You're not a real modeler until.......

[dehusman]

1b) ... and the solution wets the last three letters of set, dissolving them, and leaving you with a car lettered on one side.

Dave H.

[trainfan1221]

You learn that the force of gravity applies to model trains that are too close to the edge as well as everything else.

[MisterBeasley]

You've spent 45 minutes on your hands and knees looking for that Kadee knuckle spring on the thick pile carpet, even though you've got a whole container of extra springs.

You won't let anyone see your layout in operation, because you just know that you will break your 127-days-without-a-derailment streak if someone else is watching.

You wear your blue and white striped engineer's cap, even if no one else is there.  Or maybe it's only when no one else is there.

You just can't understand why K-mart doesn't have turf and flocking next to the hair spray.

You're laughing all the way through this thread.

[loathar]

1-Till you decide to make horn hooks on your layout extinct.

2-Till you learn a 40' wood side ice refrigerated car doesn't belong behind an AC 4400.

 

[Fergmiester]

1. The owner at your LHS sends you Christmas and Birthday cards.

2. All the medical staff at the local Emergency know your name without looking at the chart.

3. Your kids didn't learn those "bad" words from their friends.

Fergie  

[Railphotog]

Your fingers have many scars from sharp X-Acto blade cuts!

You consider band-aids as an essential modeling tool!

 

 

[Anonymous]

When you start working at 3 PM and finish at 5:30 AM, because it took that long to make a branch line look "weedy" enough.

[IRONROOSTER]

Until you install the coupler "correctly" and then turn the car right side up.

Enjoy

Paul 

[dale8chevyss]

You get your kid brother to lick the rails when your DC pp is on full.  (I know I'm cruel but the idiot did it!)

[Bapou]

You get your kid brother to lick the rails when your DC pp is on full.  (I know I'm cruel but the idiot did it!)

And to that! Just think if it was DCC, up to 16 volts instead of 12...

[Kenfolk]

...you read posts like these.

 

[SteamFreak]

You get your kid brother to lick the rails when your DC pp is on full.  (I know I'm cruel but the idiot did it!)

Your brother's lucky you're not a three-railer!

[BlueHillsCPR]

You wear your blue and white striped engineer's cap, even if no one else is there.  Or maybe it's only when no one else is there.

 Hmm, this is the only kind of hat I own, or wear...I have about 6 of them so I always have a clean one handy.

I also have a wooden train whistle...BUT I don't take it with me like my hats.

[leejax01]

1. Until you get excited and then furious when they announce a model that you just kitbashed...that's when they announce it you know.

2. Until you look for a place that has the same item for 1 1/2% cheaper

3. Refused to pay $5.47 for that overpriced kit

4. You realize that you have 10+ unfinished building projects

5. Finally, you realize that you are 4+ years into building your layout.

[alco49]

You get your kid brother to lick the rails when your DC pp is on full.  (I know I'm cruel but the idiot did it!)

And to that! Just think if it was DCC, up to 16 volts instead of 12...

Say, that raises an improtant question. Are kid brothers DCC compatible? And can you access their sound features on standard DC? Hmmm... gotta test this one

[tomikawaTT]

1. Until you get excited and then furious when they announce a model that you just kitbashed...that's when they announce it you know.

Not very likely.  (For the reason, check my signature.)

2. Until you look for a place that has the same item for 1 1/2% cheaper.

Remember when you got the same item for about 10% of the present MSRP.

3. Refused to pay $5.47 for that overpriced kit.

Before the price went up to $54.70 and the item went on eternal backorder.

4. You realize that you have 10+ unfinished building projects

And about 1000 unSTARTED projects.

5. Finally, you realize that you are 4+ years into building your layout.

And aren't even decently started

Watch for the great Golden Spike ceremony - in 2037, if I last that long.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in 1:80 scale, aka HOj)

[aloco]

You're not a real modeler until you're wounded in action.  I can't count how many times I've cut or poked my fingers while working on trains.

[lvanhen]

When cleaning up your "stash" you realize you have enough unbuilt kits of structures/rolling stock/scenery details to last past 2050!

[GAPPLEG]

Until youv'e run 3 units on DCC (I'm a newbie to DCC) and forgot you left the drop open across the doorway . F

                       A

                           L

                                L

                           floor.  UGH. Got unit back together finally.

 

[twhite]

When cleaning up your "stash" you realize you have enough unbuilt kits of structures/rolling stock/scenery details to last past 2050!

