What constitutes "bullet proof" track?

[DKS]

I don't think any trackwork,no matter how well done,will run 100% all the time with all car combinations,it's just impossible.

+1

From experience, I've found that you can spend months fine-tuning your layout to get everything running perfectly. Then, you go and buy a shiny new whatever, and it derails on the first turnout. So you start the process all over again.

[soo]

  To those who are trying to picture what Jeff ( rossford yard ) is testing, I will post some pictures. Prior warning these are taken with a phone cam.









  Ta da, there it is. A work very much in progress.

  Adios Wyatt

[jereising]

And along with what DKS sez, just have some visitors show up - I have a chap coming in next week and I'm mentally preparing myself for the carnage.  I'd say I'll play it safe and run the merchandiser and the oil cans, but the last time I did that the accumates decided to play games...and this is on a train that can usually run for hours with no issues.

[SP-Wolf]

My thoughts on this.... I'm not so sure that there is a "bullet proof" layout. Things are constantly changing. So- with that- there has to be continuous fiddling. Both on the trains themselves and the track work. I can run trains one night without issue. Run the same trains the next night- and- what the heck-? Nothing seems to want to run correctly. I suppose that is what keeps things interecting.

Enjoy,
Wolf

[Rossford Yard]

Well, if the BLMA spline cars are the acid test, my track flunks. Everything else goes through 9 out of 10 times, backwards at high speeds.  A few turnouts need some adjustments, filing point, lowering frog, adjusting the joint to the next piece of track.  As mentioned, still a work in progress.....

[hpwrick]

There are certain cars...no matter what you do...they will always, forever give you trouble in a reverse move.   

Think of it this way.   The fella's running the 1:1 foot scale have problems while making a reverse move with long flat cars.   Note they don't go through the switches at full speed.    The exception being if they have a run away on their hands.

I've looked at the switching yard ladders you've installed and am VERY impressed with your planning, track work and appearance of the classification yard.    Some superb work.    Ok, you are missing a bunch of railroad ties and you'd never find me removing them BUT aside from that, the yard looks like it was put together by professionals.

My experience has taught me that you can file a switch down until it no longer works.    Caution, would be the word of the day.

Have fun and gosh darn, geez whiz, I wish I could be there to help classify some trains and get them out and on the ready track.

[Ian MacMillan]

Define high speed as well... 100% throttle?

If you are shoving cars at that speed backwards, just about anything, regardless of wheels is going to find a problem.

[seusscaboose]

for me - any track that will run BLMA wheels is bullet proof .. 

Winner.

[Rossford Yard]

Define high speed as well... 100% throttle?

If you are shoving cars at that speed backwards, just about anything, regardless of wheels is going to find a problem.

Ian,

Yes, as a matter of fact, I did run the 5-7 car trains through all those turnouts at 100% MRC DC throttle (DCC not hooked up yet).

Found a few more small problems today.  As noted, it takes less and less of a hump, protrusion, whatever to throw cars off track at 250 SMPH!  But, a bit of filing seems to fix the problems for the most finnickey car (an 89' MT empty flat right behind the loco)  In one case, it turns out there was some smudge of solder laying between the stock and point rails, so that was an easy fix. In others, filing the Peco frog, or the point rails, or the rail connections to the next piece of track did it.  The old "run your finger over it and if there is any rough spot, file it" routine.  About three joints had slightly higher rail on one side, and one was not aligned horizontally.

Hopefully, those fixes and running somewhere near proto road speed will keep problems on the lower level to a minimum.  I hope so, as we put the upper deck on this weekend!

[bill pearce]

I'm sorry, I just don't get why the test of trackwork should be something that will never never never be done even in the most crazy operating session. Shouldn't the test be if things operate well with cars that have been properly weighted and tuned up at NORMAL speeds? Or, if the reverse 250mph test is valid, shouldn't bulletproof track be able to withstand a nuclear blast? Or when the owner has consumed two entire bottles of Capt. Morgan?

[Rossford Yard]

Bill,

Well that is kind of the point of the thread - how rigorous have others tested their track and been satisfied with the results.  I guess I was thinking that if high speed and light cars didn't turn up any imperfections that derail stuff, then normal speed wouldn't either.  It would seem like increasing the conditions for derailment (i.e., high speed) would make cars derail more often and more quickly, thus shortening the fine tuning sessions, no?

I mean, with the Peco turnouts, I do see nearly every car do the little drop at the frog, I can hear them going over the joints and plastic, etc.  But, most of those dips don't result in derailments and must be okay.  But, if they are okay faster, I presume they will generally be okay at slower speeds.  As at least one poster notes, that isn't always the case.

But, I'm getting older (57) and looking for this to be my last layout (well, maybe a switching layout along one wall of the old folks home.....) and this is going to be semi hidden track (lower level with at least 12" clearance) but also a major piece of the ops scheme.  So, I am being picky.

How much fine tuning did you do on your fine layout?  How much relay, if any, after dissatsified with results?

[Chris333]

I just pulled out my only piece of BLMA (gon) rolling stock and wow you guys are right. 

[MichaelWinicki]

I just pulled out my only piece of BLMA (gon) rolling stock and wow you guys are right. 

It's not just the narrow treads on the BLMA wheels, it's the fact that many of them are simply too narrow– from a gauge point of view.  At least that's what I found on many of my BLMA gons. 

Narrow treads + narrow gauge = bad times.

[Dave V]

+3 on the BLMA wheels.

It took some gauging to get them run on my otherwise bullet-proof code 80 mainline, let alone withstand backing moves through code 55 switches in Enola.

[peteski]

This thread brings back memories of a similar thread on the Atlas forum. IIRC, it was one of those pointless threads which seemed to go on and on forever.  Bullet proof track? There is no such thing. N scale track won't stop a bullet (well, at least a 1:1 bullet). 

Seriously, a reliable track (I hate using silly buzzwords such as "bullet proof"), is track which is carefully laid down on a stable and even roadbed, in gauge, properly equipped with expansion joints and reliably supplied with power. Basically if you follow all of the common sense recommendations for track laying (in any scale) you will end up with reliable track.  Period!

I don't see a reason for lengthy discussion.