switches

[ebtbob]

   Ok guys,  based on what Bruce said in his second post in this thread,  it appears that the passing of the engine is causing the point rails to move away from the stock rail,  and back toward its normal position.   What bothers me is the fact that by those point rails moving so that the car/s  following the engine go straight,  that means those point rails have to move quite a bit.   That is a serious problem with the design of the turnout.
All the bending of rail,  filing of the point of the frog,  or my suggestion of using the styrene to build up the guard rails probably will not help much if at all.
     Bruce,  if these turnouts are manual,  with no electric motor to throw the points,  you may be forced to get some Caboose Industries hand throws so that once the points are thrown,  they cannot move.

Bob

[jward]

i think it's probably more of a quality control issue. over the years, companies have consistantly found ways to make switches cheaper. especially on the lower end of the market, corners are routinely cut which adversely affect operation.

consider switchpoints. on older switches they were made from sections of rail ground down to a point. that's the way the real ones are, and the way you'd build them yourself. somewhere along the way, stamped metal points became common. usually these aren't filed to a point, leading to derailments such as this thread is about. another problem area is the other end of the points, where they pivot. points made out of rail have the same cross section as the rail they lead into. stamped ones don't, and are often misaligned with the actual closure rail. knocking the blunt ends off the closure rail with a file is another quick remedy.

i never install a piece of rail or track without first knocking the corners off the ends with a file.

[jward]

bob,
those points don't have to move as much as you'd think. if a wheel flange catches the blunt end of a point, it can and often does ride the top of the rail instead of the inside edge. when it does, it is just a matter of time before it comes back down. on a switch, the rail is curved where the wheel wants to go straight. on top of the rail there is nothing to guide the flange, so it derails.

by filing a sharp point, you provide a bevelled edge for the wheel flange to follow, and it stays where it should be. the same with putting the kink in the rail just before the switchpoint, you keep the wheel flange away from the point end.

the design flaw, such that it is, isn't in the movement of the points as much as in them not being as sharp as they should be.

[siemer]

Given the growing consensus here about Bachmann quality assurance, shouldn't Mr. Bach Man be chiming in with some comments relating to the company's viewpoint, reaction or remedy?  Just a thought.

[CNE Runner]

Jeff - You made the suggestion: "I never install a piece of rail or track without first knocking the corners off the ends with a file." This is something I have yet to do - but it makes a lot of sense. All it would take is a slight bend in the rail to expose the corner on the end of a piece of track (turnout, straight or otherwise). A few seconds with a file could eliminate this potential problem; not to mention it is much easier to do with the track/turnout in your hand - rather than at some future date when it is weathered, glued down, and ballasted.

See? You can teach an old dog new tricks! Thanks.

Ray