Your Friends Will Envy Your Model Train When You Learn These 3 Secrets To Stop Derailments

It is such a pain when your model railroad engine jumps its tracks, isn't it!

It surely is for me. Or at least, it was. It was like some kind of twisted merry-go-round of fixing one area of the track, then another area got messed up. Or at least it was until I learned three easy solutions.

I have to tell you it was a real relief because I almost walked away from this hobby I love so much!

You'd like to know these three tips,too. Wouldn't you? Well okay.

Check your track joints. The should be snug and smooth. Makes sense, right? Well, this seems to be so overlooked because it's a leading cause of model train derailments among new and old enthusiasts alike. To solve this problem, just drag your finger along the track to discover any loose and uneven joints. Then try snugging them up. Some people even solder the joints together then file them smooth. If you do this, be sure to file them because any rough spots will cause your train to catch and derail.

Check that you have the right gauge track for your rolling stock. If the track is too tight, the cars wheels will grab, and throw the train off, and - boom - you've got a nasty derailment on your hands. If the track gauge is too wide, the wheel flanges will fail to catch the rails properly, and again, derailments ahead! The fix for this not to tear up all the track. What a nightmare that would be! All you have to do is heat up the track with a soldering iron and ease them into place. Be careful while doing this, though. Precision counts - otherwise you just might have to replace the track after all!

Dull switch points often cause derailments. You can use the finger test here. If the switchers are not sharp and do not fit together well, your rolling stock will catch and be thrown off the rails. The solution is to use a file to smooth out the switcher. It is important to note that if you install new switchers, you will need to be sure they are smooth as well, so filing them will solve this problem.

Apply these three secrets to the perfect smooth ride, and you're model train will give you loyal, problem free fun. For the price of a little regular maintenance, you'll enjoy the greatest hobby in the world even more!

Model Trains O Scale Some Nifty Facts

Even if you are just beginning to get in to electric train sets, you have probably already found out that there are several different scales and gauges you can choose from.

Did you know that the "O" scale actually come from the number "0" and not the letter "O"?

And among the U.S. model trains, O scale is used among enthusiasts who actually enjoy their model trains to run, while in Britain O gauge trains are used among modelers who prefer to create fine-detailed, exacting model trains that emphasize making perfect models rather than actually watching their handiwork run around the electric train set tracks.

The 00 scale in Britain plays the role that O gauge trains play in the U.S.

Echos Of Childhood Dreams

I'm sure, if you're a real train enthusiast, even if just a recent one, you can probably still remember your first childhood impressions of the rail roads. I certainly can.

As a young child, before I started school, I just had to go see the train as it rolled by the tracks near my grandmother's house. Luckily as I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with a very indulgent grandmother. She and I would run to the car where she would drive me down to the rail road crossing, and we would sit there for a full fifteen minutes watching the train rumbling slowly by. For some reason, I could always tell when the train was coming in the morning. I don't know if I could hear the train horn from such a long way away, or if I just had some sort of unconscious memory of the train schedule.

Of course, with my predilection, or perhaps obsession, of watching the freight train roll through town, someone got the bright idea to get me a train set.

I still remember the first one. As I was so young, they were wise enough to get me a large, rather indestructible plastic engine and cars. It wasn't an electric train. In fact, it was a mechanical key-and-gear spring mechanism, you know, the kind you wind up with a 'mickey mouse ears' key and let it wind itself down as it ran along the tracks.

The engine and coal car were black plastic, and there was a big yellow freight car, and a blue refrigerated car (non-functioning, of course) and a red caboose. The tracks were plastic, gray, and locked into place with a plastic tongue-in-groove joinery.

But for a long time, I put that love of those steel horses running down iron behind me. It hasn't been until recently that I have started to come back to the dream of building a great model train.

How about you? What do you remember from your childhood about trains?
Were they an early obsession, or did you grow into them later in life as you began to appreciate the various intricacies of this world?

Well, if you're new to actually putting that dream train into reality, you're not alone!

With enough patience and desire to get it out of your head and on track, so to speak, you'll be able to accomplish great things!

Need inspiration? Here's a very enviable MTH O Scale train layout video by Mario.
Look at the work he has put in to this great model! Not to mention the hours of video taping and editing he must have done to create this video!
I hope you enjoy it! I have, each time I watch it.


Until next time!