Fixing the Track

Today I started screwing down the new running tracks. Even being very careful and running “sensitive” locos after every couple of screw had been put in it still turned into a de-railing nightmare. I think that this old track benefits to some extent by have the flexibility of being loose laid but also has the problem that after many circuits some of the rails especially on the curves begin to part causing their own problems. So its a dilemma. I have decided to screw down the running lines but only every other rail or so and leave the sidings loose at the moment. Not sure that this is where I will end up but its a good place to start.

I haven’t yet got hold of the conductive paint as suggested by Nigel Clark to improve the running of the two rail conversions but I am going to give it a try as soon as I have the paint. Otherwise there has been very little running for the sake of it, its all been done to make sure that the track is as good as possible. It does seem that the phantom de-railer is still at work as 80054 amnd its train happily went round for about 10 minutes with no problems and then popped off its front bogie on one of the diamond crossings. How do you ever solve that sort of problem. Its just as likely that its the loco as it is the track. I have 4 2-6-4T’s of which one always derails its bogie, two never do (so far) and one does occasionally. I have also had instances of the Dutchess class locos (HD and Wrenn) derailing their tender – this does seem to be a track problem as careful re-alignment seems to have stopped it. The probbies continue but its interesting to say the least.

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