Derailment problem Please Help

[Curtishelde]

Hi there im new to model railroading and recently i bought the n scale bachmann left and right crossovers and i ran my engine and it either derails or gets stuck in the middle on both crossovers and when it hauls all my rolling stock its either gets stuck or they all derail i checked for bumps and nothing there and also i switched couplers to medium magnetic couplers and they seem to be installed right so any help would be much appreciated thank you

[gatrhumpy]

First, you need to get an N scale or HO scale NMRA gauge, whichever scale you're modeling. Google how to use it, and check your rolling stock, engines, and turnouts to make sure they're properly gauged.

Second, make sure the wheels on your engines are properly spaced apart using the gauge. Please the flanges of the wheels between the indentations. They should freely fit in there. If they don't you need to loosen them.

These tips will help get rid of the majority of derailment problems.

[Curtishelde]

Are the flanges the screws in order to take the wheels off because I did tighten them tight.

[gatrhumpy]

No, the flanges are the pizza cutter things that stick out on the insides of train wheels that ride on the inside of the rails. They are larger than the actual wheels that ride on the rails.

They need to be gauged right using an NMRA gauge. Place the flanges in the indentations. If they won't fit or are tight trying to fit them in there, then they need to be slightly pulled apart to get them to fit.

[brokemoto]

A couple of questions:

What is the locomotive that you are using:  type and manufacturer?

What kind of rolling stock are you operating:  again, type and manufacturer?

Since you installed magnetic couplers, what you must do is push each car through each turnout to make sure that the trip pin is not snagging on the rails or frog.  This is a common problem on Microtrains, Accumate and whatever-it-is-that-Bachmann-is-using-these-days.  Several manufacturers use Accumate; Atlas is probably the major user.  On the Microtrains, the fix is simple AND you get a choice:  you can either push up the trip pin higher in the hole that accommodates it or bend the pin so that it will clear the rails.  Fixing the trip pin on the other two ain't so simple.  I have had the pin fall out when I have tried to bend it.  It will not push up.

I have seen the B-mann crossovers, but have never tried to use them.  I am unsure if they have plastic or metal frogs.  If they have metal frogs, and you have a short wheelbase locomotive, you might check the wiring instructions to make sure that the frog is live.  I am assuming that the product already has the required gapping, but you might read the literature that comes with it to be sure.

[brokemoto]

Oh, and one more thing:  on many locomotives, overtightening the screws that retain wheels is severely detrimental to the locomotive's performance.  Back  out each screw one very slight flick of the wrist.  If that does not help, one more, but no more.

[James in FL]

Hi Curtishelde,

You also might check that the loco itself is not pulling the first car off the rails. If this is what's happening, a long shank coupler on the back of the lokie helps with this.
Run your train through the crossover, as slow as possible without stalling, get your eyes down on the crossover and see what is taking place.

Not only do your rolling stock trucks have to swivel freely, they must also be allowed to rock side to side a tiny bit.

Good luck

[Curtishelde]

Hi everyone i fixed most of the problems first was the screws were tight and the track had the cords running underneath it which would make it stall and i bought the kit N scale bachmann Explorer with the Sante fe loco but only once in a while it will derail and that 99.9 % im running at full speed with all the rolling stock attached haha but is there a way to put the wire under the track some how perhaps cut a small hole anyhelp on this would be greatly appreciated and only sometimed maybe 1 out of every 10 revolutions around the track its get stuck on the turnout so those are my 2 encounters so far haha but any help will be greatly appreciated thanks

[brokemoto]

If it is the locomotive that I suspect it to be, turning up the power supply to full throttle will cause it to run at a scale speed that far exceeds the prototype's capabilities.  Further, running trains with the power pack at full throttle will cause them to derail frequently.  Scale back the throttle.

Keep in mind that this is model railroading, not the Indianapolis Speed Trials.