Model Railroading > Bachman 4-6-0 Help

I\'m new to this board. (Modeling)Is there any trick to keep the front truck on. IT stays on almost all the time when I run it around the tree on bachman track. When I run outside on Aristocraft track it tends to pop the front truck off the track pretty regular. I\'ve fixed the grading in a few places but it still seams to just pop off at will.
I have 2 of these locomotives and they are only ones I have a derailment problem with.

I assume you\'re referring to the 4 wheel pilot track? Try putting in a heavier spring. Also you might try weighting the pilot axles by wrapping solder wire around them.

Two things to look at.

1) Be sure the pilot truck wheels are in guage. I actually had a little 10-wheeler that was not. The pilot wheels are not real tight on the axles and can be pushed out of guage very easily. This will show up especially on turnouts.

2) Look for subtle variations in track elevation. I have had no end of problems where there is a slight difference in rail height. If this is at a transition into a curve, derailment is very likely. You fix that by improving the track work, of course, but also by ensuring that the wheels are free to follow variations in rail height. Don\'t assume that both rails will be exactly the same height.

Good luck. It can be an annoying problem. I feel good if I only have one derail in an operating session...