Any suggestions for what switches/points to use as my atlas switches create a short circuit every time my mallard runs over them.
My grand plan is to have a single loop that I can switch between dc and livesteam, with a single switch going towards some sidings and a turntable ( I plan to run my mallard only on the main loop).
The atlas switches are old and bronze but to my knowledge they are very similar to the newer ones.
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@AdrianC I sometimes run US outline , longest train is around 100 hopper cars so it is a right nuisance if one gets derailed and takes others with it. On a garden line especially one like mine which runs under trees you can run for hours then an errant seed, piece of lichen or leaf can create havoc. Around the route I have strategically placed Atlas rerailers which often save the day, its quite satisfying after hearing that sound of a wheel set bouncing on sleepers to hear the slight click as it gets guided and back onto the track, . Part numbers Al 155 for one or Al 844 for a pack of three at gaugemaster,though strangely at the moment it is cheaper to buy 3 singles than the pack. They have saved me a lot of walking though there is a limit if a major obstruction appears such as the wreck that occurred on a late evening when a train entered the tunnel just as a hedgehog entered from the other end. It survived.
Pony trucks always seem to be a problem both on Live steam and electrically driven though some of the latter are gently sprung.
On the Live steam though they are just going along for the ride, I’v weighted mine with a bit of lead but find two important things to check are no railjoiners are misaligned or have too large a gap which can cause the wheel to jump and that the axles spin freely , our live steamers tend to drop a bit of oil which
to which pollen and other muck sticks to and hinders rotation or even stops it.
I find the braking force that causes makes the pony truck very prone to derailment.
GH