The 773 and the Use of Shims

Arnold I have used “shims” when I was transitioning from one level or grade to another to smooth out track work but not as a rule. To make a smoother/gentler transition normally at the top or bottom of a grade. Generally I find these areas just like you did with a larger locomotive my Premier Centipedes or the N & W Class A are both very good at finding those slight imperfections in my track work.

I use tongue depressors. Just thick enough for slight dips. And wide enough to be useful.  I paint them black.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

"So, I am curious: how many of you use shims to remove derailments on your layout."

Arnold,

I'm a firm believer that popsicle sticks were first invented to be used as shims.

Rick, those huge locomotives you mention are even bigger than the 773, so I guess they also make good, militant railroad safety engineers to assure good track work and help eliminate derailments. They are very useful, IMO, for improving trackwork.

Incidentally, smaller locomotives like the 2035and others that run well on 027 curves hardly ever derail on my layout, regardless of track imperfections.

Don, when you mentioned tongue depressors, I checked your profile to see if you were a physician. 25 years ago my sister bought me a box of 1000 popsicle sticks at a arts and  craft store. I have used those Popsicle sticks as shims and for numerous other things on my layout, including O Scale bleachers on both of my baseball fields (baseball watching the Yankees with my father on TV and playing Little Lesgue and Pony League were a childhood obsession of mine). Arnold

Pictures of a few of my shims:

A short trestle from the Lionel graduated trestle set.

That orange trestle is from an S Gauge Americsn Flyer trestle set.

Blocks of wood and a taller trestle from the Lionel graduated treste set.

More blocks of wood and pieces from Asphalt roof shingles.

More pieces of asphalt shingles and ground up asphalt that I found taking walks in my neighborhood. I used this ground up asphalt as ballast under the track  which, IMO, is the ultimate ballast for the scrounger. LOL, Arnold

@Lionelski posted:

Arnold,

I'm a firm believer that popsicle sticks were first invented to be used as shims.

John, I agree with you, and you can't beat them for O Scale bleachers:

The best shims in the world are the 12 inch long, cedar shims, 1.5 inches wide, available at smaller hardware stores, and sometimes available at the big box hardwares.  They come in a shrinkwrap brick.   They are generally a mix of red and white cedar.

Because they are machine cut, these shims start out with a thickness of 1/4 inch, and then uniformly and evenly run down to virtually nothing.    They are great for shimming track and tightening up carpentry joints.

Don't buy the shorter,  eight inch, cheap whitewood shims sold in the big box stores.  They are worthless except for shimming door frames.

Mannyrock

Arnold,

I hope this improves your operation and reduces derailments. How is it doing?

MELGAR

Melgar,

So far, so good. Most of the work I did this morning involved rummaging through my piles of model railroad parts and junk to find the right size shims, positioning them under the track in the section of my layout near the washing machine and furnace, and testing the shims by running my big locomotives.

What surprises me is that some of the more serious model railroaders than me also use shims of various kinds. I would have thought that there was a better way to eliminate derailments because of track imperfections than using shims.

By the way, I had fun today posting more actively on the Forum.

Arnold

Arnold! I can only say and sing

Shimmey Shimmey Coco Pop, Shimmey Shimmey Pop!