So I have this GREAT on30 4-4-0 by Bachmann. Runs great, looks great and I LOVE it...but: when reversing through turnouts at any speed the pilot truck derails. I seem to remember this problem with the HO Bachmann 4-4-0s many years ago. On the Bachmann site I was told to "sand down" the frog a little. Well, I can say for sure this is NOT a frog problem. I had to chuckle when another guy asked what track I was using. I said "Bachmann E-Z track" and have never had another reply on that site. None of my other engines do this. It seems that the front truck is riding too light or something. Anyway, any way to fix this problem??
It is possible that the rear axle on the truck is actually out of gauge just enough that one flange picks either its guard or the frog point. Mind you, which direction of travel are we talking about....from points to frog or from frog rails to the points? Makes some difference. What is more likely is that the rear axle on the offending truck has its wheels offset on the axle. Can you press both axles to one side of the truck and then look down their axis from a low vantage point to see if the flanges line up? You may find that they are staggered slightly. Ideally, both axles should have their wheels in gauge, but also spaced equidistant from the axle ends. Like this: <=)(======)(=> Instead, you may have this: <)(======)(==> One last possibility that I can think of is that there is some flash between the truck mount and its counterpart under the smoke box. When the engine is in forward motion, the truck has a certain lean to it that allows it to swivel normally. When reversing, the load shifts and it may cause the truck to make contact with a small metal bit that could be removed. This is not likely, as I said, but it's worth a look.
Thanks Crandell! I will look into all of the above Derailment occurs as the reversing engine swivels from the mainline into the turnout at the points. If the points are aligned with the mainline (rather than the turnout) the engine does not derail. This happens at all turnouts so it is a systemic problem either with the pilot truck or all EZ track turnouts. I suspect that the engine gets into a slight twist (I actually observe the nose drop as it swings into the turnout) causing the right rear axle/wheel on the pilot to raise just enough that it loses contact with the outside point. If I stop the engine just as the nose drops I can wiggle the front end and the pilot truck pops back in line with the point and I can finish the reverse turnout maneuver. Anyway, I am not entirely sure that this can be fixed, but what a bummer if it can't...I will have a 4-4-0 that can only move forward!
I had a similar problem using Atlas code 80 track. I was able minimise the problem by adding a guard rail next to the stock rail leading to the point that is closed when set for the divergong route. As I recall, I also had to insert a .005 strip of styrene to tighten the distance between the guard rail and the stock rail and file the points a bit sharper. The same locomotive was run through both Peco and Kato switches with no problems. You might try doing just one turnout to see if it'll work for you. George
Well, luckily my layout is temporary. After some horsing around I decided to reconfigure the track adding a straight piece before reaching the switch. This has eliminated the problem because the engine no longer needs to "swing" into the turnout.
