Bachmann Online Forum

Discussion Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: erichthegerman on July 19, 2007, 01:28:02 AM

Title: whats the best track for...
Post by: erichthegerman on July 19, 2007, 01:28:02 AM
 
i have two amtrak amfleet phase 4 cars and they seem to derail what should i do
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: Guilford Guy on July 19, 2007, 07:36:04 AM
What's your curve radii?
Do they derail when run together or by themselves, If by themselves then you might want to check your track and make sure the track and wheels are in gauge...
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: erichthegerman on July 19, 2007, 11:04:22 AM
 well lets see  i believe it is "18" and they are long cars  ???
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: erichthegerman on July 19, 2007, 11:40:25 AM
 and they derail when together ESPECIALLY while in push mode
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: SteamGene on July 19, 2007, 12:50:22 PM
I think that your cars are too long for your radii.
Gene
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: rogertra on July 19, 2007, 03:04:21 PM
Gene is correct.

Full length passenger car really need something around 28 to 30 inch minimumm radius curves for reliable operation.
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: Paul M. on July 19, 2007, 09:42:18 PM
But, you might be able to get away with 22" radius curves. :-\
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: Conrail Quality on July 19, 2007, 10:50:03 PM
Provided the train is not too long, and the track is connected properly, you can use 22". I do it all the time, although I want to get 26" so I can run my Walthers Viewliner as well. But space is finite...
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: ebtbob on July 20, 2007, 06:33:46 AM
Good Morning All,

      There is another issue here.   The author says that the derailments happen,  especially when the cars are pushed.   If the cars have talgo trucks,   trucks with the couplers attached,  then that will be a problem with either long or shorter cars.   The pressure against the coupler is transfered to the trucks and can lead to derailments especially on tighter radii.  If indeed,  you have talgo trucks,  then you would be best served to body mount the couplers.



Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: SteamGene on July 20, 2007, 07:42:00 AM
He doesn't say who made them or when.  I hadn't considered Talgo since they seem to be more and more rare.  Weren't they designed for tight radii? 
Gene
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: r.cprmier on July 20, 2007, 02:02:52 PM
Insert Quote 
well lets see  i believe it is "18" and they are long cars

Do yourself a favour; don't money around with either long cars and short radius.  Use either short cars and tight radii, or use longer radii.  A lot of this  is going to be a compromise, because most of us aren't blessed with the means to acquire a 100-ft barn, complete with heat, running water, and its own potty.

Go first for quality, reliability, and practicality; then go for the superficial stuff.  There are dozens of ways to make a layout appear longer than it really is; don't go tweaking common sense on the nose.  He has big feet!!
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: thirdrail on July 20, 2007, 03:08:41 PM
The original poster does not say what scale the Amfleet cars are, nor who made them, and if Bachmann, whether they are new or old production (they're different cars). While an 18" radius should be adequate for the old production N scale cars, the new ones supposedly require 19". Remember, this is in N scale.  If the cars are HO, they probably require 36 to 40 inch radius curves.
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: Conrail Quality on July 20, 2007, 03:44:26 PM
You can get away with running most HO passenger cars on 26". It won't look good, but it will work. 30" or higher is a better choice for HO.
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: RAM on July 20, 2007, 09:32:44 PM
If you have long cars with talgo trucks and some that have body mounted trucks, lookout.  They will derail on large curves.  I don't think you have the problem with short cards.  I think the only cars I have on the layout with talgo trucks is one passenger train. 
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: ebtbob on July 21, 2007, 06:57:20 AM
Gene,

       In answer to your question,  yes,  Talgo trucks were designed for use on tight radii.   That does not change the dynamic that when pushing any car,  regardles off length,  the talgo truck may derail due to the pressure from the coupler.   I cannot tell you how many times - as a youngster - I relaid track thinking my derailment problems were doe to poor track work when in reality,  the problem was the talgo trucks on my AHM cars.

Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: SteamGene on July 21, 2007, 07:31:52 AM
Bob, I'm aware that pushing Talgo mounts invites derailing.  My point, only, was that they came about to allow cars to traverse very tight radii.  "When in doubut, body mount."
Gene
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: erichthegerman on July 22, 2007, 11:34:34 AM
 thanx all i appreciate your efforts and it is ho scale , and steam gene i find you  in every post how do you do it ?. i can barely keep up with mine .   
                                             


                 etg...
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: SteamGene on July 23, 2007, 08:25:52 AM
I'm retired and I read fast.  Right now I'm somewhere in the 500s in the last Potter book.
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: thoepf on July 27, 2007, 10:41:01 PM
Hi everyone.  I'm new to this hobby and would be very grateful if someone could answer my question.  I am planning to run three parallel tracks around the perimeter of a fairly large room.  They will be on a shelf above the doors and windows.  HO scale.  I have so far got three 50 piece boxes of 9" steel EZ track and know I will need more.  My question:  will this kind of track work OK for this?  The outside circle will be a Santa Fe passenger train.  The middle will be a Santa Fe 3 diesel freight and the inside track will be a 4-8-4 Union Pacific freight.  Is 40 to 50 cars too much to pull for these two freight trains?  I guess that was 2 questions.  Sorry.  Any advice would be very helpful and appreciated.  Thanks,  TH
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: SteamGene on July 28, 2007, 08:24:15 AM
I'm wondering how you are going to see the inside train with that wide a shelf at that height.  Or are you going to stairstep the track? 
Steel track is not a good idea I don't think.  You want nickel silver and for that amount of track, using flex track would cost you a great deal less. 
Who builds the locomotives?  Will all the diesels be powered?  What size are the cars?   All of this has a play in the number of cars you can run.  I'm assuming that you are using no grade and wide curves.
Gene
Title: Re: whats the best track for...
Post by: thoepf on July 28, 2007, 08:45:40 AM
SteamGene,  Thanks for your reply!  All 3 diesels are powered.  Two are Bachman, one is an Atlas.  Cars are a mixture of Athearn, Roundhouse, Bachman and some others.  Some bought new from a local hobby shop that went out of business and others picked up at local train shows.  All are just standard size, I think, a mixture of boxcars mostly, with some tankers, flatcars, coal cars and a few auto carriers etc.  The steamer is a 4-8-4 Bachman that comes in the Overland Limited train set which includes a 9 car consist.  I suppose I should sell the boxes of track and start looking for some flex.  Do they make nickel silver flex?  I may stairstep the tracks.  The room measures 18' x 23' so each train should be visible at some point with one going in the opposite direction of the other two and each running at different speeds I think.  Terry