Everyone I know who enjoys the hobby of model railroading strives to have their trains run as trouble free as possible. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. There are many reasons why your trains don’t perform up to your expectation. But one of the most overlooked problem areas on your layout are your turnouts. (Switches)

Turnouts add a level of expanded enjoyment to my model railroading. They add many options and opportunities to operations, and just make my layout more fun. They also can add a never-ending array of problems. If you want to eliminate many of your operational problems, you could just eliminate your turnouts. But that isn’t much fun! (Actually, I have completely removed a couple of my “problem” turnouts that were wayyyy back where I couldn’t reach them)

I think this would be a good time to include a little historical information on real-life turnouts. Out there with the real train companies, their turnouts are also a big problem. In fact, most (but not all) of the problems we face with the turnout on your layouts are the exact same ones that the “Big Boys” deal with on a daily basis. This brings me to my first point: what is the #1 solution for dealing with these regular turnout problems in the real world? That’s simple…. They simply slow the trains down when traveling over turnouts!

I don’t know about the regular day to day operation of the trains on your layout. But many of the layouts I have visited run their trains WAY to fast for authentic operation. Especially if there are kids involved. In the real world, you would almost never run a train over a yard turnout at 60 mile per hour! So why would you want to run your trains around your layout yards that fast? If I find I have a problem turnout, the first thing I do is run the train over it very slowly. If that works OK, then I do it again and again running the train faster until it causes a problem. If I can run the train at an acceptable speed without a problem, then I’ll leave the turnout alone and move along to the next problem area.

If the turnout produces problems at any speed, then it’s time to get serious about some repairs. The most common problem you’ll encounter is the track leading into the turnout is “out of gauge”. Basically, this means the rails are either too wide or too narrow for the wheels that run on them. If the rails are too widely spaced, one or more wheels will fall into the center. If the rails are too narrow, the wheels will ride up and off the track. Either way, you’re asking for trouble if your track is “out of gauge”.

Checking the gauge of your track is a very easy procedure. All you need is a small tool, which is standardized by the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) called (appropriately) a “Track Gauge”. You just run this tool over the rails and see if it fits correctly. If the gauge detects a problem, you simply take some pliers to the rails and make a few correcting bends until the gauge passes. Easy! But it does take some time and practice to use the tool and to make the bend correctly. I might suggest a little practice on an extra section of track before you try this on your layout main mainline.

I need to bring up one other variable here. Not always does the problem lie with the track gauge. You can also have a problem with how far apart the wheels are! Many axels will actually allow the wheels to move in closer or out farther apart which can also makes them out of gauge. Fortunately, the little tool from the NMRA also will check your wheels.

If gauging the track and the wheels doesn’t take care of the problem, then it’s time to get serious! Now it’s time to get out your magnifying glass and take a close look at where the “points” move back and forth. You know what I mean…. That little part that moves from side to side which allows the train to go one direction or the other.

As you change the turnout from one way to the other, carefully watch to make sure the points have a full range of movement and also they make contact with the outside rails. If not, you have an obstruction someplace within the switch. This can be a big problem, as you could have a piece of ballast or other bit of material wedged in any area of your turnout or switching machine. (Electric or manual mechanism) Or your points might actually be bent to such a degree that they no longer make contact properly. And lastly, if you have a power remote turnout, the power unit might no longer be working correctly. To check the power unit, simply disconnect it and try running the trains a couple of times over the turnout. If the trains don’t have a problem with the turnout, then it’s the switch machine.

If you’ve tried everything to get a turnout to work and it still it has a problem, you have a couple last actions. If you almost never use an area of track that runs off from the turnout you can simply solder the points toward the main line and call it good. I have an area that sits back out of the way that I have soldered the turnouts closed. In this area I store my “back lot” rolling stock there. You know those cars: The ones that don’t roll well but look good. You might call these tracks my RIP. (Repair In Place)

Sometimes I find the path of least resistance is to just cut out the offending turnout and put a new one in. I know this sounds harsh, but all I can say is “What is your aggravation level worth”? Some people will work on one small problem all day. Not me! I’ll give it a good try, and if it just won’t work I replace it and move on. After all, turnouts don’t cost much and are easy to replace.