Code 55 Peco derailment

[hpwrick]

Alright Pete.   Let's see that should be worth one Kato diesel at todays prices.  Right...Pete!

RSN, I keep reading Rick.    Is that what Pete really said?   

Now come and help me realign the track to a Kato Unitrack switch I messed up.   

Glad your problem is resolved.

[peteski]

And the winner of the name what's wrong with the Peco 55 turnout is.... Pete Nolan.  The side of the entering towards the points rail was slightly pushed out, not that much and it didn't seem to make a difference with the NMRA gauge but it did make a difference to the flanges.

HUH?
How the heck did you interpret Pete's "I'll bet the switch is either humped or twisted" as "The side of the entering towards the points rail was slightly pushed out".  Your problem sounds like out of gauge track and Pete didn't even mention "out of gauge"...

Must be a Canadien interpratation of English language.    How did you find the problem?   Did you follow advice given by several people (including me) to slowly run or push your train through the problem spot and observe where it derails? 

Anywho, I'm glad that the problem is resolved!

[hpwrick]

Peteski and of course everyone else tuned in.

Do you think it's about selective reading?

I just hope Pete, get's his locomotive.   

I've worked with installing a warped and/or torgued Peco switch.  Most of the time they are way out of gauge.   Lucky for me I was able to flatten it out across the cork road bed and then regauge the rails.   Of course the cork had to be flat to start with.   

Peco switches at times can be the most frustrating switches to work with.   However, when everything is properly gauged, power is  routing through the points and no derails...they work sweet.

RSN aka Rick, enjoy the good times your work brings you.

[peteski]

Peteski and of course everyone else tuned in.

Do you think it's about selective reading?

Selective? But there was nothing about it being out of gauge. How can one selectively pick something that doesn't even extist in the original text?!

I've worked witn installing a torgued Peco switch.   Lucky for me I was able to flatten it out across the cork road bed.    Of course the cork had to be flat to start with.    Peco switches at times can be the most frustrating switches to work with.   However, when everything is properly guaged, power is being routed and no derails...they work sweet.

Why specifically point a finger at Peco?  They are no harder or easier to properly install than any other ready-made turnout from any manufacturer.

[hpwrick]

Why specifically point a finger at Peco?  They are no harder or easier to properly install than any other ready-made turnout from any manufacturer.

Good point.   The peco switches I've referred to here (in the original text) are used switches.    They can get torqued either by the sun or by hand when being removed from a layout and they can go out of gauge.    Thus my comments.

The new ones aren't bad to install.    Usually filing the points and soldering the rail joiner between the moveable and non-moveable points from underneath the switch prior to installation solves any future problems.

To prove your point I just finished installation of some Kato #6 switches and had to tighten the screw down in the middle and file the inside of the moveable points down.   

Does that help to understand my particular view point?

[pnolan48]

I'm innocent! Or guilty! Take your pick.

I think Rick may remember that I diagnosed this problem way back when on Atlas (perhaps 2001 or even earlier), and also on Trainboard in perhaps 2002 or 2003. Later on, it was probably one of my Stupid Mistake series of 106 articles, and I even posted a photo of one of my humped switches. I think I wrote back then that twisted track or track not level horizontally was about the same as out-of-gauge.

Rick and I go back a long ways.

I've throttled back my forum participation because of my life changes. I no longer race to write the definitive treatise on problems like humped switches, as others have stepped up with more knowledge than I could ever hope for. The humped or twisted switch has come up at least six times on the three forums I really watched (TB, Atlas, Railwire) since 2001. I hate to refer people to the search engines because they don't work very well.

I've been here on Railwire because I can really learn new stuff from the a$$hats. That's the only value I care about nowadays.

[hpwrick]

Good to have you on board Pete.    Now which Rick you refer-in to?   

Yep, we've been down the road a bit and Peco has been the subect of many a thread we have particpated on.  Yes, I do remember when Pete  diagnosed the same problem over on the A board and TB.   Not so odd, that it would come up again, as this is fairly common.    We've also swapped ideas and shared success stories.    Not sure if that makes us experts on the subect but certainly knowledgable.

Funny thing but I still prefer Peco, Electro frog's over some of the Atlas switches...despite the problems.    I still think Peco makes one of the better switches.

@$$hats?    Careful now I don't want them making an @$$ out of me.   I can do that all by myself.    LOL

Good to chat with you...once again.

