Old Train Set

Buy a Kalmbach booklet on how to lay track and another on wiring.

There's far too much to explain to you on a newsgroup.

Roger,

Guess I wasn't too clear. I have the sections of track all wired and powered, and two different engines run around with no problem. Both of them are new. The problem seems to be the cars. Is it possible the trucks are not as free turning as needed, or possibly the individual wheels? Should I look for some dry graphite as a lube??? These cars have been stored for 20 years. Nothing seems obvious upon visual inspection.....

Roger,

Guess I wasn't too clear. I have the sections of track all wired and powered, and two different engines run around with no problem. Both of them are new. The problem seems to be the cars. Is it possible the trucks are not as free turning as needed, or possibly the individual wheels? Should I look for some dry graphite as a lube??? These cars have been stored for 20 years. Nothing seems obvious upon visual inspection.....

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As these are old cars I'm not familiar with them having dumped all my old ones years ago.

First, try the three point truck bearing trick.

Loosen one truck so that it spins really freely in all directions. Round and around and rocks freely from side to side.

Snug the other up just enough so that the truck can spin but can't rock and roll from side to side. I always have the snug truck at the 'B' end of the car. The 'B' of all rolling stock is always the brake wheel end.

Yes, try some graphite on the axle pints, it may help. If they are plastic wheels it may be better to simply replace them with metal wheels.

Give the above a try and see what happens.

etc..:-

Are they plastic wheels and axles which could have suffered heat damage over time?

Old wheels and new track? Newer standards have shallower flanges.

Hi Ya Rich Replace your wheels or trucks. Flanges are probably oversize from 40 years ago. Standards have changed. The Loco's weigh more and sometimes can roll over the bumps. Good Luck Mike M

rich wrote in news:f9c71f91-61ef-4267-a3e0- snipped-for-privacy@n19g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

Are they all derailing or is it just certain cars at certain spots? If you run your finger over the trouble areas, are the rails smooth?

Make sure your trucks are free to move and rotate. Give the wheels a spin and count how long they spin. If it's not at least 5 seconds, you've got a problem.

You'll probably need to visit your LHS and buy two tools: A NMRA standards gauge and a truck tuner (sometimes called a reamer). The standards gauge will make sure your trucks and track are up to standards, while the truck tuner will ream out the connection points between axle and truck. Both tools cost around $10, and if I had to start all over again they'd be among my first purchases.

If you want some better quality plastic wheels, shoot me an e-mail. I'll gladly get rid of the ones I've got. If you're still using hornhooks, I'll send you those as well.

Puckdropper

Some of the others have already pointed that direction, check for the trucks ;-) On my layout I have a place where the longer wagons always derail, while the shorter ones run smoothly - a curve where there also is a change in grade (from flat to going up) - I need to fix this spot soon... Basically the trucks get stuck at the wagon chassis due to the change in grade and don't follow the curve. Why do I tell this? Well, the trucks need not only turn sideways but also up and down - and if that motion is blocked (dirt, dust or too tightly fixed during re-activation), your wagons may derail (and you'll keep wondering ;-)

So, basically (1) check the trucks for enough free motion, (2) check the wheels for flat spots and free running, (3) check the tracks for kinks, bad spots or whatever and (4) push the wagons slowly along the spots where they derail and try to find out what part is getting stuck ;-)

It takes some time, but it's worth the time.

You might consider changing the trucks or wheels, but before you start try to find the error first ;-)

Have fun!

Thanks to all! ! !

I'll give these ideas a good try. House guests for the next 2 weeks, so will start then. This was supposed to be a winter hobby!!! Still have a load of buildings to unpack and integrate, some road paving, and a large crowd of people and vehicles to install.

After boating season!

After wheels sobstitution control the weight of the cars in according to NMRA rules. Mauro fom Italy