Rear Wheel Contact - New User

[redfisher]

Got my first train set today for Christmas. The Overland Limited. It's so cool. The rear wheels of the engine aren't keeping contact with the track on curves and at the power strip piece of track, going forward. They track great if I reverse direction where they're the front wheels. What's happening going forward that makes them lift off? Is there a weight shift that occurs that comes into play? I'm totally new at this.

[the Bach-man]

Dear Red,
When your loco breaks in the operation should smooth out. Let us know if it doesn't.
Merry Christmas!
the Bach-man

[bobwrgt]

You might have a set of wheels out of gauge. That's the distance between the back of the wheels. One set might be spread. Also check the draw bar to see if it is loose hanging down,  it may restrict the swing of that wheel set. Tighten the screw or bend it up gently but don't break it. Get close and run it slow something might be restricting it.
Check the track joints to be sure they are smooth and level.
Does it happen always in the same place on the rails???

Bob

[redfisher]

I think I came up with a solution. Since the wheels appeared to be riding high and not catching the rails on the turns I bent the strip of metal down a bit that holds the wheels to get a pre-load so that the weight of the engine would push them down. The wheels haven't left the track since. Thanks for the comments.