Prototypical Operations and the Big Hook

[dragenrider]

I watched in astonishment as my little red switch engine bounced, grabbed the wrong rail on the turnout and zipped off the track, falling from the trestle and to the ravine below. I stood dumbfounded [:O]. It took me a second to remember to turn off the throttle.

The Cedar Branch & Western has no "big hook" on it's line. If it can't be rerailed or moved with a little crane from the local moving service, the CB&W calls its connecting line, the Missouri Pacific, and requests their big crane. This was the case today.

I pondered for a moment and surveyed the damage to the trestle bent the engine had struck on the way down. Seeing it could still support weight, a plan formed in my mind.

While waiting on the Mopac to send its work train and crane, I used other engines to clear the line and to gently guide the stranded cars over the damaged trestle to a waiting engine on the other side. That waiting engine on the far side was a small 44 tonner that I snuck across. Moving cars this way kept the heavy engine weight off the trestle. After that, the 44 tonner took care of switching duties on the cut off section of the road.

Soon the big hook arrived and the engine was retrieved and sent to the shop.

That story told, how do you handle big derailments on your line? They are pretty rare on my road, but each time they are handled like the real thing including all the confusion of rerouting trains. What about your oops? What do you do? [?]

[Anonymous]

Much to the astonishment of the little plastic train crew members, derailments on the Muddy Creek RR are usually corrected by The Hand Of God. It's kind of an N Scale miracle but they are getting accustomed to it and seem now to take it in stride.

Wayne

[SpaceMouse]

Hand of God. With Steam and EZ track turnouts, I'd never get anything done without it.

[Anonymous]

On the other hand, "God helps those LPBs that help themselves" and so might suggest that, intead of running a loco out on a damaged trestle, they might push a string of empty flats out there to grab stranded cars if the span isn't too long.

Wayne

[Anonymous]

My recovery operations usually involve the GHFS (Giant Hand From Sky) which will either rerail stock or simply remove it. The train crew don't seem to mind, though I think they're getting annoyed with the 56ft well car that always derails on one set of switches - they've been told not to move it out that way but will they listen....

[Anonymous]

There's always the 0-5-0 switcher - your hand!

Bob Boudreau

[dragenrider]

The Hand of the Creator is frequently seen on my layout as well for small derailments. Sometimes I will actually try to rerail the car by having the engine pull it up over a crosstie or the end of my wooden uncoupling stick. But for the big ones, most of the time it's the hook.

By the way, I am NOT heavy into prototypical operations. If you can believe that.

Wayne, excellent idea about using the flats rather than sneaking a tiny engine across. I was looking for an excuse to put my favorite little guy to work! [^]