OHMYGAW!!  You, TOO?  I just re-arranged the stuff under the layout and found that I have some Grandt-Line kits I forgot that I BOUGHT!!

Or:  Your track has a joint in the middle of your curved viaduct that you installed in January on your garage layout.  It's June.  The track has EXPANDED!  KINKED!  You cannot run any big locos over it, in fact, your little 2-8-0 has just taken a dive 190 scale feet into the forest below it.  Now how do I manage to get all that scenery out of that bent cowcatcher and ruined Kadee #5 without everything popping off--and where in Heck is the HEADLIGHT?  EGAD, it's fun being a modeler!

Tom

[galaxy]

...you take out a second mortgage to build on a train room.

...you use your home equity line of credit to buy that "must-have" locomotive.

...you call your kids "Chessapeake" and "Ohio" .

...your dreams are in DCC.

...you forgot your significant other's name.

...you've ballasted your driveway.

 

 

[loathar]

You get your kid brother to lick the rails when your DC pp is on full.  (I know I'm cruel but the idiot did it!)

And to that! Just think if it was DCC, up to 16 volts instead of 12...

Say, that raises an improtant question. Are kid brothers DCC compatible? And can you access their sound features on standard DC? Hmmm... gotta test this one

My guess is his sound function worked rather well once his tounge hit the DC rails!

 

[Wikious]

...until a lot of these start sounding very, very familiar.

[AntonioFP45]

............you realize something doesn't look "quite right" at the club when a member is hauling a loaded, 50-car coal drag........... at high speed .....................with an SW-7! 

[locoi1sa]

 1. When you shot the last custom bent grab iron into space while the ACC is hardenning in the holes.

 2. When your packing your HO scale modules and driveing 100 miles in the snow for a one day train show at 0 dark thirty in the am. 

 3. Watching that cute little kid grab a handfull of scenery material while the parents are watching them and when you say something they say its alright he didnt do to much damadge.

 4. After countless hours of detailing and remotoring and adding sound and lights you finaly get to see the smoke from the steamer when you remember that it doesnt have a smoke unit. 

 5. Bad things only happen when others are around watching.

 6. When you leave the hobby shop with two shopping bags of stuff only to realize when you get home you didnt get what you went there for.

 7. You go to Home depot with a handfull of dirt to match it to a flat latex paint. 

  This list is endless 

[IRONROOSTER]

You have more locomotives than your wife has shoes.

Enjoy

Paul 

[CSX_road_slug]

#207) You visit your local HD and walk past the PVC piping, and imagine how many HO grain elevator silos you could make from a single 12' pipe.

#208) A cereal box lying on its side could be a scale warehouse with some pasted-on scale brickwork...?

#209) When you go to the LHS, you always buy WAY MORE than what you actually need of glue, paint, Kadees, etc. just so you'll have a good supply "just in case"

#300) You finally remember that one critical item you originally meant to buy on your trip to said LHS - after you're more than halfway home!

[Fergmiester]

When cleaning up your "stash" you realize you have enough unbuilt kits of structures/rolling stock/scenery details to last past 2050!

Actually 2053 but... I haven't picked up Walther's latest catalogue so the date is questionable but who's counting?

I'll be dead before the stash is actually discovered by the Mrs. that or she discovers the stash and I'm dead anyway... It's a win win situation regardless!!! 

[trainfan1221]

You find that Krazy Glue, despite that it doesn't hold your trains together, is great at bonding your fingers.  Only, why would you want to do this?

[Robby P.]

you wake your wife up in bed about a idea you have for the layout, and ask her opinion on it. 

 

[rolleiman]

you wake your wife up in bed about a idea you have for the layout, and ask her opinion on it. 

 

When she says 'It's Me, Or the Trains' and you tell her to have a good life.

When you've bought that Must Have one of a kind kit only to realize you have 3 identical kits in the to be built pile.

When you're walking the dog, see someone's trash pile (curbside pickup here) and wonder what that gizmo could be used for on the layout. Then sneak back after dark to get it. 

[NSlover92]

You still havn't learned that the soldering iron is HOT, even after you unplug it. Mike

[MOPACnut]

1-Till you decide to make horn hooks on your layout extinct.

2-Till you learn a 40' wood side ice refrigerated car doesn't belong behind an AC 4400.

 

Guilty

just  don't have the money to convert all of mine

[cbq9911a]

You find a way to modify horn hook couplers mate with Kadees.

