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Thanks for those of you who helped get engine working on DCS.

Now I have derailing problem. I recently set up oval with sidetrack.  The front drive wheels of my engine derail when trying to go through the Atlas switch.  I have attached photos of my engine and the switch. I circled the little triangular piece that is catching the most forward drive wheel and causing engine to derail when going into the curve.imageimage 

Does anyone have any suggestions to modify this switch or should I get another manufacturers switch.?  Thanks. 

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Last edited by Orthosheff
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I have/had the same problem. I very carefully filed down the switch "vee" (using a dremel with a cut-off wheel), a little at a time and testing it each time with the offending loco until the wheel didn't "catch" on the rail and the loco didn't derail.

having said that I still have the occasional problem and am a bit reluctant to do too much more butchery in case something else starts going wrong!

(The other thought I had would be to affix some thin "shim" - metal or plasticard - to the inside of the opposing check rail (the one just inside of the outer stock rail) to try to pull the loco over  a bit more and clear of the crossing vee. This would have the advantage of being non-destructive; if it doesn't work you can just remove it!).

 

Hope this helps,

Andrew

I would do what Andrew recommended above; take a thin piece of Plastruct flat shim-stock and build up the guide rail ( just below the LH yellow arrow arm...). That would tend to "pull" the lead truck wheels away from the frog point area and keep it from stubbing it's toe on the point of it.

Perhaps the lead truck wheel set is slightly wide in gauge causing this; I haven't had this issue with any of my Atlas"O" turnouts for the past ten years or so. I DO have to grind down the sides of the diverging power rails in that area to prevent short circuits and their attendant sparking, especially on the straight-through route.

Orthosheff posted:

I'm glad someone else has had this problem!  Thanks so much.  I think that I'll start with the shim ideas.

I suddenly have the same problem with two Atlas O72 switches in the exact same location you highlighted above with a brand new Lionel Engine (NS GoRails engine; minimum curve is O36).  Were you able to solve your problem and if so what solution did you use?

Thanks!

- Jeff

Hi Jeff,
I got a thin brass sheet, and was all ready to add a shim to the frog. But, then I just decided to run my train on the opposite direction through the mentioned switches!
I might try the shim later or switch to a different switch.
I did a little more research on the Atlas switches and found out that the switches that are described, for example, Atlas O 6024 #5 , have the turnout as being straight through the frog instead of a curve through the frog, as I thought all switches were. I think having a straight section in the turnout through the frog will make a huge difference
- John

Sent from John Shefferman's iPhone

On Apr 26, 2017, at 7:15 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:


Hello, Orthosheff:
We're sending you this notification because you are either following the forum, the content, or the author listed below.
NEW REPLY TO TOPIC
SUBJECT: Engine derailing of Atlas switches
REPLY BY: jeffdoo
IN: Train Forums / Hi-Rail, O27 and Traditional 3-Rail O Gauge
jeffdoo
Orthosheff posted:
I'm glad someone else has had this problem! Thanks so much. I think that I'll start with the shim ideas.

I suddenly have the same problem with two Atlas O72 switches in the exact same location you highlighted above with a brand new Lionel Engine (NS GoRails engine; minimum curve is O36). Were you able to solve your problem and if so what solution did you use?

Thanks!

- Jeff


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