Large Scale Central

Rerailing - Anti-derail Track?

Track and Trestles
#21

Fred, I do care how my models look, although I do not count rivets. I agree that the truck mounted couplers look (and are) wrong in so many ways, but…;

When I started in large scale, I had many older Bachmann cars that would have required difficult modifications in order to body mount KaDees to them.

I was advised that since I had a 9.5 foot diameter curve in my railroad, that body mounts would not work on such tight a curve.

I have since come to learn that I could have body mounted KaDees, but by that time I was so invested in truck mounted coupleres that I didn’t want to go through the expense of changing over.

Many of the folks who see my railroad don’t know a covered hopper from a boxcar, so they don’t mind my couplers. And my railroad brings me enjoyment, despite its shortcomings. So Fred, if it bothers you so much, then just don’t look. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)

#22

David, I’m making the assumption your trains run fine, no derailments from backing trains, or long trains derailing.

How about when you add a new car, have you considered putting body mounts on the new stuff?

Greg

#23

David;

Thank you for your explanation; I do understand your situation, having had to convert all my rolling stock over the years. I’m sorry if I sounded harsh, or non-understanding.

BTW; having converted hundreds of pieces of rolling stock to Kadee body mounts; converting even the earliest of B’mann cars is not all that hard. Just a wee bit of cutting, but easily done. There have been some more modern cars that I won’t even bother attempting…just not worth the efforts, in our situation here on the IPP&W.

Fred Mills

#24

Greg, I am a roundy roundy train watcher. So the only real backing up I do is when I build a train. I run my F3, or RS with up to 18 cars on my curvy, 2.58% percent grade railroad for hours without any derailments. No car runs on my railroad until it has properly gauged metal wheels, and Kadees set to the proper height. I know that with a long train, the KaDee mounts will flex, but since I use the larger ones, they don’t flex enough to slip past each other. Sometimes body mounts and truck mounts don’t play well together on curves. So, no I haven’t body mounted many couplers.

Fred, your post did take me back, so my response may have been a little rough. The sad fact is that I had been given bad advice on both counts, and being new to this gauge, I accepted the advice of that person, because he had been in this gauge for many years. Eventually I learned to double check his advice, and found most of what he told me to be…somewhat inaccurate. If I were to do it over from the beginning, I would go body mounts.

#25

Thanks David.

As you probably surmised, the point was that your trains run fine for you, on your layout. When I came on board, the “wisdom” was that anything under 10’ diameter, body mounts would not work. I think this came from Kadee.

Subsequently, many people had good success with 8’ diameter, and if you don’t try to couple on curves, I think you could go 6’ diameter on 40’ cars.

But, I learned early to question all the “wisdom” I was given, not to deny it, just ask for explanations behind the “wisdom”. I started DCC when virtually everyone told me it was impossible outside. I found a few people with good advice, and a lot of people just parroting (and not understanding) something they heard.

So, we live and learn.

Greg

#26

Greg, yes my trains run for me, and I get to enjoy them. As stated earlier in this thread, good track-work and properly gauged metal wheels go a long way to preventing derailments. As do properly adjusted couplers.

I notice that many rerailers are made to look something like grade crossings. Has anyone done a home brew rerailer that looks better then the commercially available ones? I am toying with the idea of building something on my new HO modules, but I don’t want a flipping ugly commercial rerailer. I want something that looks more like something that one would see on a real railroad, whether its a grade crossing or something else.

#27

David;

My only “Constructively meant” suggestion, would be to try using the Guardrail idea, only make the guardrails sit closely to the running rails. This would “Guide” the flanges, just as guard rails do on a switch. Real railroads, and also street car operations use them, not just on bridges.

This might involve hand laying a short length of track where you want the “Re-railer”…as getting the guard rails close enough to the running rails on most available track is tricky with the moulded on tie plates and spikes. However you might get them close enough by grinding off the base of the rail on one side of the guard rail.

Fred Mills

#28

Fred, yes guard rails will keep the wheels where they belong. I was just trying to figure out a less ugly way to gettem where they belong. And I know about girder rail used by traction railroads. I have a 4 foot section of that kind of rail in my yard. Ah, don’t ask.

Upon further reflection, I am shelving the idea of a rerailer on my HO module. At the last 2 shows, only the club’s president’s BLI locomotives derailed on the layout, and usually on one of the 2 known problem child modules. Since my module has yet to be adjacent to either of those 2 modules, a rerailer on my module would probably never actually serve the purpose of rerailing anything.