Quote (thesnipa @ Aug 15 2016 12:06pm)
Ok, so lets ignore the mechanical disagreement. That seems to have us, wait for it, spinning out wheels.
So lets look at this logically. We have a phenomenon, that being that north-south tracks have consistent differential wear on one set of tracks. One side always wears down faster than another.
So if we are to believe, as you do, that it is the train that is causing this, due to a mechanical process through torque to the wheels, we are also to accept that separate train manufacturers, throughout separate eras, employing entirely separate drive mechanisms from steam to gas to electronics, all consistently follow this same design which results in the mechanical process of one side wearing down faster than another. Despite the design of an electric driven train looking almost nothing alike a steam engine. Despite a German designed train looking relatively nothing like a Japanese one. Despite the incredible advancements from the advent of the train to today's modern bullet trains.
Despite all of this you believe that all of the trains that have ever existed, or to be fair a LARGE number of them worldwide, all have some sort of inconsistent torque to a single side of the tracks caused by a defect universal in train design that for hundreds of years no one thought to correct to save on incredibly expensive train track material.
http://cprr.org/Museum/Rail_Wear_Johnson/index.htmlOn a sharp curve, the lower (inside) rail is subjected to a fair amount of abuse and wear due to rather simple axel arrangements used in both rolling stock and locomotives. The top of the railhead takes the most abuse and on an older section of rail typically would be "spalled" or for lack of a more descriptive word, looking like it had tiny pieces of metal chipped out of the running band of the rail. This is due to the solid state of wheels and railroad axel. Unlike automobiles that use differentials to allow the right wheel to turn at a different speed then the left one, railroad wheels are connected by a rather substantial solid axel. Therefore the outside wheel must travel farther
that the inside wheel. Since they are solidly connected, the inside wheel spins when rounding a curve
On a model train the type of engine or the manufacturer or that the wheels are connected does not matter since the weight of the train shifts when it goes around corner and since it is powered by a drive wheel with a fixed axle and there is no time to correct this force, one tracks wears out faster.There other factors to consider - like how well are the tracks level, how level are each of the wheels , how consistent are the tracks made, is one wheels any less lubricated than the other, if it is receiving more force - friction will cause its lubrication to wear out faster.
This post was edited by card_sultan on Aug 15 2016 04:58pm