Points problem

[jaym481]

For reasons of space, today I moved the "layout" (trainset) to the floor. The result was that now the Hornby set track points derail the tender on my tender-equipped locos. I haven't tried all of them yet though, but so far the Hornby Railroad A4 derails every time, and the Bachmann O4 can manage a couple of circuits before catastrophe. The Bachmann J11 has similar issues.

 

My searches seem to indicate there are issues with Hornby points, but I didn't have the same problem when the roundy was layed out on a baseboard with (warped) Sundeala top, and Hornby foam underlay. The floor layout is on rubber playroom mats that link together, with no underlay.

 

So, is there an easy solution? Should I just buy Peco points (if so, will they work with Hornby surface mount motors?)

[Andy Hayter]

If it worked before you moved it and now creates derailing problems, then the issue is with how the track is now laid on its rubber mat.

 

Things to check:

 

Are the rails correctly aligned into the point and not creating a dog leg?

Are the rail joiners to the point correctly positioned so there is no big gap or step up between rails on the adjoining track and the point itself?

Have you inadvertently damaged the point in the process of moving it?

Does the new rubber mat give a firm enough support for the track, or is it all a bit spongy?

 

Try running a loco slowly through the point and see exactly where the problem starts.  This may give some clues.

 

Personally I would choose Peco over Hornby every time, but there is nothing intrinsically wrong with Hornby and they should work, and work well.

[HLT 0109]

If the playroom mats are the half-inch thick ones I think you are asking for trouble as they are quite soft and flexible.  Great for kneeling on, on an otherwise hard floor but not, in my opinion for a track-bed.  You don't say how big the layout is but I would find a piece (or pieces) of board to lay the track on, even if that is on top of the playroom mats.  Even then, you need to avoid kneeling or resting on the mats.

 

Harold.

[jaym481]

I checked the track connections, and all seem to be OK. There are three points on the outer loop (which is what I tested on), and every one causes the same problem. The mats seem more firm than the foam underlay (Hornby, with the Gaugemaster foam and ballast points kits - unballasted) they were on before, though I can try something firmer underneath and see if that fixes the problem.

[Dunsignalling]

I checked the track connections, and all seem to be OK. There are three points on the outer loop (which is what I tested on), and every one causes the same problem. The mats seem more firm than the foam underlay (Hornby, with the Gaugemaster foam and ballast points kits - unballasted) they were on before, though I can try something firmer underneath and see if that fixes the problem.

Very much "back to basics"; we generally run a spirit level over baseboards but not floors. They are often not quite as level (or flat) as we tend to assume!

 

John

[jaym481]

The think is the baseboard was distinctly "unflat" as well. A couple of the points were located over dips in the board, and I wonder if the added flex allowed the points to "push down" more, while the floor setup actually makes the points approach more rigid.

 

The really baffling thing is that only the tenders seem to be affected, though some wagons may have the same problem.

[Dunsignalling]

The think is the baseboard was distinctly "unflat" as well. A couple of the points were located over dips in the board, and I wonder if the added flex allowed the points to "push down" more, while the floor setup actually makes the points approach more rigid.

 

The really baffling thing is that only the tenders seem to be affected, though some wagons may have the same problem.

I'm not familiar with the Hornby A4 tender but I have, in the past had derailment problems with a few Bachmann tenders (though not recent examples like yours).

 

What I found was that the axles weren't always exactly the same length as one another. If the longest one was in the middle, the tender could rock on it and would regularly derail. I solved it by swapping the wheelsets around to get the shortest one in the middle.

 

You can check for anything similar by simply taking out the middle wheelset and running a typical train without it. If the problem disappears, you have identified the cause and can work out a solution (I know what I did, but I'm not sure if your locos have the same kind of axles/bearings).

 

Hope this helps, it should at least rule out one possibility!

 

John  

[jaym481]

Some thin ply under the points seems to have done the trick, though now points without the ply under also seem to work fine. The A4 with 3 coaches managed full speed without any issues. Now to try the actual turnouts.