Derailing problems w N ga crossovers-

I have an N gauge layout with some cars, locos that are 30 years old but still running. On my layout, I have an 18 degree and a 25 degree crossing. My problem is not with the old cars but with my newer purchases (with knuckle type couplers). I have a fair amount of recent purchase MicroTrain cars and some Kato and Atlas recently purchased engines. The new ones tend to derail especially the cars. Instead of going straight, the cars veer off to the other track which of course causes a derailment with the remaining cars on the train. I can't pinpoint this to any one car - just seems to happen most often with the newer cars which I suspect have an RP25 type wheels (shallower?). Should I replace these crossovers? They are also about 20-30 years old, but they are a good quality Peco. Other thoughts? Your help is much appreciated.

 

Just a thought, but are the knuckle coupler trip pins that hang down below the couplers hitting the rails at the crossovers?

 

It's very possible you are having issues with some sort of incapatibility between the old track/wheels and the new wheels. As an experiment, try removing all the new cars and see if you still get derailments. If you could single out specific cars that are derailing, you could try changing the wheels to older wheels and see if that fixes things. Most people have boxes of older wheels laying around since most people have switched out for the newer wheels and/or steel wheels.

 

I would start with the trip pins. I had to adjust a lot of them.

Don

 

My guess is bad turnouts that pizza cutters can navigate, but current flanges cannot. There was a reason that pizza cutters were invented.

 

According to the OP he is having problems with two crossings not turnouts. Still, these crossings may be Code 80 whose tolerances are in accord with the NEMA (European) standards but not the NMRA (American) ones. But first I would check the trip pins as mentioned above. If they were Okay then I would use an NMRA gauge to check the flangeways in the crossings. If the flangeways are too wide he could either replace them with Code 55 or glue a .010" shim to the guardrail. Replacing the wheelsets with pizza cutters is not a viable option as none of the newer products use them and going forward, they will become
like dinosaurs.

 

Bit confusing mixing the terms "crossovers" and "crossings".

 

Yep. That's what got me.

 

Just remember, Crossover- crossing over from one track to another. Crossing- crossing over (through, really) another track.

Doug

 

Normaly it' no problem with rhe crossings.
Some times you have to file the hart piece a little bit.
Then it should work perfect.

 

It's been a week. Hopefully @ScaleyGuy will respond with an update.

 

The cars that are derailing are most often the newer variety. Will check couplers.

 

I meant to say crossings. Have re-posted with correct termnology.