrow rollers or out of gauge wheel sets the small piece of rail glued where I show it fixes the problem. I have also found Lionel diesels have a lot of lateral movement in the axels (almost 1/8 inch) to allow the trucks to navigate turns. this allows the roller to move that same distance left and right and find that gap in the switch.

Hi everyone,

An update for my situation. First thing I did was check the rollers under the locomotive. They all looked ok until I checked to see if they were loose. They all needed to be tightened. Not much, except for one, which could turn 45 degrees left or right. I'm surprised it didn't just fall off! I tightened it and so far, problem solved.

I still need to test the engine on about 15 more switches, each way, running forward and reverse at a painfully slow crawl before I'm satisfied! Although I'm not certain, I hope my issue is solved. I did find 2 of those ramps and have installed them, in 2 of my most problematic switches, both 7.5 by the way. I hope to find more, since I guess they are included for a good reason. Can they be purchased separately?

Anyway, thanks to all for the input. I included the link below to the other post about the similar issue with the Lionel SD40 for those who are interested.

Joe


https://ogrforum.com/t...03#40849087315245703