Re: problems with the transition modules

["Ira Schneider" <ira_schneider@iname.com>]

According to Adrian, the drive gear on back of the driver was contacting the short extra hot rail
inside the turnout.  This section is apparently intended to provide power when an engine
is turning onto the siding.

I suppose we could use a dremel tool to cut this rail down.  However, I wonder if this would
expose the rail to excessive corrosion, since we would be removing the top protective layer,
as well as the blackening.  If we do this, we would have to grind down both inner rails on each
of 8 turnouts to ensure that this problem is solved on all tracks.

I am not sure it is worth fixing this problem for a single engine.  I suspect that we will have other
problems with certain engines or cars.  Do we try to fix them all?

One problem I know about is that the sliding shoes on some pre- and post-war Lionel cars catch
on the turnouts.  Ross Custom Switches suggested putting track pins on the inner rails to guide the
shoes over the edge of the rail.  This didn't work.  However, I know that these shoes also catch on
the Lionel turnouts (since both of the rails eventually got torn off my old caboose on the old switch
modules).

We should discuss this at the annual meeting.  Steve: please add this discussion to the agenda.


Ira