Adjusting locomotive wheels to get into gauge

[voldemort]

I am a semi-retired doc who has been working on this door layout for two years now.   My primary struggle has been in 'getting it to work'.

The one part of the layout is Southern Pacific- a turntable, roundhouse and some other stuff (TBD)

There is a mountain that divides it partially in two.  The other side will be Auschwitz. 

I've been sticking to the prototype of "what I like"

I LOVE the daylight train.  I love the German railway stuff.  My intention now is to add a switching layout to the side, and then continuing on to something with a turnaround.  Making a U shaped layout. 

I have learned lots- mainly by ghosting these types of forums and watching endless youtube videos (hint- turn CC on, then adjust the speed to 2x).  Slow it down when watching how someone is chipping off or painting something

I just did the mountain.  I am SUPER HAPPY with the result.  I've made tunnel entrances that I think also look wicked but they aren't on the layout yet (they're made of 1/4" thick extruded foam with the blocks incised with a pencil).

I am embarrassed to show my current mess on here.  It gets prettier every day now. 

Currently my priority is to get the layout functioning perfectly.  It is close.  Just a couple of spots.  The NMRA track gauge is my best friend.  I do like to use the micrometer to check it.  My eyes just aren't good enough sometimes to tell how well centered something is.  I've downloaded the two Joe Fugate book on 'make it run like a dream'.  They're good, but OMG, I thought I was somewhat fussy- he has rules on equipment etc.  I find it frustrating that things like the turnouts just don't match the guidelines. 

I had started this with a big box of Bachmann EZ track.  I've slowly replaced almost 90% of it. It just isn't reliable.  One of my primary issues has been that its built on a foam board that has numerous inclines etc.  Any vertical change in slope (sounds like calculus, which I guess it is) are very tricky to integrate.  Especially in a small layout.  I do have some 11.25 radius curves, but now I try to just use the larger radius.  And Kato unitrack only.

Other than than, waiting for spring to come....

PS- at the Savannah railway museum I was super lucky enough to ride in the cab of their little switcher locomotive.  Amazing.  Amazingly HOT.  Last summer we took the cog railway up Mount Washington- also steam.  I love steam the best, but it is fragile.  In the real world it is dirty and requires a ton of maintenance

Thats me

[porkypine52]

Calipers can be used to check gauge, but I prefer the old standard. the NMRA Standards Gauge.  Easy to use CORRECTLY.  Can be used multiple places on the Railroad.


Diesels!?!?!?!?!?!  We don't need no stinckin' DIESELS!!!!!!
The INDIANA RAILWAY    Still STEAM powered in 2020.

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein

[wm3798]

Okay, you said Auschwitz.

Rather an interesting industry to model?

Begs the question... what era are you representing?

Lee

[Maletrain]

A suggestion for using Unitrack on vertical curves:  First, watch Mike Fifer's video on making a piece of flex track from cutting a slots in the roadbed of a straight piece of Unitrack.  Then apply the same technique in the vertical dimension by making multiple cuts through the roadbed on at the same places on both sides, so that the relatively flat tie and rail section can more easily bend vertically.  I have never (yet) actually done that, but it should be even easier than what Mike shows, because the vertical curves need to be even smaller angle changes than what Mike is doing in the horizontal direction, and the tie + rail section is being bent on its thin direction instead of its thick dimension.

  Fifer's video: 

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[peteski]

I have one of these: a back to back for British N gauge, which can be used to gently tease wheelsets apart.  They are 7.45 mm wide, which seems to be different to the NMRA standard: [size=78%]https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/s-4.2_2019.01.04.pdf[/size].  According to Google 0.301 inches is 7.6454 mm.  Perhaps I am reading this wrong. The track is the same!


https://www.nbrasslocos.co.uk/fitall.html#GAUGE

While this likely works well too, I dint' see a reason to abandon my NMRA gauge (photo of it is showing in my previous post).  Using it not only easily checks the gauge, it also checks flange shape and depth. All in one operation.

British N scale might be using wheels with a different flange thickness maybe?

[randgust]

Huh, Unitrack.  Possible abrupt vertical kinks/curves at sections.

#4 turnouts?   Notorious derailment issues until modified with picking points on facing-point movement.

Long-truck wheelbase BLI E-unit...    OK, we're getting somewhere.    More information as to exact issues and this forum will get you answers.

I've used a lot of Unitrack since I went to T-trak modules, and there's a lot more here that use it as well.  But you can still have some surprisingly rough connections at track joints.

[voldemort]

It wasn't so much getting the rails to bend in a vertical dimension.  It was when the front of the locomotive got to the top, poor conduction would ensue going over the crown, or unless it was perfect, it was an excellent opportunity to derail the front pair of wheels.   The lesson was that all grade changes needed to be made very gradually. 

I'm having more luck.

As was suggested, I've replaced a piece of track that was possibly kinked.  I've fiddled with the crossover more.  I'd say I'm up to 90% of the time the locomotive goes through (the six wheel diesel).  I have spent a lot of time with my nose at the track with the magnifiers on looking to see where it is derailing, then fixing it.  One problem I'd had was that in an attempt to get the points to nest into the rails I'd bent the points outward.  Which caused their profile to be lower a cm or two back of the points (the track kind of twisted to do this).

Another problem was discovered this morning.  I've been having lots of conduction issues.   I have used one of those Roto wheel cleaners from Woodland Scenics.  I was never sure if it was doing a good job.  So today I hooked a 2" piece of free track up to some wires and was able to get the locomotive running upside down (holding the track onto one of the trucks).  That let me clean the wheels much better.  And I discovered one of the locomotives had a truck that had no conduction.  Turns out a tiny wire that goes to it was broken.  A tiny touch of solder and bob's my uncle.  Yesterday I used a small hypodermic needle (not the syringe, just the needle) to put the tiniest of drops of Atlas conductive lube at the connection between the wheel spindle and the brass fittings it goes into.  That seemed to help as well (I have taken them apart and cleaned them well before). 

I've also learned that a mix of rubbing alcohol and some windex is excellent for cleaning the track.  I have tried many different things- the 'rubber' works reasonably well, provided I periodically take a piece of sandpaper to it to remove any oils that have accumulated. 

I've modified my #4 turnouts, and the crossover with the notch in the rail.  That helps as well. 

So a successful 24 hours.  I'll keep fiddling.  I need to figure out a small piece of flat surface- like the NMRA gauge, but not twisted.  I want to put that on the joints that I think are crowned a bit to ensure it doesn't rock back and forth telling me that the joint is too high. 

Thanks for everyone's assistance.  I do want one of those brass wheel gauge setters.  I didn't know if I could adjust the wheels or not- that was big news for me.