Try built in earthquakes on the layout. or take 1 wheel off each truck.
John Armstrong
----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Werre
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 5:17 PM
Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} Flawless Operation
Well I do hope you can achieve all that, but there is a thing called Karma
(remember that program just a few years ago on TV--Earl was the guy's name).
A) And speaking of Earl, when Earl Tuscon lived here, he would come over to
run some trains. These are trains that I had just been running, but he had a
derailment or two right off the starting mark. I think Don Hand had the same
thing happen just this past Friday. Put them back on the track and they did
fairly well.
B) More than once, I've thrown an older twin-coil switch machine only to have
half the mechanism drop to the floor! So after everyone left, I'm down under
the layout pulling down and replacing one of those machines.
C) So you like slow motors--well I had one give up on me. The motor itself
works fine, so it must be one of the diode's that determine what direction to
run. Obviously this wasn't due to sloppy construction but nevertheless makes
for flawed operations.
Once after working under the layout (pre-scenery days) I must have broken a
solder joint on a feeder wire. We were running my pair of brass OMI FA's.
Every time, they would pass this particular point they would short out or stop
for a second then continue along the route. First thing that comes to mind is
a dirty piece of track--well it wasn't that. So happens the feeder wire would
short out on the brass side frames as just a couple of the individual strands
stuck up and touched them while passing. I discovered that problem a couple of
days later. The problem wasn't evident with my AM engines even though some had
brass replacement side frames, it didn't happen with my Alco models diesels,
and it didn't happen with my OMI E unit either.
So the jest of my response is that if you own many engines and many cars,
just look at the mathematical possibilities that will quickly come into play!
Add to that the geographical factors, track radii, car weight and several other
factors. I've generally add a handful of cars and maybe an engine per year. I
also go about changing wheel sets, trucks, couplers if I think they are needed.
Of course, every time you do this you may upset the odds (better or worse) of
actually getting a train from point A to point B.
The real railroads are dealing with this all the time. They have slow orders
for bad trackage, add pilots in unfamiliar territory and a host of other means
of dealing with the odds. There is an excellent coffee table type book
authored by Fred Hyde and published by Hy-rail publications that shows the
Milwaukee Road in it's dying days. In one photo the fireman/brakeman is
shooting back at his train as it derails coming out of a tunnel. The wrecking
crews in the area would go out and not return for months just fixing
derailments.
When I've been on operating sessions (always HO scale) where there has always
been a derailment or two due to bad order cars, not to mention operators not
being familiar with the territory. I can operate my railroad a whole night
often without any problems, because I know all the little things that could
happen, while a guest operator will certainly have problems. In my case many
of the problems have to do with my mountain grades, where part of my train is
going up a grade while another part is going downgrade--again something the
real guys deal with, with experience.
I consider all this a part of modeling, perhaps a little frustrating at
times, but I solve my problems in time.
One of the most frustrating things are the seemingly random uncoupling that
can happen on straight tangent track and likewise more often on grades. I
check coupler height and then after a few feet, I see one is lower/higher than
the other almost to the point of uncoupling. Put it back on level track with a
coupler gauge and everything is within a tight tolerance. Another problem that
seems to pop up is my use of Ace Arch bar trucks. I have one SHS car and one
Mainline truss rod boxcar where I've replaced the supplied trucks with the Arch
bars. If I have one derailment in a train, 9 out of 10 says it will be those
trucks. I've used correctly gauged NWSL wheel sets, smoother Delrin bearings
and follow the three point mounting of the trucks. The only difference that I
can see is the shorter wheelbase on the truck itself.
Anyway here's to smooth running! as he hoists a diet Coke in the air
bob Werre
On 6/11/12 2:31 PM, Ed wrote:
>>> I'm shooting for zero derailments, zero unwanted uncouplings, zero
table-thumpings, etc. It's a lofty goal <snip> but it can be done.
> - Trevor Marshall
Trevor.....
I'm with you on this one. It CAN be done !!
There is an HO fellow here with a large layout running hundreds of cars and
dozens of trains in a typical op session with about 18 operators. He has
achieved what you and I are striving for.
I believe one of the necessary ingredients for making this come to pass is
the attitude of: "I will do whatever is necessary to make it happen." It sure
makes life easier if you know your goal and can accept that it requires more
effort than merely gluing some parts together.
But when flawless operation is achieved, the joy is immense. My HO buddy
gave up on commercially available turnouts and builds his own. He claims that
is the only way to get them in the proper gauge throughout their entire length.
And he manually regauges each and every wheelset to be exactly mid-way between
the acceptable extremes. But darned if it doesn't pay off in the long run.
Good luck at reaching your heaven.....Ed L.
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