While I have not been able to fix this problem I have made progress. I wrapped a rubber band around the nose of lead and rear car, compressing the pick up shoe. This has resulted in less lift of the nose when the car enters a curve (5200 or 5100). When I retested, I had less derailments. But still some. I have wrapped a rubber band again and will let it stay there another day or so. I also notice the lead wheels don't have much turning radius as the skirt restricts the wheels (boggy). I don't think this is a cause of the issue - just tight engineering.

I have not tried to open the front/rear car. No idea how to.

Harvey

Harvey,

you did not mention whether you bought this from a dealer or whether you acquired it from another source (ebay, etc)?
If you just received the model from a dealer, I would consider first contacting the dealer and then sending it back.

If the item came from ebay or other source and you don't know if the model is brand new and does not come with a warranty, your options are to return it or to follow whatever options you might be entitled to through the purchase mechanism.

The ICE 3 is a model where the motor is in one of the intermediate coaches and the end cars are pilot coaches that have sliders. The 3070/3071 RAm TEE had an issue with the pilot coach, where the coach would derail as there was insufficient weight to maintain the slider bogie on the tracks over switch tracks and in curves. It is possible that the ICE 3 has a similar problem.

The first thing that I would recommend is to carefully inspect the pilot coaches. Make sure that the slider is properly clipped in and that it is aligned so that it remains in the middle of the track when the bogie is pivoting. If the slider is out of alignment, it can contact the railbed or rail and interfere with the movement of the bogie. Make sure that the slider has enough play so that it can absorb changes in height of the third rail pukos. If it is too rigid, it will serve to lift the bogie off the rails.

This diagram shows how to open the ICE 3 coach bodies: Opening ICE.pdf (95kb) downloaded 43 time(s). Should be Page 26 of your instructions

At this point, I would not recommend applying any elastic bands as this can damage the paint and be a cause for rejecting a return.

Other potential causes of derailments can include bent rails, bent track sections and other track deformities.
Make sure that the rails are aligned and that there is not a junction between two track sections where the track is not properly aligned. If one of the rails is pointing to the inside or outside, it can cause trains to derail, starting with the more sensitive rolling stock, like a lightweight pushed pilot coach.
This can be seen by examining the track to see if the rails and joiners like up with the black line on the surface of the track segment.
Check to see that all of the track sections have the proper profile. It can occur that a M track section can be either bent inwards or bent outwards. This can be seen if a track section appears wider or narrower than adjacent tracks when viewed from above and the track surface part of the segment is either concave or convex.
Check to see if there is surface damage to the track section between the rails at the extremities. This kind of damage can push the centre studs higher, which can push on the slider and cause it to reach a tipping point where the coach leaves the tracks.

Take the trainset, connect only the motor coach and the pilot coaches and run some tests on your track.
1) Run the trainset clockwise. Does the train derail when entering the front or rear curve or both?
2) Run the trainset counterclockwise. Does the train derail as well?
3) Remove the trainset from the tracks and position it on the rails inverted 180 degrees. Perform tests 1 and 2 again

On the older coaches and locomotives, it was normally possible to remove the slider and reinstall it reversed 180 degrees.
On newer models, the sliders are mounted with clips that can only be inserted in one direction, so this makes it more difficult.

If you are considering returning the model, do not proceed any further.

If AND ONLY IF you decide that you are keeping the model, you can make the following adjustment (once you have ruled out track based issues).
To reduce the downward force of the slider, take a pair of pliers and grab the left leg of the slider. Twist the pliers gently clockwise. Grab the right leg of the slider and twist the leg counter clockwise using similar force. This should hopefully reduce the height of the slider and may help improve performance.
DO NOT exert too much force as this can damage the slider. Optimally, the legs should be straight, without any curvature, so this should be done only if it is already slightly bent and you want to try to correct it.

If the model is new and you want to see what you can try before returning it, send an email to service(at)maerklin.de and outline the problem.

Regards

Mike C

Hi, Harvey,

The rubber band solution is somewhat innovative.
The standard procedure is using a small pair of pliers or tweezers to adjust the brass springs that press the slider onto the centre rail.
I don't have derailing issues with my ICE 3 #37781, but I had the derailing problem with a Silberling control coach - adjusting the springs to reduce the pressure resolved the issue for me.

Adding weight would be a workaround IMHO.

I have never added weight to a loc but my thought is that a small metal (careful not to short) item over the wheels. Lead is very dense and so a small piece would be heavy. But this is just my brainstorming. However, space would be a challenge in most locs I have not opened the 37788 but assume the front and rear car is relatively empty. But for now I will try my rubber band solution and bending the slider as suggested.


Totally different topic - years ago I had an issue with 2 sine locs- the speaker is at the bottom and has a relatively strong magnet. That activated my reed switches. After some research, I read (I recall) nickle interferes with magnetic fields. I purchase a small piece of flat nickle and taped in under the speaker. Solved the problem. Interestly, when I was at the Marklin last year and 'built' my own loc, I realized the speaker was also at the bottom. I mentioned this to a staff member - his initial comment was that the speaker location would not cause any problem. I asked about reed switches and he seemed to indicate there could be a problem. I have some nickle left, if it causes the reeds to activate, problem solved.

Regards
Harvey

Our friends at the NMRA have been adding weight for years to make cars more stable. Maybe their guide can be of help.
http://www.nmra.org/beginner/weight

It is spring brass (Federmessing) AFAIK. It is easy to bend it into a new shape to reduce or increase the tension.