Just an interesting thought I had when thinking about trackwork. Has anyone tried this or thought of doing it? Like, say a manifest freight goes over a rough spot and a few wheels go on the ground. Instead of just laughing at the layout owner, rerailing the cars in a matter of seconds, and continuing on. Maybe have the operator postpone train movements (if necessary) until the train crew () can get the rerailer frog and rectify the problem. Or even for more severe derailments, until a track crew can be dispatched to repair any damaged track and/or tow off any locomotives in need of repair. (Or simply write it off as a loss if it took a tumble into the giant concrete chasm )
Your thoughts?
--Jake
My layout has a raised fascia---no train be going over no gorge here!! LOL---however, the idea sounds like it could be done---a kind of random event that could be generated---one could generate a notice of a switcher going to ground in an ISL, even off site, so that some traffic of the MOW variety could be generated--Have fun--
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
At my Diamond Valley I've two derails. Until now, at every meeting a few guy fun over the closed derail!
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
I don´t think this is funny.
A derailment in real life railroading is a tremendous hazard with a potential of severe injuries and the loss of life. Railroads all over the world are spending fortunes to improve their track in order to avoid derailments. We have seen in many cases the sad results of neglect and carelessness, as exercised in the 1980´s and 1990´s, when track maintenance was cut short for reasons of shareholder value.
As model railroaders we spend extra care to put down our track so we get realistic and reliable operation - see MR´s new brochure on this topic.
Now why should we add "planned" derailment to our layouts? For me, this is toy-like!
I strive for derailment free operation and will accept nothing less so,why would I want to plan derailments?
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Jake1210 Or even for more severe derailments, until a track crew can be dispatched to repair any damaged track and/or tow off any locomotives in need of repair. (Or simply write it off as a loss if it took a tumble into the giant concrete chasm ) Your thoughts?
Or even for more severe derailments, until a track crew can be dispatched to repair any damaged track and/or tow off any locomotives in need of repair. (Or simply write it off as a loss if it took a tumble into the giant concrete chasm )
Most derailments result in things stopping for hours (or days). So if you think it would be great fun to stop running trains and have your operators stand around just waiting for hours while your model crews rerail cars and fix track, knock yourself out. I personally think that keeping trains moving or operators occupied is more fun.
Normally if the derailment is big enough to get the big hook called out the track will be out of service for 8-12 hours.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I think this is meant to be a more light-hearted discussion, and not meant to become an argument of the type we have had over now-banned topics (hobos, grafitti...). I haven't understood any suggestion that derailments are fun, or that they are safe, or that they are not costly in various ways.
Instead, the question could be phrased, "If a derailment takes place at an ops session, would it be realistic, even useful, for those involved to have to go through a scale time recovery process other than merely using the sky-hook and hurrying along?"
-Crandell
selector Instead, the question could be phrased, "If a derailment takes place at an ops session, would it be realistic, even useful, for those involved to have to go through a scale time recovery process other than merely using the sky-hook and hurrying along?"
NO!
---------------
In that light..
Absolutely! I done that while operating my past ISLs..
You see that gave me time to investigate the cause of the derailment while the MOW "crew" rerailed the car.
You see I do not accept derailments as a normal operation occurrence.
Even at a model railraod a derailment is dangerous. At the mentioned derails one time it broke the rod from a steamer, running over a closed derail!
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
I agree with the OP, in fact I had started a similar thread a couple weeks ago. Seems lots of modelers take a derailment as a personal insult. OK if it's the same car or same spot in the track then be offended and fix your sloppyness. If it's just one of those things with no rhyme or reason or a new operator etc then why not have some fun weth it? No need to call it a day and send everyone home but I think it would be more fun to send out the wreck crew. If it take a fast hour then thats the dispatchers problem!
Modeling the Cleveland and Pittsburgh during the PennCentral era starting on the Cleveland lakefront and ending in Mingo junction
Gads, maybe some decaf is in order. I PLAN to have random things happen. Derails or brake shoes getting hot, cows on track, tanker leaking....Boiler pressure drop - got to get another loco. Rock slide. Going to make a spinning wheel with random events.... SPIN THE BIG WHEEL!
You go OP!
Sheesh
Wow. What happened to prototypicality here? If one is to OPERATE in a prototypical fashion--as many say they are--then a part of that is going to be the randomly generated events. Yes, these events may not be great or CONVENIENT, but that is also part of our prototypical world.
