If one is really a fan of 'natural wood ties', there is always handlaid rail on H0 scale *wooden* ties. I don't believe anyone makes anything like H0 scale flex track with wooden ties (it might not be possible).
There are basicall three 'classes' of H0 track: sectional (with or without the plastic ballast bases), flex track, and handlaid rail. The first two are all plastic ties (simulated wood or concrete) and the latter, I believe, is with either PCP ties or wood ties (are plastic ties available for handlaying?).
Of the two sources of trouble, the rolling stock is the more likely.
a) Track: did you make sure that the rail joiners are properly connected? Are all the joints smooth to the touch? That's my beef with these plastic-ballast-base systems: you have to line _two_ connectors, the ones for the base and the ones for the track. Tricky, especially if your eye are getting older...
I've found that on EZ track the rail end sometimes do not align just right. Since they have sharp corners, it's easy for a wheel to pick the rail and climb at a joint. Cure: break the inside and top edges of the rail with a couple of swipes of a small file. Don't overdo it.
b) Rolling stock: if the answer to a) is yes, then it's the cars. Model Power cars are not the best when it comes to trouble free running.
Couplers must not droop. They should easily swing from side to side and centre themselves without persuasion. Wheels should be metal with RP-25b profile, and in gauge. Even some of the better brands of train sets may have cars with poorly aligned couplers, and wheels that are out of gauge. Also, many cars are too light. They should weigh 1 oz + 1/2 per inch of length, which works out to 3.5 to 4.5 oz for most freight cars. BTW, horn-hook couplers are a bad idea. they should be replaced with knuckle couplers.
And a car with truck mounted couplers coupled to a car with body-mounted couplers is asking for trouble, especially if they cars are of different lengths.
Well, LifeLike track is a little different. You click the sections together sideways, no need to connect up the rails, which line up very nicely. I used it under our Christmas tree this year, and the only problem was that one of the li'l metal tabs that touch to make the electrical connection slipped out. Fortunately I noticed that as I was assembling the track, and just slipped it back in place.
Bachman makes 9 different versions of the couplers with variations on the shank length & height position... short over, short center, short under - med over, med center, med under - long over, long center, and long under.
Changing to a different couple height may help those cars that are causing problems.
Also switching wheel size could help lower or raise the coupler height.
I've searched Google for about 15 minutes and I can't find a site that has anything but a minimal selection of LifeLike track. That is there is plenty of stuff in steel, but very little in 22" nickle/silver.
In Walthers current catalog I find 9 items: N/S Power-loc track -- all code 100 rail:
9" and 3" straights
18" and 22" radii (full sections only) RH, LH remote control turnouts Terminal rerailer (power connector) (18" radius) Bumper Powerlink adaptor (for connecting to standard sectional track.)
This is the same selection as the black-base, steel rail Power-loc track.
Walthers owns LifeLike, BTW. But their website is a major disaster. The worst search engine I've ever seen anywhere.
Generally speaking, the plastic base lines do not have the same variety as the standard sectional track. And although the manufacturers claim that you can use it on the carpet, advise against that. Too much fuzz and other stuff that can get into the mechanisms, wheel bearings, etc, and in HO there's not enough mass to overcome the results.
in article 45a95b09$0$28102$ snipped-for-privacy@news.newshosting.com, Wolf at snipped-for-privacy@ruddy.moss wrote on 1/13/07 2:26 PM:
There is another option, though it is harder to get: Altas True-Track code
83 track and roadbed system. The nice thing is that the actual track is the same as their snap track and can be removed from the plastic roadbed if you decide to improve the look of your layout.
Yes, I've used that too. It's the best looking, IMO. However, it's not suited to repeated disassembly and reassembly, because the plastic spike heads that hold the track to the ties are quite fragile and break easily.
OTOH, because you can remove the track, you can weather the plastic base, then put the track back on. Can look very good indeed!
David, the idea with CVT is that you glue the rail to the tie strips using a contact adhesive like Pliobond, or use conventional spikes.
