Anyone run into this.

[riverrailfan]

My son and I sent up trains on the carpeted floor in our basement. I have a Collie which sheds badly. Before we put the track down I vacum the floor. Strangely some of the collies hairs can't be seen. Dog hair and engine axles don't mix. I've stopped a K-line switcher dead in its tracks after it sucked up dog hair into the axle and gears. took me over a hour to clear it out by using a tweezers and extacto knife. Just got done doing the same thing to my handcar. Does anyone else run into this with floor layouts.

[Anonymous]

I have an Aussie. She doesn't bother the trains or anything else I may leave laying around, and she doesn't shed all that much, but she does shed. For that reason alone, I don't have a floor layout and would never consider having one.

Back at one point before I had a dog, I had a Large Scale layout that ran through just about every room of my home. Had to be careful about stepping on the track in my stocking feet 'cause those rails could hurt a bit. Stepping on the LGB track didn't affect the track, of course, just hurt the feet that stepped on the track.

Elevate your layout, even if you have to make it a smaller layout. Keep the dog; they're the most faithful friends you'll ever have.

[Anonymous]

Anything that is small/lightweight could get sucked up by the trains. Pet hair, dust, dryer lint, etc. Make sure the vaccum bag is clear and vacuum well/often, only put the floor layout down on short pile carpet or non-carpeted flooring. If you don't want to dedicate a space to a permanent layout and shelf type is not an option you can get lightweight folding tables at a reasonable cost these days.

Only way to keep this stuff off the track and out of the trains is as Allan suggested, get it off the floor.

[pbjwilson]

Yep. Pretty much ruined the engine to my Area 51 set. Dog hair and carprt fibers got tangled up in the axles and the can motors. Engine still runs but is very sluggish. Of course after I did this I read the instructions for the engine and it warned of running on carpet. Hasn't effected any other engines. Although on my Christmas layout I have gotten tangled up in cotton batting. That really messes up your axles and gears.

[mersenne6]

Years ago around Christmas time a co-worker lameted that the old family toy train had given up the ghost and wasn't running and that for the first time in about 50 years they wouldn't have Grandpa's train running around the Christmas tree. When I asked about the vintage of the train and was told it was something from "probably the 1930's" I asked to see the engine in question. The next day it was brought in. It turned out to be a #261 which had seen a LOT of miles and play use. It's value was primarily sentimenta. I took the engine home and that evening I disassembled it in my workshop.

When I lifted the boiler off of the frame I was confronted with the biggest glob of cat hair and old grease I have ever seen. The entire boiler cavity was packed with this mess. I literally dug it out of the shell (and I put everything in a plastic bag)

Once the shell was clean I turned to the motor and dug out still more. Once I had everything clean I gave the components an alcohol bath followed by a light oil and grease job. I put everything back together and set the engine on the test track. It took off like the proverbial BOH.

The next morning I went into work and dropped the train off at my co-workers desk (along with the plastic bag with the cat hair and grease). I told her there was no charge for the repair but that I was going to report her to the ASPCA unless she came clean and told me the name of the cat she had obviously run down and killed [:)]

When she saw what had been inside the engine she said it probably represented hair from every cat the family had owned for the last 30+ years. She took the engine home and, as far as I know, it is still running around her Christmas tree.

[riverrailfan]

I've been lucky so far. After cleanibg the hair out, everything worked ok. The carpet is very short pile. If I leave the track on the floor a day, I revacum around the track and use the wand on the track and that has been working out. The oil and grease also makes it worse. it attracts the dog hair.

[Poppa_Zit]

QUOTE: Originally posted by riverrailfan

Dog hair and engine axles don't mix. I've stopped a K-line switcher dead in its tracks after it sucked up dog hair into the axle and gears. took me over a hour to clear it out by using a tweezers and extacto knife.

You don't need to fool around using tweezers and an Exacto knife. Just use some hair remover. LOL

[Kooljock1]

FasTrack helps too!

[8D]

[IronHoarse]

Another thing that will stop an engine is a small piece of paper towel. I had a piece stop my SD 80 dead in it's tracks right after cleaning my track. A little piece tore off while I was cleaning my switch, I guess.

[wrmcclellan]

We had dog fur foul up my son's PS-2. He used it on the floor a lot. We have since moved it up.