Although one naturally makes every effort to ensure that tracks align perfectly between the fixed layout trackage and a moving staging device like mine, there is of necessity a small gap between the two sets of rails, and it’s always possible to develop a small misalignment. Accordingly, I tried to minimize any danger of derailment by placing rerailers on both sides of the gap. And since it is really only of concern for trucks coming onto the transfer table, or leaving the table, I only needed one-half of a normal rerailer, with the “point” oriented toward the problem area, the gap.
I used Atlas commercial rerailers, and cut them in half, using a cutoff disc to cut the rails and a razor saw for the plastic. Here’s how it looks at the table edges:
I also added full rerailers at the approximate center of the tracks nearest the aisle. These may help by rerailing passing equipment, but their real purpose to make the addition of rolling stock easy. I have, by design, rather more freight cars than can or should fit onto the layout at once, so I plan to rotate the cars which are most distinctive or are owned by smaller railroads in and out of service. These rerailers makes it easy to add them to a staging track. Their installation is conventional:
Running trains over these track features, both in test mode and for the purposes of trial operating sessions with my waybill system, has been entirely satisfactory so far, and these rerailers deserve some of the credit.
Tony Thompson
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