I was wondering what number of car movements between derailments is considered good. I am using Atlas c55 track and do a lot of way freight switching. I am averaging about 80-90 car movements between derailments. I am using mostly Atlas freight cars with some Micro Trains and a few Intermountain. I was curious as to what most people consider an amount of moves to be good. The above number does not count engine moves. Thanks for your input Lenny
Well if you include stoopid moves like the operator of the train not throwing the switch the right way... then probably only a few moves! Then there are the occassional brake hoses that catch or the random narrow wheelset that has to be swopped out... But if you're talking about cars just randomly derailing without any of the issues mentioned above being involved, gosh I've gone hundreds of moves without a derailment. And I'm talking about backing up passenger trains through not only a homemade Atlas code 55 3-way switch, but through a number 5 also. Then there are the several 25+ car staging trains that are routinely backed up through switches. This of course is on top of the normal switching cars in & out of the yard and the several industries. I've found that if you have brake hoses set at the right height and wheelsets spaced correctly then Atlas code 55 track performs very well. Once in a while I'll add a 1/4 ounce of weight to a car, but that doesn't happen often.
Zero..That's how many derailments between switching moves you should have. I have 100% derailment free operation simply because I take my time laying roadbed,track and switches..No car or locomotive is place into service until its been inspected. I suggest you inspect your track work and equipment.. Accept nothing less then 100% derailment free operation. That should be everybody's goal. BTW..There is no reason under the sun or moon to run through a close switch..
Derailments, whether due to switching consists or simply main-line running, shouldn't be a part of "fun-with-trains," so I agree with brakie. But "0" is quite a goal; it is not an entry hurdle for heaven. Of course, the quality of many factors affects derailments, e.g., track installation, layout construction, running gear, coupler compatiblity, and operating rules. Hope Lenny can enjoy playing with trains as much as I do. Might be nice to hear from others about their solutions to derailments and prioritize solutions.
I'd say with 80-90 you are doing great. I mean that's half an hour of fun, at least, without a derailment. I think my standard is something like "If I can go 5 minutes without a derailment, I can still have fun." With all the different rolling stock at the club, that can sometimes be a tall order.
I run HO, N , and Z scales and out of all three scales I have MAYBE one or two derailments every year and it's mostly due to something being overlooked or my kids "helping" a little :tb-biggrin:. My five year old has less derailments than most of the adults I know simply because we keep our tracks clean and smooth, inspect our wheels regularly, and we also make sure we keep close tabs on our points. I'm proud to say that even at five I am more than comfortable giving him a throttle and letting him run my Athearn Big Boy or my Challenger just because I know he pays close attention to his switches :thumbs_up:. Lenny, if I may ask, are you using metal or plastic wheels and do you add any extra weight to your cars? When I was getting back into the hobby a few years ago I had derailments like crazy on the same rails that I now have virtually none. I upgraded a large majority of my rolling stock to metal wheels and found my trouble cars and added weight to them since they were usually a lot lighter than the rest and those two small fixes helped out a TON.
I was a brakeman for 9 1/2 years and the only derailment I seen as a crew member was on the PRR when a urban industrial branchline rail turn derailing a 40' boxcar...I look back from the cab of the engine and saw the boxcar derail. Why anybody will accept derailments is beyond me especially since its a easy goal to obtain...
I am surprised by the number of n scalers who get no derailments. I started keeping track of switching moves. I am up to over 200 car moves without a derailment. That was over the course of 5 days, I only operate for about 2 hours a day. Lenny
Lenny,May I ask why you are having derailments? If a car derails more then once it gets pulled off the layout and inspected and the track is inspected to see what is causing the problem.Again,I will not accept anything less the derailment free operation. I'm going to exercise my bragging rights..Back in the 80s I switch cars using the old Rapido couplers without derailments.
