Bad Model Train Derailments?

[WSOR 3801]

Some that got recorded.

[tin can]

Some time in the mid 1980s I was part of a modular club that was a subset of the old Texas Northern model railroad club in Dallas.  We were building a one track railroad, very similar to the specs of Free-Mo, with handlaid track and ambitious scenic intentions.  We were utilizing the Onboard command control system, as well.  We went to a train show that was held on the fairgrounds of the State Fair of Texas.  As we were setting up; all of us agreed not to run engines/trains until all of the modules (point to point) were set up and the safety nails (a big nail surrounded by foam rubber) was in place at both ends.

Of course, someone always has to test limits, and "Ted" just had to run his new brass 4-6-0 with Onboard sound before the modules were completely set up.  I was still connecting tracks (I had one end that consisted of two modules; which featured a mainline with a two track yard) when Ted started running his new loco.  Before I could find and plug the EOT; Ted yells that he lost control of his engine, and I looked up from my show box to see his engine flying down the track toward the edge of the layout, then plunge fifty something inches to the concrete floor below. 

Ted cried.  The rest of us laughed and told him he was not supposed to be running his engine.  It bent the frame at about a 20 degree angle.  I don't know that he ever got the engine fixed...

Karma got me back, because about ten years later I ran a brand new Kato C44-9W off of a sidetrack on an over wide module I had during a setup;  it hit pilot first on a concrete floor.  Luckily, all of the parts that broke were available from Kato; it did go back into service (although it is currently awaiting a decoder).  The road number?  Coincidently ATSF 666, the beast...

[BATMAN]

Ouch!

watch?v=JOGcJF3e9xo

[West Coast S]

I still remember the one that hurt the most, it was in my early days when I had my layout mounted high in the room, had a reverse loop 10 feet off the floor, a particular turnout had been giving me fits with frequent derailments, I had the foresight to install plexiglass barriers so had no major clamities...until..... I decided to run a freight through the loop, up on the step ladder I go, in positon to observe the problem area, here comes my freight, powered by my aquired that day Tenshodo Big Boy, next thing you know, it ignored the barrier and took the path of least resistence to the concrete floor, can't blame my trackwork just my shirt sleeve which snagged on said train. I still have that Big Boy, some re-assembly required.

Dave 

[galaxy]

Oh, over the years from about age 7 to now, the derailment that results in a FAVORITE loco hitting the floor and the results of that impact are the worst.

Hence the reason I now insist on clear plexiglass "guardrails" around the edges of my layout for my trains...JUST IN CASE.

[Kyle]

I once tried to couple up to some cars to hard, and I derailed three cars and my caboose (that is all my cars currently).

[crhostler61]

About 6 weeks ago I was running a train for a friend. It was 107 cars with 4 6 axle powered Athearns up front and two more mid train. The mid trains skipped a beat and stalled very briefly. Part of the front half of the train stinglined and derailed on a 32" R curve...several cars found an opening in the curve protection and went to the floor. Fixed the cars and well...my longest train since has been 48 cars.

[Southgate]

 

Lot's of interesting pileups here!

I did a Casey Jones once when not watching the lead of the train, but something towards the rear. The cars that it hit had locomotives on them so it couldn't just shove them forward...

No serious damage that I recall. Dan

[Motley]

Oh man I loved that show CHiPs!!!! Every Sunday night, I would plop down in front of the tv, anxious to find out what kind of trouble Ponch would get into. I'm humming the theme song right now. LOL

[chatanuga]

Careful.  Rubbernecking can lead to scenes like this one from my old layout.

Yes, I did watch a lot of "CHiPs" when I was a kid.

Kevin

[mlehman]

Motley

OMG! The rubberneckers go to train shows now? I hate that so much.

Michael,

They're just like anyone else. Don't want to miss the train show and its opportunity for magnificent pileups. They're be there, unless they come across an accident or derailment along the way...

[Motley]

mlehman

Karl and Kevin,

Thanks for the pics. Nothing like a wreck to get the rubberneckers out and looking at things.

OMG! The rubberneckers go to train shows now? I hate that so much.

[mlehman]

Karl and Kevin,

Thanks for the pics. Nothing like a wreck to get the rubberneckers out and looking at things.

[kbkchooch]

You mean pictures like this?? 

The story is a fellow club member was trying to back his train up to retrieve some runaway cars and derailed on the curve. I came bebopin through with a 65 car train just as the derailment happened and launched 2 of his cars OVER my lead engine! The only thing that got injured was his pride, as we were at a public show at the time!!

I've had worse. Like a brand new dash 8 derailing and hitting a concrete floor on Christmas morning! Parts were everywhere!  Hey it happens, gravity wins sometimes!

[chatanuga]

This was the first derailment on my current layout.  One wheel derailed, snagged a turnout, and stringlined everything.

This is a derailment that happened on my old layout, which was caused by a load that did actually come loose but then got some "help".

