One of my Athearn Genesis SD70M fell victim yesterday, Literally Fell victim

[Anonymous]

Just a day before a train show I wanted to put some Kadees on my old Rivarossi Heisler. It, too, took a dive to the floor and landed on its wheels. All 4 axles were bent, 4 of 8 wheels janked off the axles and no chance to get spare parts. After a long time of searching I was fortunate to get help from Golf manor hobbies in Cincinnati, Ohio. The wait for the spare wheelsets was not over however. About four months after I had placed my order and had been charged on my credit card, and nothing happened, I went down to the basement to check the gas meter, which in Germany is inside. Just by chance a small object on the floor caught my eye. I picked it up and realized it was the package with the spare parts. The postman must have thrown ist down the small hole near the front door where in former times the coal was delivered. The d%$&ed old
f%§t never said a word. Just two weeks ago, he left a parcel right on the front doorstep,
which is practically on the street... Maybe he's waiting for a generous tip?
Regards
Martin

[canazar]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Leon Silverman

Concrete floors and model trains are deadly. Has anyone tried laying down anti-fatigue (1-inch thick interlocked rubber mats) available at Sears or Pep-boys? Do they provide enough cushioning to minimize model damage. What about stringing automobile cargo nets (may not work on N scale or smaller with the wide spacing of the netting)?

I have that around my layout. Mostly in thepit area were a stand alot to help with my feet. I am on my feet all day and sometimes getshard to standthere when i get home. Does help though.... and as far as helping the "gravity sucks " syndrome. It does help. Awhiel back I dropped a box car, freak[:(] thing with a exstension cord, a power pack cable andmy foot. Knocked of fromover 4and half feet up. No Damage. I got lucky, but hadI not had it, wouldhave taken a beating for sure.

Hope you can bring back from the dead[B)].

Best Regards
John K

[Anonymous]

At a local yard sale I found some rubber/foam pads for kids. They look like puzzle pieces and lock together. You can put them together in almost any shape. They're about 3/4" thick and approx. 1 ft "square", in multiple colors. I don't know who makes them but they are great for putting on the floor in those crash-prone areas.

[Anonymous]

My Athearn SD70M has the UP wings on the nose. It thought this ment it could fly, I guess. Took a nose dive off my friends tressle, and I had to nose dive to catch it before it hit the floor! It's now sitting in it's box thinking about what it did.[}:)][:-,][#dots]

[CP5415]

So i see that someone was trying the new SD70 with wings but forgot to install them!!!

Sorry to hear about the crash.

Gordon

[Anonymous]

I managed to glue most of it nicely but I may need to replace the cab because it had a crack right down the side. No other significan damage. Well the rear part above the coupler broke and I had to reglue that and also the railings too. I do need a Left side window that broke out. It really sucks

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainboyH16-44

Ouch!
I remember when I lost my CNR Mikado. I was 9 at the time, and I had just got a cheap mikado in Canadian National colours. I was trying to see how fast it would go while pulling two coaches up that 2.2% grade on my layout (I think it was plan 48, 101 track plans, Virginia and Trukee) It was going about 130MpH, and it jumped off a trestle,[:O] and plummeted to the concrete floor.[censored][angel] The headlight was bashed in, I lost the feedwater heater, and the boiler seperated from the frame. I kept it in my round house until 2 years ago when i put it in my HUGE dead loco and car pile. SIGH[:(]
Matthew
Were any of you like that when you were young?[banghead]

Were? Still am to a degree. I'd never intentionally sent my Kato engines to the floor, but have been known to occassionally send a cheap extra lifelike loco to its doom if I'm needing to let off a little steam. People think those engines that come packaged with the sets well meaning but uninformed people get us for special occassions are worthless...but I say you can get use out of anything.

As for accidents...if I have ANY piece of track that has the potential to send a loco to the floor (and I usually do have a couple of loose ends as the layout is ever-expanding) I'm always sure to put a full laundry basket on the floor right at the end...just in case. Distractions are too plentiful to risk not being protected.

[Leon Silverman]

Concrete floors and model trains are deadly. Has anyone tried laying down anti-fatigue (1-inch thick interlocked rubber mats) available at Sears or Pep-boys? Do they provide enough cushioning to minimize model damage. What about stringing automobile cargo nets (may not work on N scale or smaller with the wide spacing of the netting)?

[steveblackledge]

whooops, that is what my sister said when a dash 9 did a turn to the floor a while back, one end of my old layout had the end removed for a job i was doing anyway i was running the dash 9 further down the track when my sister came in,(she can talk) i forgot about the train meandering down towards the end of the line till i heard crash ,bent the frame, lost some plastic, lost a sideframe off a truck and lost a wheel off an axle, managed to fix it but its not been the same since,
IF SOMBODY COMES IN WHEN YOUR WORKING STOP EVERYTHING[^][xx(]

[trainboyH16-44]

Ouch!
I remember when I lost my CNR Mikado. I was 9 at the time, and I had just got a cheap mikado in Canadian National colours. I was trying to see how fast it would go while pulling two coaches up that 2.2% grade on my layout (I think it was plan 48, 101 track plans, Virginia and Trukee) It was going about 130MpH, and it jumped off a trestle,[:O] and plummeted to the concrete floor.[censored][angel] The headlight was bashed in, I lost the feedwater heater, and the boiler seperated from the frame. I kept it in my round house until 2 years ago when i put it in my HUGE dead loco and car pile. SIGH[:(]
Matthew
Were any of you like that when you were young?[banghead]

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you're having a rough week...sorry to hear about the accident, hope your little guy recovers soon!

[Leon Silverman]

Might I suggest that you wire up the approaches to that bridge so that they are electrified only when the bridge is in place.

[Anonymous]

There's nothing worse that the stomach churning instant that you realise one of your loco's (or even rolling stock) has decided to learn to fly...and fails!

I hope everything works out and you can get it up and running again.

Trevor

[twhite]

Hopefully the damage is more cosmetic than internal--I know the feeling, though. Had a brass Pacific decide to go through a trestle on my old layout--ended up on the cement of the garage floor. thought about having a funeral for it, but instead just took it apart and straightened a few things out, replaced a couple of knocked-off details, put it in Locomotive Hospital for a while, and eventually it ran just fine (even better, must have knocked something in line). Sure hope you can salvage the little puppy.
Tom [:(]

[AntonioFP45]

Wow!

Sorry to read about that!

Just like the prototypes though, repair them and get them back on the road!

[Anonymous]

Heyguys if you read my other topic I had SOundtraxx trouble and it sucked. I was trying to test many different locos on the reverse loop module area and took one of my SD70M away from the MU that it was on. I forgot to remove the MU when doing this. I am sure you know where I am going with this now. Anyway, I also removed my drop down bridge from layout for repair and that was just right where my two MUs were hangin out at before I took one of them. I ook one and ran it forward and the one that was many many feet away also went for a ride.

CRASH!!!
Right down to the cement floor. I wanted to step on it to fini***he death off like in Mortal Kombat but Instead like a father to these locos I gently picked it up to nurture it and see the damage. It was bad, now I am sad. I had a bit of damage and Glued most of it back together. I now need to replace the left side windshield and thats all.