Engine derail

Hi FIREWRANGLER63, All I can offer you is one experience I had, and I am not even sure it may apply or contribute anything to your predicament. However...

This scale Lionel Dreyfus Hudson locomotive has always been sure-footed. In fact, it has been on the layout in continual operation since the mid-90's, except for one episode. That is, when it would pass through certain switches, it would derail, and it took me awhile, and plenty of bending down and squinting, to see what was causing the derailments.

It was the shrouding on the tender (!)  When this train passed thru the curve of a switch which was too sharp, the shrouding over the tender trucks was unforgiving and only had patience and ability if the "Y" of the switch were gradual and broad. The tender didn't derail; rather, it made its locomotive derail, holding it firmly and not allowing it to sweep thru the curve smoothly. Yes, the tender derailed its engine (!)

Could the wheel-trucks of your longer passenger cars be doing that to the engine, causing it to derail because they can only swivel so far?

That's my best shot at offering you advice in this regard.

Happy sleuthing!

FrankM

Wow that is something I never thought of. I will look into it. Thanks!

The trick may be "the cars that are not heavy" or "longer cars" - I have several light cars that I have to be sure are at the end of the train.  if in the middle or near the loco, the tension can cause them to bridge the track and derail.  They get pulled off the track by the force from the engine or the pull from the back or both.  I also weighted a few and that also helped.

I never thought about it and that is a good idea. Would it do any good to weight the engine in the front as it is the front trucks that derail?

I only had one experience with the front truck of a loco- I fixed it but I did three things and was never sure which one did it: 1) made sure all was lubricated- wheels and swivel; 2) made sure the spring holding down tension on the truck was "strong" - I added a washer to compress it a bit; 3) the track ended up having an issue too.  I forget what that was but it seemed one section had the middle rail  too high and the truck may have been riding on it and lifting off the outside rails.  (this was tubular track)

It has been a few years so the memory fades but these are all ideas for you.

Wow! Those are 3 things I can check and easy fixes too! Thanks!

Yes! That is exactly what happened to me when I tried to pull an 18" K-Line streamlined passenger car through an O36 curve. The car's coupler would swing until it was stopped by the skirting under the car. Then it would lever the trailing truck of the engine right off the track. To be fair, K-Line specifies minimum curve for the 18" cars is O42.....and they are correct!

Lew

geysergazer posted:

Yes! That is exactly what happened to me when I tried to pull an 18" K-Line streamlined passenger car through an O36 curve. The car's coupler would swing until it was stopped by the skirting under the car. Then it would lever the trailing truck of the engine right off the track. To be fair, K-Line specifies minimum curve for the 18" cars is O42.....and they are correct!

Lew

K-Line stated O-54 for their 21" cars, they will go around Lionel's O-48 Fastrack but that is the absolute minimum. I wish that I had taken some photos.

If it is a diesel, turn it around and see what happens.  Which engine is it and do you know when it was made?

It is a Union Pacific diesel I think sd90 that is only a year or two old. Itself is long, approx 18inches. I will try and turn it around and see what happens. That is a great idea. 

PRRMP54 posted:

geysergazer posted:

 

K-Line stated O-54 for their 21" cars, they will go around Lionel's O-48 Fastrack but that is the absolute minimum. I wish that I had taken some photos.

Yup. Lionel Fastrack circle diameter is to the center rail while MTH's is to the outside edge of the ties. Thus Fastrack O36 is closer to MTH O42 than first appears and it was my hope those big beautiful 18" K-Line cars would negotiate two of my curves, but 'twas not to be

Lew