Just had a set of kato bethgons delivered, hooked them up to an sd70 and they dont like my track at all! Now ALL of my mtl, atlas,deluxe etc run well so is it a weight or wheel problem? They seem heavy enough! Whoppit CSX Chessie Still Xists!
what specifically is happening? My set runs very well, using atlas C55 flex track. I did have 1 car wanting to ride up and over the points on a turnout, and take the diverging route. I think the way the trucks have the shock absorber above them makes them very stiff and rigid, and perhaps they don't track well through bumps or track flaws like a truck that is loose on the bolster. Do you have tight radius curves? I have noticed that the car behind my SD70mac gets pulled off the rail due to the coupler swing, even on my 15" radius. I simply run a non kato bethgon in the first car position to resolve this.
The only trouble I had with my Kato Bethgons was seperation between the locomotive and the first hopper, even with Kato couplers on both. I solved my problem by mounting a MT 1015 coupler on the SD70 and replacing the truck of the first hopper with a MT 1035. After I did this, it ran for 4 hours almost non stop on an N-TRAK setup.
SD70BNF - Good move! I had the same problem with mine when I received them. I just replaced the truck on the first hopper. I like the kato loco couplers (I know I am in the minority but I never have any problems with those couplers). I still snipped the trip pin for looks but most importantly it was getting wedged under the front snow plow of the MU locos. I just have to remember and find which Bethgon I changed so that my "two fingers human crane" can position the car correctly when making up the unit train. Brian
When I first ran my two sets of Bethgons, I found that I was having problems going up the clubs helix. I solved the problem by running a dpu on the end. With it pushing I didn't have any problems. Also, it was the first or last car that wanted to come off. I also found that the trip pin was rubbing against the snow plow of my AC4400CW. Cody
Whoppit, The firsdt thing I would do is check the gauge of the wheel sets, in my experience I have found some wheelsets are tight against the rails causing derailments.
I haven't tried running those cars behind anything but the SD70 and the AC4400CW. Maybe I will try it with some early SD40s but I suspect that because of the short shank of the Bethgon coupler and the truck spacing of the larger SD70 and AC4400CW units - it doesn't take a tight radius curve to throw that number 1 car off the track. The MT truck and coupler(put on the #1 car) has a longer shank so it stays on the rail on a curve. The SD90MACs really have a problem with this. All in all when you swap out the truck they run smooth as silk but I do find it strange that there would be problems with KATO cars pulled by their own locomotives. Brian
Thanks guys, microtrains 1o35 truck fitted to front hopper and now those babys are runnin sweet. Didnt want to get the M.o.W train out and start relayin just yet. Whoppit CSX Chessie Still Xists
