# Ironing Switches?



## zr1rob (May 27, 2020)

If you look at (and FEEL) Aristo switches, almost each joint where sections of rail join, swivel and deviate (like rails adjoining the frog), there's an elevation or gradient change. I mean like the rails go up or down from the joint.


This causes trucks to swivel up and down at those places. If you're running a train at moderate speed, it's unnerving (at least to me!) It worries me such that I have to only watch the cars going over the switch and can't just look anywhere else like at the locos, or the train going around the curve, so much so that the experience of enjoying running becomes sort of stressful at times.


So I'm wondering, has anyone experimented with using a hot flat clothes iron to make all the rails on the switch the same level? I mean, the ties are plastic, so if the rails are heated to the point where they will push into the plastic so all of the rail heights on the switch are at the same height, then no more roller coaster switch rails! It sounds so obvious to me that it has to have been done. 



What was the outcome? Does it work?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

It works to ruin the switch... don't do it.


I don't have problems with the rails, you can grind the points to fit the stock rails. The other location is frog, I milled the frog down to the same height as the stock rails, using a router... of course you have to deepen the flangeways back.


Newer switches have a better frog that is at the right height.


Greg


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## zr1rob (May 27, 2020)

Oy, thanks - I was ready to go ahead and try it. You used a router? That's a great idea! I'll have to look around for a grinding stone - I have a Makita used for woodworking, but yeah, that is something I didn't even think of. I'm going to try it soon. I'll use a dremel with a tiny grindstone to deepen the frog.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I used it specifically to cut down the plastic frog that sat above the rails... so I use just a "flat" bit, flush with the router base. As I moved the router back and forth across the frog, it trimmed the frog down flush with the rail heads.


If the rails are off, then you have a different problem, and yes a grinding wheel might work but you might mess up the rail head contour.


If I had that problem, I would look at the "bed" that is making rails too high.


Greg


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

OTOH...,

Leveling the frog may be a no no depending on what you run and the setting.

The raised frog will help the wheels pick the proper path by "angling" the railcar in the desired direction. I found this to be especially true of the AristoCraft heavyweights.

But there is a solution. This same thing works with the AristoCraft turnouts.










Actually, contrary to George's write-up, the turnout was not damaged and in fact almost brand new.

Todd Brody found that he could reface a damaged plastic guard rail by bending a 1/64" thick by 3/32" wide brass strip around it as shown in the photo. He found specific instances where this improved tracking. This does get rid of the glue problem and the piece is completely reversible. Note that brass strip is usually die cut such that the edges on one side are rounded and the edges on the other side are sharper. The rounded edge should be the one facing the wheels.

I've used this trick in one specific place where a particular car would derail trailing point from the diverging route every time. This was my Aristo Streamliner Track Cleaning Car which places very large torsion forces on the trucks. The lead wheel set would derail in the frog every time until the guard rail was tightened to bring the wheel back into line through the whole frog. I placed a 0.015" x 0.200" styrene shim behind the brass strip to tighten it up just a little more. Now the car gets through that turnout without derailing every time.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

No the raised surface I am talking about contacts the tread surface and makes the wheels jump.


Guiding the wheels is done with the flangeways, the ones called wing rails and the ones on the stock rails.


The original WR switches had the surface of the frog stand proud of the surrounding rails.


Later Aristo made replacement frogs that were the correct height, which could be purchased for a buck, and used them in the production switches from then on.


I am not addressing flangeway width or depth here, your comments on the interaction of back to back and excessive flangeway WIDTH is indeed correct.


If you have the old type frogs, and you trim them down, you will most likely need to check and deepen the flangeways.



I have likewise used styrene, and it lasts a while. Thin stainless steel shims last longer.




Greg


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