You have a transition car with a British hook and loop coupler at one end and a Kadee at the other, so that Thomas and his friends can pull your unit coal train.

[PA&ERR]

-When looking for a new house, you look at the basement first.

-You tell your real estate agent not to show you any houses without a basement and that a "finished" basement is a not a "plus".

-George

[railroadnut675]

When you play with your layout, you think about everything you can get for it when you leave.

Your so busy daydreaming about your layout, you forget to buy half the things you want to at the LHS.

[Berk-fan284]

You inadvertantly use that shiny new sound equipped locomotive to scare the family dog out of the house until you turn the sound waaay down (and bribe her back in with half a box of dog treats).....

The dog has forgiven me (I think).

[Anonymous]

You won't let anyone see your layout in operation, because you just know that you will break your 127-days-without-a-derailment streak if someone else is watching.

That sounds familier.....except I don't think my layout has ever ran in ONE day without multiple derailments..... 

[Dallas Model Works]

...You plan family vacations around hobby store locations.

[galaxy]

...You plan family vacations around hobby store locations.

That and train spotting locations or museums or tourist railroads-anything vacation as long as it is train related! Even the steam trains at Disney World!

-G

[lvanhen]

My wife told me she'd leave if I bought one more loco!!  I'll sure miss her - she was a good cook!!

[galaxy]

My wife told me she'd leave if I bought one more loco!!  I'll sure miss her - she was a good cook!!

hhhmmm....how many shoes does she have?

How many outfits?

And how much closet space is yours?

LOL 

-G

 

[phatkat64]

If you live west of the Mississippi, it means your layout is in the whole carage, and your car's paint fades out in the driveway!

[lvanhen]

My wife told me she'd leave if I bought one more loco!!  I'll sure miss her - she was a good cook!!

hhhmmm....how many shoes does she have?

I lost count on fingers & toes - and not 1/2 way through counting!

How many outfits?

About the same as shoes!!

And how much closet space is yours?

I have my own closet - in the spare bedroom!!!

LOL 

-G

 

But her stuff are "things" - my stuff is just "toys"!!

[PMeyer]

Insuring your hobby stuff doubles the cost of your home insurance!

[Dean-58]

You're still working on a locomotive rebuild while your friend has built several--from scratch.  (Actually, he's built 3-4 steam locomotives from the wheels up, plus converted several Lionel Diesel units to 2-rail DC operation, redetailed them, and painted them flawlessly in his chosen "Fallen Flag's" livery.  Sometimes I think I'm too lazy to live...)

[phatkat64]

Right there with you on that one pal!!!!!

[Dean-58]

You find a way to modify horn hook couplers mate with Kadees.

You have a transition car with a British hook and loop coupler at one end and a Kadee at the other, so that Thomas and his friends can pull your unit coal train.

Did you start naming the hopper cars: St. John (pronounced "Sinjin"),Stewart, Glenn, Winston, etc?

To sum up: you don't have to be crazy, but it helps--as long as you realize it.

[Kurn]

The produce aisle at the grocery store looks like cool scenery.
Bird grit looks like it may have some use.
You drive a hundred miles to a train show and can't find anything you want.

[inch53]

You have more locomotives than your wife has shoes.

Enjoy

Paul 

I wish I had that problem. The wife has 54 pair of shoes, and I have 24 engines.

 

You n the wife drive 2 hours to a swap meet n show at a shopping mall. You spend more on trains, than she does on clothes.

inch

[leejax01]

Seriously...you are a real modeler when you finally slow down the trains and start to run scale speeds... 

[trainfan1221]

You are right.  Even though my intermodal train makes better time at 120mph, it's not realistic.

[PA&ERR]

-you have reserved parking at the the local ER and your LHS/LTS.

-George 

 

[inch53]

The only way your wife can get you to go with her a shopping trip. Is a promise of some rail fanning, a stop at the LHS, and your favorite steak house [works almost every time]

inch

[andrechapelon]

1. You've complained about hobby prices at least 10 times on this very forum.

2. You've lamented the death of "craftsmanship" at least 20 times on this very forum.

3. You've assembled a Bowser engine including the valve gear. Points get added for superdetailing. Points get subtracted if you can't get it to run.

4. You can correctly identify at least 4 of the following: Jack Work, Wally Moore. Watty House, Terry Walsh, Gib Kennedy, Gonpher Coughie, Don Reschenberg, Bill Schopp, Mal Vordenbaum, Bob Darwin, John Page.

