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Kato Single Cross Over Problem


Alejandro_SCL

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Alejandro_SCL

Hi. I have a couple of crossovers in my track set; the  20-230 and the 20-231. The locomotives Kato ED 75 and EF 64  do not pass well for them. When facing the cross over, the lower part of the bogie collides with the mobile rail section of the crossover, causing the locomotive to jump. Have you seen this problem before? At the moment I removed the crossover and I'm running just with turnouts# 6.

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I have been having some similar problems.  Some of my European locomotives often insist, when approaching the cross over from the straight section leading in, on trying to take the switch to the next track, even though the switch in the cross over is definitely set for straight through travel.   I think I've seen it on occasion with Japanese locomotives but I have not run any for a while as I was working on installing decoders in the Euro ones all week.   They don't always do it, but I think that the switch part may be a little loose and vibrations or flexing in the track (my track is not attached down but just sitting on my layout table) may be causing it to get out f position slightly.  I don't have any form evidence that is what happening, just that I've been thinking about it as I had the problem several times this week.

 

 

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I haven’t had issue with the bogie hitting the rail. Is your track flat as you will get problems if there’s any incline before the point? Also if the point is connected directly to a curve, they’re more likely to be “picked” by the wheel flanges. 

 

To be honest, the Kato #4s are prone to picking and it’s well documented. This is essentially 2x #4s stuck together on a single plate. 

 

I have “tuned” all of my #4 points but it’s a lot more difficult on the 20-230/231. 

 

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Alejandro_SCL
5 hours ago, Kamome said:

I haven’t had issue with the bogie hitting the rail. Is your track flat as you will get problems if there’s any incline before the point? Also if the point is connected directly to a curve, they’re more likely to be “picked” by the wheel flanges. 

 

To be honest, the Kato #4s are prone to picking and it’s well documented. This is essentially 2x #4s stuck together on a single plate. 

 

I have “tuned” all of my #4 points but it’s a lot more difficult on the 20-230/231. 

 

Yes I have that two conditions: inclination  and curve before.... I Will try in a flat surface....

 

Edited by Alejandro_SCL
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One rule that I have had to follow with my layout: never put points that turn right after a curve that turns right. 

 

If I do that, I run into problems. With my rolling stock, my passenger coaches will jump the track when trying to turn, or my longest locomotive will jump the track when trying to go straight. 

 

The bad news is, “after a curve” means after a point too. The good news is, I only need to add a tiny straight to avoid the problem. 

Edited by Sheffie
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So I found out that an S62 between a curve and a #4 point isn’t actually enough for my EF510 to get itself straight. One of the front wheels tries to take the path less traveled, and it doesn’t find happiness. 

 

I did the modification in the video, filing away a little bit of the inside of the rail to leave a space for the point... and it seems to work!

2E2F5E07-A6D6-491F-8E14-0536E50DE1E1.thumb.jpeg.5dbfb60de6b25352b57f484a554f6d27.jpegYou can just about see the roughness on the left hand side here. It’s not much, and it’s crude, but it does the job. 

 

The worst part was threading the rail back through the various black and gold supports and connectors. Huge tip: file the end of the rail so it’s pointed like an arrow, and that part of the job becomes feasible rather than infuriating 

Edited by Sheffie
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