CVT has been available for a while. I used some a while back on a shelflayout/diorama on the recommendation of a mate, and was very pleased with the results.
Come to think of it, I believe I have Bachmann couplers on one car and Bachmann knock-offs on the other. Correct size, and same type, but possibly not the same quality.
I'm going to switch all the plastic wheeled cars to metal wheels. Adds a little weight along with possibly aligning the couplers better. But Google searches left me with a mass of various wheel sizes of which I am not familiar.
Perhaps I should just take off the wheels and take them to the hobby store and ask one of the guys to direct me to the right part. I'll pick up an extra pair of Bachmann brand couplers while I'm at it.
Trouble is that the hobby store has some sort of subliminal messages playing that encourage me to stay for hours on end rummaging through stuff.
The 1/32 scale slot car track has a powerful magnetic field that invariably pulls me towards it also.
Any other plausible theories would be appreciated. I think my wife is starting to catch on.
Perhaps I'm misinterpreting the turn this thread is taking. If so I'm sorry, but, changing wheel type is not really key to coupler reliability. Are you operating with truck mounted couplers? If so, I suggest you consider body mounted couplers. They are less prone to cause derailments when operating in reverse and they readily allow for coupler height adjustment by the insertion of washers between trucks and bolsters. HTH. Thank you.
Perhaps I'm misinterpreting the turn this thread is taking. If so I'm sorry, but, changing wheel type is not really key to coupler reliability. Are you operating with truck mounted couplers? If so, I suggest you consider body mounted couplers. They are less prone to cause derailments when operating in reverse and they readily allow for coupler height adjustment by the insertion of washers between trucks and bolsters. HTH. Thank you.
You don't. The 22" radius track is intended for the outer track of a double track (half-) circle, eg at one end of aan oval to make a passing track there.
Solution: use "terminal railjoiners", that is, metal joiners with wires attached. Atlas makes them, and they are very handy, since you can put power feeders just about anywhere you want. Replace the regular railjoiners with these. Cut notches in the track base if needed to prevent humps where the track passes over the wire. Or drill holes for the wires to pass down through the track support for under-table wiring.
Re wheels: the sizes available reflect the actual sizes of wheels on real trains.
Freight cars: older cars had 33" wheels. Since about the 1980s, some cars (eg, some large tank cars, grain hoppers, etc) have 36" wheels. A few high capacity cars even have/had 38" wheels. Double-stack container cars may have 36", 33", or 28" wheels. Depends on the prototype.
Passenger cars: from about the 1850s on, these all have 36" wheels.
Regarding coupler height: NMRA has a standard for truck bolster height and coupler-mounting pad height relative to car bolster, such that the coupler will be at the correct height when mounted on the car body. Model Power is one of several train set manufacturers that ignore this standard. That's one reason you will find few serious modellers using M/P rolling stock - and if they, it's usually as raw material for modification for a car they couldn't get any other way. BTW, the better quality cars from Atlas, Walthers and many others conform to the NMRA standard - you can switch or replace trucks with no problems.
If you just want to replace the wheels, that's easy. Cut off the truck mounted coupler, glue a small pad to the body, and mount a Kadee, McHenry, or Accurail coupler with draft gear box onto that pad. Bachmann does not offer its couplers with draft gear. The knuckle couplers of these manufacturers play nice together. Fort the mounting pads, I use the plastic closures on bread bags etc - they come in several thickness, and one of them will suit. I use a sprue cutter to trim them to size. Caution: varying shank thickness will cause some couplers to droop when mounted into existing coupler pockets.
Main point: coupler height. Kadee makes a coupler height gauge, or else (as another posted suggested) you can make your own. Kadee's gauge also gauges the height of the magnetic trip pin so that it will clear the rail, so IMO it's worth the price.
OTOH, some M/P and other train set cars have nice body moldings, and it's worth the effort of replacing the trucks, and body mounting the couplers.
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