5. You've predicted the imminent demise of the hobby at least 30 times on this very forum.

6.You've trashed Model Railroader and its staff at least 5 times on this very forum.

7. You finally admit that the 1950's were the "Golden Age" of the hobby and it's been a downhill slide ever since.

Andre

 

[jfallon]

You inadvertantly use that shiny new sound equipped locomotive to scare the family dog out of the house until you turn the sound waaay down (and bribe her back in with half a box of dog treats).....

The dog has forgiven me (I think).

    Guilty as charged. The cats will be in for a big surprise next Xmas when they stalk the "around the tree" train.

[locoi1sa]

  When you have extra decoders waiting for the locos to be built.

 The bumper sticker said I got a train for my wife. Best trade I ever made!!! 

 P.S. I miss my wife, but my aim is getting better!!!! 

[sfrr]

An 8 year old (or under) destroys your half finished model railroad and then your down $500.

 

Mike 

[cisco1]

You replant all the wifes flowerbeds with golden rod (so you'll have plenty of tree material every fall)!

[rfross]

You've been purchasing locomotives, rolling stock, building kits, ballast, track, turnouts, highway vehicles including cars, trucks and maybe even buses, in preparation for building that layout that you've had in your head. You've ended up with a lot of stuff, probably way more than you could ever use on your modest layout. Then you sit back and realize that you've been doing this for twenty years and haven't laid a single piece of track!

[loathar]

Seriously...you are a real modeler when you finally slow down the trains and start to run scale speeds... 

That's a good one!I really like making my trains crawl as slow as I can get them to.

[Geared Steam]

You replant all the wifes flowerbeds with golden rod (so you'll have plenty of tree material every fall)!

1. You and your wife plan to trim the shrubs and the hedges, only you spend more time looking for good armatures.

2. You have a trailer hitch that looks like a knuckle coupler.

3. You no longer have fingerprints on your thumb and fore finger (because of super glues)

4. Your postman tells you you need a bigger mailbox because of all the mags, catalogs, Ebay items won't fit in it anymore.

5. Your UPS guy is on a first name basis with you.

6. Your MRR links in your browser fills the screen.

7. Your boss now restricts access to any "hobby" websites. But he really likes the picture on your desktop.

8. Your replying to this thread.

 

[n2mopac]

You called your funeral director to find out the actual dimensions of a casket for your cemetary/funeral scene (told him I was building my own casket--which I was).

Ron

[Medina1128]

Boy, those ALL sounded vaguely familiar. Allow me to add:

• You buy a tool at the train show that you HAD to have, only to get home and realize you already have 2.
• You swear, "NO MORE LOCOMOTIVES", then Walthers has Proto 2000 units on sale for $45.98.
• Your soon to be ex-wife doesn't recognize your face, until you show her your feet, because that's all she's seen of you while you been working under the layout.
• Your pets follow you down to the layout room because they're so used to the sound of power tools.
• You stop everything you're doing, because you can't find the solder (and it's sitting right next to the soldering iron).
• You found out why they call Kadee knuckle springs "Jesus springs".
• You've made up your own curse words: see above.
• Your friends and family call you "Bobby" from "The Sopranos", or some other train related nickname.
• Every thing you say has a train reference.
• There isn't a single room in your house that doesn't have A) a model railroad catalog or flyer, B) a Model Railroader magazine in it, or C) something train related in it.
• You stop whatever honey-do item you were working on because you found that Micro Mark catalog under the sofa cushion.
• You have one of your favorite sports team trains proudly on display.
• You have a special train wardrobe that you wear to A) railfanning trips, B) your LHS, C) swap meets or D) family get togethers.

 

 

[tattooguy67]

You have more locomotives than your wife has shoes.

Enjoy

Paul 

Ok see now this has gotten me into trouble, my wife( remember her?, the greatest wife ever!) and i were reading this and having a good laugh when this one came up!, now she is going shoe shopping!!, thanks a bunch! lol.

[Packers#1]

All your money is poured into a 4x8 sheet of plywood, which is attempting to look like some weird scale model of the real world, with these things that run on nickel silver rail moving around.

[Guilford Guy]

You've managed to create a synthetic layer of skin on your hand, also known as superglue.

[MOPACnut]

You have more locomotives than your wife has shoes.

Enjoy

Paul 

Ok see now this has gotten me into trouble, my wife( remember her?, the greatest wife ever!) and i were reading this and having a good laugh when this one came up!, now she is going shoe shopping!!, thanks a bunch! lol.

