7/22/13 - Compliance Testing Begins

In order to be useful, the locomotive must be able to operate over my entire railroad. It will never be a problem at a club track, but on my pike there are curve radii down to 38 feet.

Testing is simple. Run the locomotive forward and backwards over every inch of track with the locomotive facing both directions. It doesn't need to be under it's own power. In fact, testing is easier if you tow it with a switcher. Observe any problems. And Yes - there were some.

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Map of Compliance Failure Locations

All issues were related to the trailing axle derailing in reverse. (This is somewhat expected as the trailing truck has a strict minimum radius requirement.) Three problems were found.

Problem area #1 - Southwest Baskin Cutoff switch

This was already a known trouble spot (as mentioned in the "First Run" video). Backing into the switch facing the points, the trailing axle picks the frog and climbs over the rail which was partly caused by widening the back-gauge to increase runout. The solution was simple. Move the guardrail.

Note: There are no issues on any other switch.

Problem area #2 - Kink on the 38's

At first it was feared that the 38 foot radius section was simply too sharp. However, the locomotive runs fine on all but one point on the curve. At that point, the inside rail had an inward kink. Not much. But enough to derail the trailing axle.

The solution was simple. A couple of blows with the back of the hatchet and the kink was gone. I did go back later and pull out spikes to allow the rails to "average out" the curve on their own. After they settled in I renailed the rails at the new locations.

Problem area #3 - Kink on the Timson Trestle

I always suspected this would be a trouble spot and it was in both directions. The Timson (named after a reader who suggested it's construction) is a double span timber bridge with a single center support. Over time, the force of trains had pushed the central point outward resulting in a noticeable kink. Although the nominal radius on this curve is 40 feet - well within the Mikado's capability, the kink violates it's minimum turning radius.

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Cable added to Timson Creek Trestle

To fix this problem I installed a cable on the outside stringer and added a queen post to give the cable more leverage. Tightening the cable reduces the outside length and pulls in the kink. It will also help support the span against the forces of future traffic.

In testing a few weeks later I discovered the kink had simply moved to the west end of the bridge although it wasn't as bad there. The locomotive would bind, but not derail. So as with the #2 kink, I pulled out the spikes and allowed the rails to "average out" at this location as well.

Bill