Rapido Canadian: rollability fix!!

[simsuper80]

Please define "tiniest".

Because, honestly, most modular layouts I've been part of remind me of the old ND&W: https://interestingengineering.com/video/the-worst-railroad-track

When I say tiniest, one example I refer to is the spots where two pieces of unitrak join up, but not everytime or even frequently.(Unless these wheels don't work well on unitrak?)

The fixes for the canadian, such as filing away at the area under the axles, and the underbody detail were done about 2 years ago (right after I got it). Unless they're not compatible with these cars, I am not sure what else I can do other than adding weight.

[bbussey]

Once again … ESM wheels are not designed for split-axle solutions so you shouldn’t be using them to refit the Canadian equipment.

You should be able to get the Canadian cars to perform better with the factory-installed wheels by using the solutions stated up-thread. If you’ve made those modifications and the cars still derail or roll poorly, then either your modifications are flawed or your trackwork is the issue.

[John]

It ran well at home, rolling even better than my kato superliners, but on a modular club layout, the flanges of the ESM wheels pick on the tiniest imperfections in the track and de-rail very easily. In places where the train had issues, other cars had no problems.

I had the same experience with BLMA flat cars - the stock wheels were too "picky" for my track work so after fixing problem areas, they still would come off . .simple fix was to replace the wheels - now the cars are fine ..

[simsuper80]

The wheels from tangent ended up performing better. So, same method but use the tangent wheels.

This was in my experience, I'm sure ESM wheels would work for other people.

[bbussey]

ESM wheels work fine when used properly and when the proper axle lengths are selected.  Why would you not initially, in all of your testing, measure the axle length of the Rapido axle before swapping in other wheelsets?  On my Skyline dome the axle is .537", which is enough of a difference to prevent ESM wheels from working properly.  Given that the Rapido trucks model a full truck frame, I don't see how you could flex the pockets out enough to accommodate longer length axles.

It's unfortunate that the widely-accepted method of modifying the centersill under the trucks didn't work for you.  I haven't heard or read of anyone still having rollability issues with their Canadian equipment after employing that fix other than you, and there have been many posts and videos on multiple sites regarding this issue.