# first tech trouble



## Cope (Aug 17, 2009)

help me figure this out.... train goes around fine 10-12 times... and then derails.... put back on track.... 6-8 times around and then derails at a different spot... I do not run it faster or slower.... I leave it at one speed... it seems like the train just decides.. this time around .. i'm going to de-rail..... 

what should I look for.... I have check all the connections... I have sanded some down that have a little bump... I have adjusted the curves and made them higher on the outside rail, I have checked the whole track to defects.... what I do notice is that some of the connectors have a small gap, like I did not push the track together enough.... can I solder that and sand it... or just dismantle and fix it right.... and is there any better track connectors... these from Atlas I would say pretty much suck...... any tips gang? Oh and by the way... train de-railed 3 times already and plunged to the concrete below... I guess this will be my test train now.... expensive learning curve.... but it's all good......... no tears yet///


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

those are pesky. check for free movement of bogeys on your rolling stock. also see where exactly it derails. i had a weird moment when i discovered that mine was not derailing in the middle of straight, joint-less flexi track but actually way back after crossing the switch. flange jumped onto the rail right after the switch, continued noiseless for a feet or so, and then started clunking. took a while to realise what was happening


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

You can always add weight. I did that for my tenders on the sharp 027 curves. Just remember more weight on cars equals less cars you can pull.


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## Hamltnblue (Aug 12, 2009)

Also look for kinks in the track. Do you have any curves that didn't quite fit and you made it? If a curve isn't clean it will cause problems.

Is it the same car or cars that derail?

Take a piece of rolling stock and run it around the layout with your hand to see if you feel anything like a flange hitting something etc.


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## Cope (Aug 17, 2009)

thank you for the response, right now I am frustrated.... I think I am gonna have to start over completely.. I spent 4 hours re-setting a curve last night and it is now worse..... 
I think this is where I start learning by my mistakes..... Now I know why it take month / years to complete a nice layout.... one problem I have are in the connectors.. is there any better track connectors that I do not know about? flex track is not good for making a curve... it is not long enough and where you splice it.. there is a kink... like the track wants to stay straight... I know that is one problem...


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

the fact it got worse probably says that something that you touched was the problem. at least you narrowed down the area. 

the rule is 1-2 last inches of flexi will stay straight no matter what. but it is not set in stone and with careful trackwork i found i can start a turn almost immidiatley. 
as i see it, the fact my test car which is a very picky one (very stiff boogies and i keep them that way) can pass the joint at any speed says it is ok. however there is some strain on cork-bed in that area as a result. but again if you can leave those 2 last inches straight bu relocating your switch bthat much farther back (i unfortunatley can't) you will avoid lots of trouble.

what do you mean flexi is not long enough? its like endless roll of rail. just solder another 3ft section and cut to size (or better yet use it for straight segments as well). just make sure you lap the connection, i did connect at about 5 ties between the two rails and even cut the non sliding rail (but not the plastic!) one tie so the joint is over plastic. 

the better connector you looking for is the soldering iron with some solder. it is the only way to connect to flexi to flexi track sections reliably. everywhere else (flexi to switch connection, etc) keep the usual rail joiners till you work everything out so to be able to make changes

EDIT: can you post pictures of problem area?


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

here is my connection of flexi where the turn starts immidiatley after the switch. the connection not soldered yet (untill i install switch machines and paint the rail and roadbed). there is no hole for a tack near the end of the flexi so the tacks that holding the switch are also holding the flexi via joiners. to find exactly where to cut the rail i laid out the flex as if it were going to continue straight and put the switch on top to find the cuts (IMO it is the key here). then put joiners on flexi and switch, carefully bend it to shape and tack down (the switch). the flexi really tries to push outside however (R19.5 needs to be quite forced to bend). as i said - 0 problems with that area.

hope this helps


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## Hamltnblue (Aug 12, 2009)

I had issues trying to get 22 inch radius curves to work good with flex track. I wound up soldering 22 inch curved sections together and haven't had a problem since. Wider curves I still used flex.


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

Hamltnblue said:


> I had issues trying to get 22 inch radius curves to work good with flex track. I wound up soldering 22 inch curved sections together and haven't had a problem since. Wider curves I still used flex.


since R22 half circle consumes 2 flex pieces almost entirley, the only problem that i see is good connection between those 2 pieces. not hard to do properly at all. it does resist bending but at that radius IMHO not very significant. what was your problem?


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## Hamltnblue (Aug 12, 2009)

My biggest problem was reach towards the back. A 36 inch piece of flex should take 4 piecs of 22 inch radius which I believe are 9 inch. At a couple of places the track was kinked to an 18 inch which caused problems. Rather than screw with it I just soldered the 22r sections together and was done in no time with no problems.


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

what do you mean "was kinked"? i don't believe the track laid itself down that way  
if you take string and draw perfect half circle (key) where track should go it is really easy to tack the track exactly to the line. or even better, if road bed used (i really like and recommend ) the to half strips conform exactly to your line and tacks go between them forming most precise curve. and if so happens you do need to cheat a bit (ie make a R22.1 or r21.8 you can easily do increasing or decreasing radius curves - while drawing your circle the string can wrap around your pen or the center. 

it worked for you, great. but IMHO with sections i think it is still possible to solder pieces in not most precise way. even if all the 7 joints soldered and filed/sanded perfectly, those end ties on atlas section track don't look good at all. to make it look decent all of them need to be clipped and some ties put in place - extra work. 

i will be using trimmed R22 section for the bridge but apart of that, my section curved track is probably going on sale (after allocate a loop and some spares for my nephew).

i didn't get to lay that much track in my short MRR hobby'ing but i turned to be very big fan of flexi.


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## Hamltnblue (Aug 12, 2009)

By kinked I meant abnormal changes in the curve. Easy to do when stretching. I used a track gauge and still had a problem with it. Soldering the sections together actually resulted in a perfect curve since I butted them up to each other with joiners before soldering. The result is in some ways better since I get the extra clack from the wheels every 9 inches and no headaches with derailments. I'm not a prototypical type but if I was, using sections would be closer than flex track. Up until the late 70's to early 80's the rails lengths were short similar to sectional track. Flex track would simulate modern railways with welded track. I still use flex for straight lengths and areas where curves are slight. To each his own I guess but it's an option.


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