[rsn48]

Pete, you're making us sound old...lol!  Okay I might just be .... a little bit.  I had some guys over to my place for my first open house of my layout, so now there are some who know what I'm talking about when I discuss "nolix!"  My problem is I laid track on AMI (no longer in production) and its the old saw, if I knew then what I know now.... could've saved myself a lot of headaches.  The good news is I still have about 150 feet of track to lay so I know more what not to do, all learned the hard way.  Now, I'll make new mistakes!

I have typed this while listening to the dearly departed and missed, on my part, Donna Summer - I Feel Love -  what memories to this!

/>

[peteski]

Ah. now I understand (with the help of that extra inside information which was just provided on this thread). 

Rick, I agree with you that Peco makes some of the better switches (I used "switch" just for you) out there!  Even if they are not perfect visually, they are pretty robust and reliable (after a little tweaking).  And they also make double and single slips too (which look so much better than any of the toylike ones from the German makers).

[hpwrick]

Peteski,

"Switch"   You ok?  We don't need to rush you off to the hospital...do we?       You are to kind.

Yep, we are good with Peco.    Like you said.   No problem with our interchange of thought's and ideas, as well.   

Glad to have you here on RailWire.

Now let's go see what hornets nest we can stir up.   

 

[robert3985]

Okay, maybe Peco turnouts are "good"....but...they don't look so good.  Other than the visible height of the rail, they look pretty much like Atlas Code 80 switches.  Everybody here just ignoring that fact?  They don't look like any prototype I'm aware of, either US or European, or Asian, or South American...or...you get the idea.

Am I "dissing" Peco?  No...just stating a fact.

And I can already hear the mantra "They don't look so bad when you cover them completely up with ballast".

You want the "best" turnouts?  Best looking and best functioning?  Learn to make 'em.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[hpwrick]

Bob,

No argument with you but I don't have the time or patience to sit and roll my own.

To be honest, historically I haven't (have not) been  happy with Atlas switches, to include the newest ones.     I prefer the built-in action of Peco's electrofrog's.     Once the points are filed down and power routing established they are darn good switches.    Add a hand throw and you have the perfect combination.    Downside,  a oversized hand throw, but they do work great.

Since the OP was asking about Peco, borrowing from Peteski's thoughts, "In the original text", our focus has been to solve a problem with a Peco Switch and yes, we have shared our thoughts with regard to Peco. 

There are other good switches out there but they ALL need tweaking and have their particular failures in the QA department.

I'd love to see pictures of your homegrown switches.    A how to, tutorial  would be a real gift, to all of us.

[GaryHinshaw]

I'd love to see pictures of your homegrown switches.    A how to, tutorial  would be a real gift, to all of us.

+1

[pnolan48]

Just to clarify, Rick, I was referring to Rick Nicholson (rsn48), but could have been referring to hpwrick, or even oldrk. We all go back a long ways on Atlas or Trainboard.

I believe we are in an era when most N scale issues have been discussed two or three times, or more. What keeps me participating are the new ideas, the new layouts, the new techniques and insights, and the comaradierie of the friends I've made here and on other forums.

[hpwrick]

Pete...ahh...Nolan and of course everyone tuned in here, 

I had a hunch it was for RSN, but threw in anyway.  After all I do remember the question and answer.   In retrospect wondering why RSNRick, was then asking...the same question...again.    Oh, and your answer before...worked to solve a problem on my layout.   Yep!

The problem with trying to troubleshoot over the internet is we aren't there and can't see what is really happening.    The best we can do, from the comfort of our quarterbacking armchairs, is punt.     Then there is the repetitive questions, search machines that don't work well and the same old answers.    Not to forget, it can sometimes be newbies helping other newbies make the same mistakes. 

Like you and others here.   It is the friends I've made and not the attitude of some administrators, moderators, some participants and their control issues that keep bringing me back to various websites.  Do I dare ask, how about conflicting control issues?  Did I mention thin skinned participants with no sense of humor,  I didn't think so.  But that's another discussion for another place and time.

A thread goes where a thread goes as does many a discussion sitting around a table at a local pub or restraunt.     I try to take it all in stride and have some friendly fun bantering about enoying a laugh or two.     

Peco Switch, from the side door pullman:  You might be interested to know.   I was working on a Peco switch last night that has been torqued, set in the sun and the gauge has narrowed.   Truly, way out of  gauge.     A relic of sorts.   However, with a little persuassion, determination, heat application, reset the gauge and CA to make it permanent.   I got the single lead track into the "SWITCH" widened, regauged and it's now back up and performing very well.   So far.

Pete, did Rick. the other Rick aka RSN send you a new locomotive of your choosing....yet?