Kevin

[farrellaa]

When I was about 15 and had an American Flyer layout with a Royal Blue pacific loco, my friend (??) decided to try running it on 110 VAC. It took off down the straight and went off the curve and table at a scale 200mph. The only damage was a bent pilot (the streamline version) and a strained friendship.

   -Bob

[mlehman]

This thread would be 100% better with pictures...just saying.

Sounds like folks need some strategically placed bushes, trees, low hills, rocks, etc. or just some obviously-placed plexiglass. I'm always appalled when I hear about such incidents. We've operated safely for 20-some years through mountainous terrain over steep grades, much of it narrowgauge. I haven't had anything end up on the floor yet, by sheer dumb luck or just careful scenery placement.

[bigpianoguy]

I'm sure you can imagine the disasters I had when I first got into running ceiling trains, before I realized the importance of absolutely level track beds and strategically placed barriers and fencework. The worst involved my first HO Hogwarts Express; the resulting 600 scale foot fall completely stove in the pistons on the starboard side.Fortunately, though, there were a number of senior wizards travelling that day so there were no fatalities...

[Texas Zepher]

cjcrescent

One of my friends was running his twin cities Zephyr,

Oh Zephyr accidents.   The debute of my BLI California Zephyr was on the club layout.   I set it up in staging and ran it around to the Union Station.  For some reason I left it at the station and was working somewhere else on the layout or had taken out another train.  Regardless, another club member decided to take it out on a run.  Everything went fine up grade and through the sharpest corners (32") near the summit.   It wasn't until the train hit the helix to go back down to the staging yard that something happened and three of the cars derailed and stringlined sending the center one over the edge to the floor.   It naturally hit on a corner. that caved it in almost a 1/4", broke off the stirup, popped the top of the car and ripped the truck off.  It wasn't too hard to fix.  The plastic "bent" back out and was able to glue the stirup back on.  But even more, nt to worry.  This other member worked at the local hobby store.  He purchased me a new one to replace it the next day. 

[cjcrescent]

I was showing a friend a brass loco, that I'd just bought. It was sitting by itself on a yard track of my friends layout. In fact, it was my first brass loco. Another friend was there, and he reached across the tracks to point something out he had a question about. Yes, he knocked the loco to the floor, a concrete floor. My heart sank. Fortunately the only thing that was damaged was a step on the front of the tender, and my friend had a set of correct steps to replace the damaged ones. That was 38 years ago. I still have the loco, and its been upgraded to a can motor and DCC.

The worst one, happened just about a month and a half ago. One of my friends was running his twin cities Zephyr, which were all brass, nickel plated and was 15 cars long. As it was going around a curve, we heard the distinct sounds of a brass car hitting a concrete floor. Turns out that every car would take all the curves, except for one. It was a Boat-tail Observation car that the rear truck couldn't negotiate. There was extensive damage done to the rear of the car and the truck. It took me 2 weeks of solid work to repair and restore the car to its original condition.

[caldreamer]

A number of years ago I over at friends house.   There was 5 others besides myself and our host.  One of the guys had to stop his train for a red signal.  Our host was not watching, went past a red signal and ran his train into the back ot the stopped train.  He derailed the caboose and the last 5 cars on the stopped train, his two engines and the first 3 cars of his train.  We figured the conductor and brakeman of the stopped train and the engineer and fireman on the lead engine were killed.  We decided that "Mr Management" our host would get suspended for 30 days for killing 4 employees and causing a major disaster.  To this day wer still laugh about it.

[Texas Zepher]

My worst wasn't mine.   Another operator had the 86 car tank train that did the scale equivalent of pulling a drawbar.  It just happen to be while it was going up a 2.1% grade.  The rear 2/3 of the train began is downward journey.   It was going about 200 smph and ripped around a corner and derailed.  The cars behind (well in front since it was going backward?)  piled in.  I had no idea that 24' cars could accordion, but they did.  They kept piling in and eventually backed up over the edge of a ravine.   Cars spilled down to the bottom.   That was over two years ago.  Just a month ago I was "dusting" the river and found another broken off stirrup from that wreck.  I would guess 30 of the 86 cars ended up on the ground and about 10 sustained damage that required attention.

[BRAKIE]

Yes,15 out of 27 car derail at the club inside a tunnel. Still not positive what cause this derailment since the train had ran 4 hours without problems.Probable cause small finger help.

Number 2 derailment at the club is when my train wrecked on a wreck detailing the engines and two cars.

 

[mobilman44]

Gotta say, I've never had a good one!

But, I've never had one bad enough to flop a loco/car to the floor!

Well, actually that is only true for the HO/N layouts I've had.   My Lionel layout of the '50s wasn't so fortunate.

[SooLine720]

Anyone ever have bad model train derailments? One time I was running a Soo Line SD60M in front with a CP SD90/43MAC as DPU and when it went around my 22 inch curve, all the cars just popped off the track. Thankfully no equipment was damaged. Another time a switch malfunctioned and my Soo Bandit MP15AC derailed and fell on the embankment. Thankfully no damage again!