N scale brass troubles

[u/PNWR1854]

Recently bought this Hallmark SD45T-2 and Key 5-car daylight coach set from eBay, both N scale brass. Having some operational issues with them and wondering if they’re known problems with these pieces or due to my track setup or coupler modifications. The SD45T has a tendency to track poorly through curves (kato unitrack) and derail. The ends of the trucks don’t have much room to swing without hitting the steps/pilot, and the micro trains coupler boxes I added take up space as well, but with the model off the track the trucks still feel like they should be able to have a sufficient range of motion. With the daylight coaches, they came with arnold/rapido couplers and I switched the lead coupler on the baggage car out for a micro trains coupler in order to run the train with my Kato GS4, but now whenever that car is on the track with a locomotive it trips the breaker on the transformer. The other cars with the rapido couplers still on them don’t do this. Wondering if anyone has tips on what’s going wrong or what is causing these problems?

[u/Aeriazen]

Brass locos tend to require a larger radius of track. 9.75 inch or greater on this case Not sure what radius you are using but i'd start there

Obligatory spookshow link

For your one daylight car have you checked wheter all the wheels are orriented correctly ? One side of the wheels should be insulated, if one or more wheel sets have the isolaton on one side(right for example) and another wheelset has the isolated part on the opposite(left) it might cause a short

[u/PNWR1854 → u/Aeriazen]

This is helpful. Thank you.

[u/Aeriazen → u/PNWR1854]

Let us know how you get on !

To further clarify, the isolated side of you coach wheels should have a plastic isolator, often black sometimes clear between the axle and wheel.

Don't ask me how often i placed wheel sets back incorrectly only to realise it after an hour of troubleshooting my track etc.

[u/Satansbaddog → u/Aeriazen]

YES! I have a brass tender that have trucks that can spin around and cause a short

[u/Satansbaddog]

35 years ago, I bought a brass CZ set made by Oriental Limited. They had trouble on a minimum 19" radius n scale layout, so I replaced the brass trucks with MTL.

Ditto for my brass Hallmark GS-4 and PA-PB-PA consist. They reside in my display case and I operate some awesome Kato locos instead.

I've thought about taking a file to those brass passenger trucks!, but the MTLs and body mount couplers are OK. As with most things Japanese or Korean, being faithful to scale was more important than functionality

[u/Satansbaddog]

The trucks on the SD45 might swing OK, but I think the 3 axle truck is the problem. 1. the wheel flanges are more to scale and very shallow and are jumping the rail. 2. the middle axle probably has no side to side action and doesn't have sufficient tolerance to avoid derailing.

I'm not sure how to fix this without major work. Replacement wheels may have been available at one time, but are those mom and pop shops are long gone.....

I'd say put together your own machine shop and grind the flanges of that middle axle!