Some days..it just ain't happen'in...

[cwclark]

Last night my wife had her union meeting so i decided the entire evening will be dedicated to the MR when i got home from work...I fed the dog and scarfed down a quick BLT..(What?..you think i'm gonna cook a four course meal when the railroad is calling my name?) and got out to the train room....that's when my ill fate began...i decided to install new Kadee couplers and some new KATO Barber S-2 70 ton trucks on some old SP open bay hoppers that have been needing repair for years...first screw ..snap goes the old Kadee coupler along with the plastic part of the frame and the entire assembly falls in my lap..ok..i can fix that...break out the hobby knife to cut a styrene plastic patch to replace the old plastic where it used to be...so i pick up the hobby knife and when it slipped, it did this spectacular drum major bataan twirl over and under two of my fingers and boink!..the tip of the blade plunges about 1/4 " into the tip of my middle finger...so now i'm bleeding all over my work..(bet i couldn't do that again in a million years)...and into the house i go to find the band-aids in the medicine cabinet...ok...so now i'm through preforming surgery to my appendage, back to the train room....finally got the part repaired and the kadee coupler in place until i notice, the knuclke doesn't move...so i take it apart and wouldn't you know it...a small amount of CA glue just happened to seep into the coupler box from the frame repair, gluing the knuckle in place for about a thousand years...take it apart and rebuilt the assembly...AGAIN...ok...now on to the trucks which i'm not gonna mention the mess THAT created before i got it right...I think i should of just stayed in the house yesterday and watched old Star trek reruns or the history channel or something...my momma told me there was gonna be days like that...Chuck

[Anonymous]

Chuck:

Are you going to the San Jack show in Staffard, March 19th?

Bob

[jacon12]

Chuck,
I'm so new at all this that I EXPECT this sorta thing to happen EVERYTIME I sit down to the work bench. When it doesn't and I actually put something together without breaking it or glueing it to the workbench I get up and do a victory dance that would make a touchdown scoring NFL player envious.. :)
Jarrell

[Anonymous]

Chuck,

Wow my friend, rough night. I've had those, but that's part of the fun right. I find that superglue is great for sealing cuts...don't you?[:p]

I had a wee bit o a night like you without the bloody part. I wired my first slow motion switch...ALL WRONG!!!! I did this before the kids went to bed so I think they may have distracted me as they buzzed around my train room. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I redid the job later and got it right. My FIRST switch is up and running![:D]

Anywho, I hope you have a better day today. Try doing something not requiring a knife. And oh, I though microwave dinners were designed for us train addicts.[:-,]

Happy Modelling,
Trevor

[jjbmish]

I think we all have had nights like that. That guy Murphy likes to show up at the worst times. I had planned on working on my layout, until my wife told me we had relatives coming over, oh well at least monster garage and American chopper were on. LOL well i guess there's this weekend.

John

[cwclark]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

Chuck:

Are you going to the San Jack show in Staffard, March 19th?

Bob

i'll be there!

[eng22]

Glad I'm not the only one who has days like that!

[mikebonellisr]

Had one of those days this past saturday.I got so frustrated that I considered giving up the hobby.The thing was that I had the whole day to work on the layout,but it became one problem after another,got nothing done,thought I had fixed some things,but only caused problems someplace else.Then on Monday and Tuesday,everything fell into place,got a lot done(and it works well) ....It's fun again,though the hobby is'nt always "relaxing",I guess solving the problems are the most rewarding part of MRR.

[siberianmo]

When things go wrong, they really go wrong! Your description brought back so many memories of similar events that have happened to me through life ..... "just when you think it's safe to go back in the water" (or something like that.....).

Whether it was than kitchen sink pipe fitting - just out of reach enough to drive you crazy that when you finally got a wrench on it, crumbled and created yet another problem. Yeah - been there done that!

How about the car that somehow never would start for your wife, but always did for you? Oh, the Sundays I spent "working" on that blankety-blank car. Hey - I can adjust the timing! Or, the plugs need cleaning - or ...... Yeah, right! I think my hands still have the scars (and grease!) from about three decades ago of exasperation.

Ain't no way any of my stories can top yours - but I think we all share that "common bond." Probably the difference between US and THEM (guys and gals)!

See ya.

[Anonymous]

A great MR acquaitance of mine had as much enthusiasm for a fine 20 year old Scotch as for scratch building superb locos in HO. One morning I read in the local paper that he had escaped serious injury while cleaning his locos in the garage with, of all things, gasoline! The explosion literally blew one of his shoes off his foot which was later found in the debris. When I called him after his release from the hospital, he said he had forgotten all about the lighted cigar he was smoking at the time. The moral of the story? Drunks and and Model Railroaders have a double indemnity policy with that great Dispatcher in the cosmos. Have a happy...but not TOO happy.

[robengland]

I said to my crew (my crew consists of one good friend) the other evening "maybe I'm not cut out to be a model railroader", as I got to the end of a MONTH of trying and the *&^&^%%$ turntable still didn't work.

Some of the things this hobby teaches us are perseverance and optimism. I bought a Walthers/Hankscraft turntable motoring kit and tonight it's going to work just fine, first time ... I just know it.

[Anonymous]

I had a strange one when I first went DCC. First loco I planned to "chip", my E R Models Sharknose. This loco was first on the list due to having a socket (which should make for an easy job). So, pop off shell, remove blanking plate, plug in decoder. Place on programming track. Nothing, loco refuses to program, has assorted error messages relating to a short-circuit on the command unit. Unplug decoder and try it the other way around - now my loco runs but without headlight function. After about 2 days decide to try again - replug decoder correct way around, now it works, but not before I have the interesting experience of all my locos going ballistic, then my command unit reprogramming itself to "slave" mode (easily fixed, though I needed to get the manual out). Since then it's worked perfectly - loco headlight now works (as F0), and everything seems to have settled - really have no idea what caused it!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

...so i pick up the hobby knife and when it slipped, it did this spectacular drum major bataan twirl over and under two of my fingers and boink!..the tip of the blade plunges about 1/4 " into the tip of my middle finger...

Don't feel alone Chuck. I did the same darn thing myself, except it was my thumb. Hurt all night too. [:0][censored] Just glad it was me that got hurt and not one of the pets that are always by my side. I'm much more aware of my grip now. Holding it too tight between the thumb and forefinger caused it to slip.
I learned when the first thing goes wrong, then the second, it's time to pack it up for the day and try again later.

[Anonymous]

...ever "fry" a decoder first thing in the morning? Makes for a real "red letter day!" Gsetter is "spot on!" Just quit!..cease!...desist!...STOP! Reconnoiter...have a cup of green tea, maybe a prune danish, do some sit-ups...anything but more MRing...things can only get worse. Then, grab your camera; head out to the yards; take some pix; two aspirin and you will be fine. Perscription by Dr. TDK

[Fergmiester]

Some call it Karma, others fate, kismit, whatever. I've heard of Captains shutting down a program for several hours and retreating to their cabin just to wait it out. When they return to the Bridge everything is "bang " on as if there was never a problem and lost ground is quickly regained. There are times when things are out a whack or sequence and cannot and will not go right.

Don't fight it, just walk away and clear your head. When you return things will be back in sinc.

Some times our brains need time to catch up and try to tell us something that we are not willing to listen to.

That's when it's time to haul out a good book and scan the pictures for new ideas.

Have a good one

From one who bears many scars!

[Anonymous]

a bad day working on the railroad is better than sitting in front of the boob tube (tv) looking like a doll with a stupid look on your face. so it was not that bad now was it?