# How to prevent derailing HELP



## Penn$y (Jan 1, 2012)

I have a 10x3 floor layout in my room and im struggling to keep my frieght cars on the track when backing up over the curved part of a switch section. I have silver bachmann track and i wired up the switches to the ac current posts on a transformer. I figured by wiring them up it would make the switch stay tightly to the side i want and help prevent derailing, not so much. I'm getting REALY frustrated with this, I even redid my layout so the frieght car would only back up over the slrait part of a switch section. ANY suggestions to help prevent derailments???


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Welcome...

An NMRA track and wheel gauge is in order here as most often, the problem is that the wheels are not gauged properly or the track isn't---or both. Your cars wheelsets may be picking the points, that is, they're catching the thin edge of the turnout point and derailing.


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## Penn$y (Jan 1, 2012)

all my track and freight cars in HO gauge. could it be the lip on the wheels?


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

Check the width of the axles versus the width between the rails on the track. One of my engines keeps derailing, and I found the problem to be that one of my engine's axles is a hair narrower than the other three.

-J.


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

what Shay is saying is that even though everything is "HO Scale" that does not mean all the wheels and track that are mass produced are always true to that and can be out of gauge by very small amounts that are just enough to cause cars and engines to derail because of themselves or the track they run on. This is why you need to get a NMRA gauge so you can make sure your track and the wheel sets are in gauge.


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## Penn$y (Jan 1, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL5ywhTu8pg

I just filmed this on my phone and this is exactly what is happening.


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

The turnout is not fully closed or one of the diverting rails is a little bent out of place causing the cars to derail when they go through the point. Having the turnout under a piece of furniture or object is not a good idea as it makes it difficult to access to make sure everything is in order and that it is properly set.


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

It looks like one of the diverting rails is bent. You might want to try to bend it back, or replace the whole switch. 

-J.


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## searstractorfan (May 30, 2011)

Thats Bachmann EZ track stuff aint it? I have that and have that problem...I have to go slow(like snails pace) over the switches I have from them, and still not all the cars will make it...they have VERY bad switch designs...


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

Do all the rolling stock do it? If it is only some of them, do they seem lighter then the other? If so you can try and add some weight to the problem cars, as a thought.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Adding weight is a good idea, try and get it over the trucks. Also check that the flange of the wheel is not catching in the frog causing the car to hop. I have had some older cars that hit a shallow frog causing a derailment. In the video it looks as if things are going well till the caboose hits the frog. You may need to file it.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Penn$y said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL5ywhTu8pg
> 
> I just filmed this on my phone and this is exactly what is happening.



Cool video, I like how you kept going after the first one went off.:thumbsup:

We had a derail your train thread once and members were trying to do that.

Looks like a problem with the switch, do you have another to try?
Do you have other switches on the setup?

In the video which way was it supposed to go?


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

searstractorfan said:


> Thats Bachmann EZ track stuff aint it? I have that and have that problem...I have to go slow(like snails pace) over the switches I have from them, and still not all the cars will make it...they have VERY bad switch designs...


I have Bachmann EZ track as well, but noticed that by switching to rolling stock with metal wheels and trucks greatly reduced derailing. Plastic train cars don't seem to derail that much as it is, but with metal the train cars seem to flow much better throughout the layout.

-J.


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## mr_x_ite_ment (Jun 22, 2009)

I thought there looked as if there could be a problem at the frog as well, although it is hard to tell if the wheels were already derailed before they hit the frog. Maybe you could run it over the turnout a little slower and see if there is an obvious point where it derails. I have kind of learned to back slowly through turnouts over the years. 

Chad


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## ModelRailroadGuy (Jan 2, 2012)

I had this same problem and it was that my axels were just a little narrow then the rest.


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## jzrouterman (Nov 27, 2010)

I had this same problem but I didn't have Bachmann switches. Instead, I had Atlas Snap Switches. All of my rolling stock would derail when backing across them. The engines went across them fine. Anyway, I changed out all of my Atlas swithes to Pecos. Everything went across them fine except my Bachmann cars. Everyone of them would still derail. So I replaced their wheels/axles with Proto metal flat backs. I haven't had any problems since. I still have two Atlas Snap switches that I've never had any kind of a derailment problem with, be it Bachmann rolling stock or rolling stock of any other brand. Go figure.:dunno:

Routerman


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## swiggy (Jan 25, 2010)

lesson learned for me. I had one spot where my BRAND NEW athearn SD45 would derail constantly for the last week.
I...........
repositioned track, removed shell and cleaned motor, cleaned and lubed all necessary gears and such, and it STILL DERAILED!!!!! I spent three hours doing this stuff.

then I pulled the wheels off and matched them to the NMRA guage........no derailments

the wheel width was too small........I made them slightly larger and it works great.........................so far

all my track and switches are atlas....mix of flex and solid.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

YUP! Same problems here. I did a slow motion look at the train going over the switch and I found that the wheels were climbing up on the points. After filing a notch in the sides of the rails for the points to set into and filing the inside of the points themselves I found that the trains went over the points much smoother. I also feel that metal wheels and the proper gauge on each wheel set will help even more.
A further help I think will be installing #6 turnouts in place of the #4's. The more gradual turn should help a lot too. Pete


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