Presented by Rob Spangler 09212011 Performance is Mechanical Electrical Performance varies by brand Brands I have used Atlas Shinohara Walthers Micro Engineering Central Valley kits ID: 427878
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Slide1
Maximizing Turnout Performance
Presented by Rob Spangler
09/21/2011Slide2
Performance is…
Mechanical
ElectricalSlide3
Performance varies by brand
Brands I have used:
Atlas
Shinohara/
Walthers
Micro Engineering
Central Valley (kits)
BK Enterprises and Railway Engineering types that are ready to lay on user-installed tiesSlide4
An important note
Turnouts are not “plug and play.”
Except for
handlaid
and Central Valley kits, no commercial products completely comply with NMRA standards.
Manufacturing variances and lack of NMRA conformance necessitate user intervention to ensure optimum performance.Slide5
Tune-up Preparation
Tools
NMRA standards gauge
Flat mill file
Small jeweler’s files
Needle nose pliers
Dremel
tool with cut-off disks
Soldering iron, flux and solder
Pin vise and small drillsSlide6
Step 1: Gauge
Use an NMRA standards gauge to check the entire turnout. Know how to properly use the gauge (instructions can be found at the NMRA web site at http://www.nmra.org).Slide7
Proper Gauge UseSlide8
Common gauge issues by brand
Atlas: Wide at points (especially code 100 turnouts), wide
flangeways
.
Shinohara/
Walthers
: Incorrect check gauge through frog, wide
flangeways
,
Walthers
83 wide at ends of all routes.
Micro Engineering: Incorrect check gauge.Slide9
Correcting gauge problems
Not all can be readily corrected. The following can…
Atlas points: Carefully bend the stock rail on the diverging route toward the opposite rail at the points. You may need to drill a few holes for spikes to maintain alignment.Slide10
Correcting gauge problems
Shinohara/
Walthers
and Micro Engineering check gauge: File the back side of the frog’s wing rails until the
flangeway
gauge fits properly. Full correction may not be possible due to the way the turnout is manufactured.
Shinohara/
Walthers
wide gauge elsewhere: Remove plastic ties at the ends of the turnout, and re-spike on wood ties.Slide11
Step 2: Alignment
Does everything line up? Do all parts of the turnout align properly so wheels can smoothly travel through the entire turnout? Are there any spots where mechanical interferences can occur?Slide12
Common alignment problems by brand
Atlas: Frog casting misaligned, sharp notches at points, heel of point rail doesn’t line up with closure rail, casting flash around frog, tie strip crooked, points bend away from stock rails.
Shinohara/
Walthers
: vertical misalignment at frog, casting flash around frog, tie strip crooked, blunt points, copper contact strip crooked at points.
Micro Engineering: Frog casting misaligned, blunt points.
Peco
: See if the clinic provides any hints…Slide13
Correcting alignment problems
Atlas
Use a mill file to file the entire top of the turnout flat, paying close attention to the frog. Keep going until all vertical misalignment is eliminated.
Eliminate all casting flash on running surfaces around the frog.
Use a jeweler’s file to smooth the sharp edge of the notch at the points and any rough transitions between the points and closure rails.Slide14
Correcting alignment problems
Atlas (continued)
Sight down the rails to see if the turnout is straight. Most are not, due to tie strip casting problems between the frog and the heel of the points. Use the
Dremel
tool and cutoff disk to cut alternating portions of the webbing under the ties, to essentially turn the problem area into
flextrack
(avoid cutting below the heel of the points due to the mechanical and electrical connection there). Carefully straighten the rails.Slide15
Correcting alignment problems
Atlas (continued)
Bend the points as necessary to sit flush against the stock rails. Be careful not to damage the mechanical connection to the
throwbar
.Slide16
Correcting alignment problems
Shinohara/
Walthers
Use the mill file to file the top of the frog area flat. The frog point is often high, as are the ends of the wing rails.
Use a jeweler’s file to sharpen the tops of the points. Also round off the vertical end of each point rail to eliminate the right angle.
Remove casting flash and correct crooked tie strips as per Atlas.
Cut the copper strip under the points out if it starts to interfere with smooth point operation.Slide17
Correcting alignment problems
Micro Engineering
Use the mill file to eliminate vertical misalignment at the frog.
Use jeweler’s files to correct the check gauge.
File the point rails as per Shinohara/
Walthers
.Slide18
Other mechanical issues
Check all
wheelsets
for correct gauge.
Ensure all trucks can move properly, both vertically and horizontally.
Get rid of plastic wheels! Plastic wheels are subject to wobbling due to casting and assembly irregularities, and are prone to build up of crud on the treads. High quality metal wheels reduce derailments.
Watch coupler trip pin height.
Ensure all rail
joints are smooth and secure. I solder all joints at turnouts.Slide19
Step 3: Electrical
Electrical discontinuity can affect all brands.
“DCC friendly” turnouts seem to have fewer problems with discontinuity than others.
On any turnout with a dead frog, power routing from switch machine contacts or a “Frog Juicer” can reduce stalling at the frog. Such a device can also route power around bad point contacts.Slide20
C
ommon electrical issues and fixes
Atlas
Connection at heel of points fails. This can usually be solved by ensuring a feeder is routing power into each closure rail from both directions, without a stock rail – closure rail connection in between. In rare cases it may be necessary to run a feeder to the closure rail.Slide21
Common electrical issues and fixes
Shinohara/
Walthers
Jumper failure (DCC friendly turnouts) – solder a feeder to any dead closure or point rail.
Dirty points (non- DCC friendly turnouts) – ensure the point/stock rail interface is clean and that points are maintaining good mechanical contact with the stock rails. A Frog Juicer or other contact device can route power if desired.
Shorting (non-DCC friendly turnouts) – ensure there are no feeders on any rail leading out of a frog. Feed stock rails only. Check electrical gaps. Watch spacing at points with longer wheelbase steamers.Slide22
Common electrical issues and fixes
Micro Engineering
Dead rail heading out of the frog – ME does not provide factory jumpers on its current DCC friendly turnouts. The user needs to ensure electricity flows to these rails.
Jumper failure – fix as per Shinohara/
Walthers
.Slide23
General
Take your time to install all
trackwork
carefully, especially turnouts. Realize that you cannot depend on track components to perform perfectly without tune-up.
Trackwork
will not perform well unless it is built on a good foundation. Quality roadbed construction is critical for building quality track.