Look. If you do not want any derailments ON the layout--generate an event that occurs OFFSITE so that it effects the operation on the site.
That's all. No need to get wrapped around the axles here
I don't understand several of the replies. I try to replicate railroad operations as best I can. Pulling together a rescue train and running out to the scene while the dispatcher must try to find places for other trains on the system seems "fun" to me. I'm not making this a laughing matter with scaled down slaughter. It's the idea of mimicking what the real railroads do, just to make our mini empires run more like their full sized counterparts.
Alex
Also, for those who are annoyed by the occasional derailment and simply have to keep their railroad running and not have operators standing around doing not much of anything, there is a prototypical response you can use that should have trains rolling again in a smaller scale time frame. Just have a train standing buy with some sectional track, run it out to the derailment site, and build a quick shoo-fly around the wreck so that trains can keep moving around the site.
Actually, this is not really plausible because, unlike real railroads, one track-work is glued down, we can't really disconnect the rails and manhandle them around to join them to the temporary trackage of a shoo-fly. Oops! Well, at least I tried to offer a prototype solution.
One of the largest club layout in the country is not too far from me and I have operated with them as a guest a few times. If a derailment occurs weather planned or not if you just put the wheels back on the track you will be suspended from operating for one month. Thats how much of a stickler for details these guys are. A fact of life is derailments do happen as well as tracks get closed for flooding, mudslides etc. Their dispatcher will occasionally through an obstacle such as a derailment into an op session without the knowledge of anyone but the person he directs to make the accident happen. This is done to see how operators act when serious things like this happen.The prototype has disaster drills all the time so it's their way of art imitating life I guess.
They don't just laugh it off and continue operating just as a real railroad wouldn't. They do this even in the case of an accidental derailment, they will also review what happened and how it was handled at club meetings or at the end of the sessioni was told. Say what you want but these guys are serious about their operations, don't get me wrong their a great bunch of guys and have a lot of fun but it's the way they choose to run their railroad.
Mill Bay Also, for those who are annoyed by the occasional derailment and simply have to keep their railroad running and not have operators standing around doing not much of anything, there is a prototypical response you can use that should have trains rolling again in a smaller scale time frame. Just have a train standing buy with some sectional track, run it out to the derailment site, and build a quick shoo-fly around the wreck so that trains can keep moving around the site. Actually, this is not really plausible because, unlike real railroads, one track-work is glued down, we can't really disconnect the rails and manhandle them around to join them to the temporary trackage of a shoo-fly. Oops! Well, at least I tried to offer a prototype solution.
It is quite plausible if you are willing to perform a few hours of hard work with a skilled team of several persons like the prototype does.
I'm sure in 4 hours a team of 3-4 top notch model railroaders with access to the necessary tools and materials could get a shoo-fly installed on most layouts - about the same as a prototype. The problem is 1) time doesn't scale; 2) very few of us are willing to take as long to perform an operation as the prototype. How many of us are truly willing and content to switch our yards at a prototypical 5MPH - waiting 6 seconds for each 40ft boxcar to pass a yard limit sign?
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
MR had a cartoon on this many moons ago. The picture was of a club member hulking over a derailed freight car and a rescuing crane car. He was feverishly manipulating the crane car cables by hand trying to secure the car and return it to the rails.
In the background, one member says to another... "If he's going to do this with every derailment, I'm for kicking him out of the club!"
Jim
This was done in the board game "Dispatcher", you had incident cards, turn one over it said things like heavy rains cause a washout, no trains thru this hour. Or train leaving west yard derails, this train stopped this turn (you get demerit points)
But model derailments really do affect operation anyways, treat it as you will, but we don't have little green men running around to pick it up, its the old 5 fingered hook every time.
I have a self-imposed rule that forces me to haul out the big hook when there's a derailment.
It's a pain in the butt just like the real thing but mostly it's another incentive to have good track work and well-tuned rolling stock.
Yes, I'm insane.
Craig
DMW
It seems to me that there are two options here... one, if a train derails, call out the 0-5-0, put it back on the track & keep on going. Two, have a proceedure in place for a derailment. This could involve a short timeout (with trains backing up in the affected area or having to use one of two tracks, etc) which would allow someone to mark the spot, check the car in question and make necessary notes for repairs.
I don't think I would "plan" on a derailment but if one happens during a session, I don't see why it couldn't be handled according to some kind of pre-arranged plan.
dlm