Glad i'm single , i don't have to worry about it.

No offense to those who are.

Here's one:

You're not a real modeler until....... you finally accept the fact that NO layout is 100% immune from derailments. There's always those gremlins that strike for no reason.

ACCEPT IT!!

[jeffshultz]

You've spent an entire day trying to track down an intermittent short on your layout.

 

 

[Rotorranch]

1. Until you get excited and then furious when they announce a model that you just kitbashed...that's when they announce it you know.

I've done that several times with 1/32 slot cars. $50 for a resin body, $10 for decals, $45+ for a donor car, and hours of time sanding and painting, and they release the same car for $44.99 retail, and it looks so much better than your kit-bash.

Rotor

[Rotorranch]

You won't let anyone see your layout in operation, because you just know that you will break your 127-days-without-a-derailment streak if someone else is watching.

That sounds familier.....except I don't think my layout has ever ran in ONE day without multiple derailments..... 

Ty...sounds like you need to work on your track more, and spend less time padding your post count!

Rotor

[IRONROOSTER]

You have more locomotives than your wife has shoes.

Enjoy

Paul 

Ok see now this has gotten me into trouble, my wife( remember her?, the greatest wife ever!) and i were reading this and having a good laugh when this one came up!, now she is going shoe shopping!!, thanks a bunch! lol.

I'm on the losing end of this one myself !!!!!! 

 

Paul 

[NYCfan]

Man all of them sound familiar to me!!! Especially the super glue. The only other one I can think of off-hand is while working on your current layout, you try to calculate when you'll be done so you can start on the "new" one that's been slowly growing in your mind since you started.

[corsair7]

<<And how much closet space is yours?>>

You have closet space? You must be a newly wed and your bride hasn't brought over her wardrobe.

 

[oleirish]

OR untell your fingers are raw and sore from "N" scale rail joiners!!!!

 

JIM

[mononguy63]

unless you've read all 70+ posts to this thread...

[Packers#1]

OR untell your fingers are raw and sore from "N" scale rail joiners!!!!

 

JIM

AMMMEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNN to that. A little off topic here, but i found a good way to aviod that is take your xuron track cutters, and use the little holes cut in the handles to squish them on.

You get your kid brother to lick the rails when your DC pp is on full.  (I know I'm cruel but the idiot did it!)

I gotta get mine to do that (he's almost 7). ;]

You spend an hour on the internet, comparing prices of several hobby shops for one particular item. (I have done this)

You go out to the local gun club with that piece of crap, won't run locomotive, and take care of business, then get home and open the package the UPS man brought, taking the new locomotive out. (I want to do this).

[Jake1210]

-You take into serious consideration the pros and cons of buying MMI HOn3 K-27s and a Tsunami Decoder instead of just buying a Blackstone... and vise versa...

-When you look at over 10 places for the cheapest price on said products.

[inch53]

You cut the tip of your finger off trying to make scale lumber on a scroll saw, because your to cheap to go out an buy it [believe me it hurts for a long time].

inch

[Bundy74]

You buy a 25 or 50 lb bag of clean sand from Home Depot so you can easily make a small gravel driveway...for one house

[lvanhen]

You buy a 25 or 50 lb bag of clean sand from Home Depot so you can easily make a small gravel driveway...for one house

[rolleiman]

You buy a 25 or 50 lb bag of clean sand from Home Depot so you can easily make a small gravel driveway...for one house

Sadly enough, I've considered that.....  

[galaxy]

...you scratch build a scale model of your own house.....and the house you grew up in

[Packers#1]

You spend immense amounts of time on 5 model railroading forums.

Your desk is covered with half-finished projects.

 

[boston1943]

You say all seven swears in a row at a piece of benchwork.

 

 

[Packers#1]

You say all seven swears in a row at a piece of benchwork.

 

 

Don't forget:

locomotive that doesn't run

burnt out decoder

That dang knife blade that slipped.

[boston1943]

 A related topic would be...

YOU MIGHT BE A MODEL RAILROADER JOKES!!! (Like "You might be a redneck" jokes, but with modelers.)

   You might be a model railroader if...

You pick up an AC-DC record and look for where it says DCC

You sleep with a soldering gun beneath your pillow

You spend 132 and a half full days anualy in your basement

You think 1:1 is overrated

You spent your honeymoon railfanning

Your dreams invove wiring Decoders

You've ever gotten carpul tunnel twice in a single week

 

Do you have any?

