EZ Track Turnout Problems

[Mryan]

I am new to the whole model train hobby. I just got a new Bachmann Liberty Bell Special train set. It worked great out of the box. I decided to add a few things to my track layout. I bought some more EZ track and also bought a Left and Right turn out. I set this up on a piece of 4 x 8 plywood and had an oval and now with the turn outs a circle inside the oval. As soon as I started going around the tracks and playing with the switches on the turn outs I started to get derailments. I tested with cars attached, just engine and tender and Engine by it self. It seemed to be the worse with just the engine and not the tender. On closer inspection and a really slow speed I noticed that the Engine would hover over the tracks and with more speed it would finally continue. Sometimes the engine would even stop and loose power other times it would hover and with more power it would finally move again. I would have to power off and manually back it up then power back on. Once past the new turnouts the train does not seem to have any issues.


Mark

[Doneldon]

Mryan-

Your description sounds like there are a couple of possible problems. The one which comes to mind first is dirty track or wheels. The tops of your rails and your wheel treads should be shiny. The fact that your loco was worse without the tender supports this; the engine depends on the tender's wheels for some of the electrical pick up and you aren't getting that when you run the loco by itself. This might also explain why boosting the current sometimes gets things going again; a higher current level can sometimes overcome

You might also have coupler pins which are dragging, causing a bit of a hang up on your turnouts. Turnouts are a bit of a problem in the best of cases because there is some interruption in the electrical continuity although the multiple wheels should iron things out. But, if you have dirty wheels or track and then go through a turnout slowly, you might experience a dead spot.

An alternative explanation for the problems at the turnouts is that your loco's wheels may be picking the points. The points are the two pieces of rail which actually move when you operate the turnout. It can happen, and not rarely on Bachmann turnouts, that the points don't properly nestle into the stock rails (the solid rails which lead into the turnout). You'll have to examine your turnouts very closely to see if there is a problem. Sometimes gently pushing a car through a turnout will allow you to see if the points are causing trouble. If so, you can file a shallow notch into the stock rails so the points nestle in well. You can also file just a little off of the tops of the points if they extend above the railheads of the stock rails. Do not file the points in any other way because that is likely to make things worse.

Some of this diagnosis is easier if you have an NMRA (National Association of Model Railroaders) track and clearance gauge. It will allow you to test whether your wheels and rails are within spec for proper operation. You can probably find one at a good hobby shop, from an online retailer or directly from the NMRA.

Good luck investigating and hopefully conquering your problem. Please come back and let us know if you are making progress.

                                                                                                                                                         -- D

[Jerrys HO]

Myran

I believe your loco is hovering on the frog because the hump on the wheel cover is dragging on the frog. See this next post and scroll down to Jonathans pic.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,26153.0.html
Although this is for the 0-6-0 the 2-6-0 is the same .

Also make sure your turnouts are level.
Your tender does not have electrical pickup connections so don't go looking for them, but you can add the tender wheel pickups that will help your loco a lot.

http://www.55n3.org/cars/tender_wipers/

Look closely at the pilot wheels and make sure they are not jumping the rails also, you may have to add a little weight to them.


Jerry

[Mryan]

Thanks Jerrys HO that sounds like it is something to check. That wheel cover is something I never looked at. I have checked for burs on the switch and don't feel anything. It just looks like the engine is lifting and that could be that cover. I will test that tonight.

Thanks for the comments Doneldon. Defiantly areas to have a look at. I don't believe it's a dirty track issue. I have a cleaning car and checked with my finger if I have any build up yet. The train and track is only 2 weeks old.

I will let you know!

[Mryan]

Wow I came home and filed that hump a little and perfect. My train now continues arround the track and in both turn outs perfectly. Thank you so much Jerry I would never thought that the hump on the train was doing it. I was focused on the turnouts.

Mark

[Jhanecker2]

 I noticed the same problem  on the   O-6-0  of both the Chattanooga  & the 0-6-0 of the  Trainmaster sets  as they were going over the terminal rerailer . They would struggle over the starting taper . I thought it might be the rerailer but I think i will check out the hump as well.
John II .

[Doneldon]

I have to say that this thread irritates me a little. Several people have come on this board with this problem and, I'm sorry, but I don't think anyone should. That's not because they should keep their problems to themselves; it's because this problem shouldn't be occurring in the first place.

I understand the repeated problems with turnout operation and with the fronts of tenders lifting off the track and derailing. Those issues, although not rare, are understandable. They involve micro-adjustments which can understandably slip by reasonable quality control from time to time. But this is a design problem, in the first place, and a problem which should be revealed by even the most rudimentary quality control in the second place.

Please note that I am not criticizing the whole Bachmann line; I'm generally a strong supporter of the Bachmann brand. But, in my opinion, this is an unreasonable problem which shouldn't escape the factory.
                                                                                                                                                                      -- D

[Jhanecker2]

As a retired  Q. C.  Inspector  (  30 years  ) , I agree .  Unfortunately with mass produced  injection  molded  parts ,  mistakes are hard to fix.
At a minimum  the mold  cavity  would have to be modified  .  Engineering would have to be called  in to determine if the modification could be made  due to the clearances  required  at the gear / cover interface and still  allow sufficient material to form the cover ,  Thin wall at that  area  might result in higher  rejection  rates due to insufficient material.  But essentially you are right .   Do the people who manufacture the train also  manufacture the track it operates on  ?  Hopefully complaining about it often enough will get Bachmanns  attention . Molds do have to be rebuilt on a regular schedule  do to wear , that maybe the time corrections can be made.  J2.

[jbrock27]

I agree.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

One would hope Bachmann would be interested in correcting this flaw ASAP. Look at how Mryan began his first post: "I am new to the whole model train hobby." Had he not found this message board and the experienced model railroaders who were able to help him solve the problem with his train, he might have been turned off to the hobby--and Bachmann would have lost a potential repeat customer.

Just sayin'. ...

[jbrock27]

An excellent point IMO.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

A compiled list of common manufacturing problems/tweaks as well as common "how to"s  in the FAQs is something Ive been wondering about often lately. Why not? Even a few of the locked sticky topics could be moved there.

[Doneldon]

A compiled list of common manufacturing problems/tweaks as well as common "how to"s  in the FAQs is something Ive been wondering about often lately. Why not? Even a few of the locked sticky topics could be moved there.

GG1-

This is one of the best ideas I've ever heard on this board.

I don't know how Bachmann sees it, but I don't think that having a few problems amid such a large number of items as Bachmann reflects badly on the company or its merchandise. It's practically inevitable. Although a few people might walk away if Bachmann acknowledged such issues and made an effort to make things right, but I'll bet that many more people would respect Bachmann for the honesty and sincere effort to help. I know I would.
                                                                                                                                                                       -- D

[Mryan]

Your so right Jeff. I was on the verge of just packing the whole set up as no one at the store could help me out. I was ready to give up on my dream of having a train hobby. I was so lucky to come across this posting and have people like Jerry comment a great fix. Now just in the past few weeks have continued to grow my layout and even bought a new Engine so I can pull my cleaning car.

[union pacific 4014]

yeah i took a raze knife and shaved off some of the hump