 

(P.S. Sorry for pirating your post) 

 

[boston1943]

Of corse, how could I forget?

[alco49]

.. you have a funeral for the new Proto model that you dropped... in a lake... thats twelve feet deep... but not before diving in and trying to find it.

[Rotorranch]

...you scratch build a scale model of your own house.....and the house you grew up in

Oooo...that's scary! I've been planning that!

On my layout, I do have an HO scale Chevy van custom painted to look like my wifes camping van at the campground , a model of my Dad's (now mine) mid '70's Dodge pickup, and will soon have (thanks to ePay) a custom painted model of my race car on the layout.

Rotor

[Rotorranch]

.. you have a funeral for the new Proto model that you dropped... in a lake... thats twelve feet deep... but not before diving in and trying to find it.

No... you didn't?

I'd like to hear THAT story!

Inquiring minds want to know!

Rotor

[cudaken]

 Your 68 Road Runner is sitting out side because your garage is full of layout! (this will be fixed)

 600 watts a side stereo system is playing train sounds. (sure get some odd looks from people walking by)

 You swear two years ago you would never spend over $60.00 for a engine! Then find your self with a $600.00 PCM Y-6b pulling a drag on your layout. Sure made the $300.00 BLI's seem like a steal.

 You take your train tool box's to work with you for the slow times.

 You have cars and engines shipped to where you work so you won't hear it from the wife!

 Co worker that does not care about trains, knows what a SD40-2 looks like!

 There is a test track at work in the bathroom!

 There is also 2 FP-45's in the bathroom at work! Some day I will bring them home.

 You have 40 + RR mags at work and the current Walther's catalog as well!

 Other customers think you work at your LHS, and you help them!

 You know what your LHS has in stock better than the owner!

 LHS owner gives you a discount, and lets you cash your self out!

 When you day dream about wining the lottery, first thing you think of is the new Train Room.

 You know when you are a Train Nut when you stop listing on this post but still have 20 plus iteams in your head.

          Cuda Ken

[cudaken]

 Tell your friend to buy Home Depote stock, you are getting ready to start a new bench!

 

[0-6-0]

You go to buy a new truck and ask if you can get it in boxcar red , engine black or mow gray.

[SteamFreak]

.. you have a funeral for the new Proto model that you dropped... in a lake... thats twelve feet deep... but not before diving in and trying to find it.

That's why my locos wear water wings and only swim in the shallow end.

[Packers#1]

You constantly talk about model trains, boring your friends, causing girls to think your wierd (and subsequently not go out with you), and making your siblings and parents rib you about it and those same people also complain about it. (I have learned this lesson through experience).

[CMucha]

When you have memorized the Walthers Reference Book...

 

( I know about the first 245 pages) 

[CTValleyRR]

You have a transition car with a British hook and loop coupler at one end and a Kadee at the other, so that Thomas and his friends can pull your unit coal train.

Or you spend 4 hours on Christmas Day trying to swap the British hook and loop coupler on THOMAS and JAMES for a Kadee #5....

[lvanhen]

You have a transition car with a British hook and loop coupler at one end and a Kadee at the other, so that Thomas and his friends can pull your unit coal train.

Or you spend 4 hours on Christmas Day trying to swap the British hook and loop coupler on THOMAS and JAMES for a Kadee #5....

Please let me know how you did that!!!

[CTValleyRR]

You have a transition car with a British hook and loop coupler at one end and a Kadee at the other, so that Thomas and his friends can pull your unit coal train.

Or you spend 4 hours on Christmas Day trying to swap the British hook and loop coupler on THOMAS and JAMES for a Kadee #5....

Please let me know how you did that!!!

Slightly OT for this thread, but here goes:

Honestly, if I'd done it on Christmas Eve, after the little dear was in bed, it probably would only have taken an hour.  Between constant visits from the 4 yr old asking "Dad, are you done yet??.... Are you done YET???!!! ... NOW are you done????" and the little bumps on the arm resulting in "***, now where is that knuckle spring... do I have a spare?" or " Now I have to assemble the coupler all over again."

First, at my age, a pair of 2.5x magnifying glasses is very helpful.  Also, I would have sprung for the pre-assembled #5's if I had to do it over.

I have a home-made fixture made of scrap 1x lumber nailed and glued into a U shape, into which I put scraps of foam rubber to make a cradle on which I can work on a loco upside down without holding it or damaging it. 

Take a small phillips screwdriver and remove the hook and loop (sounds like Velcro, doesn't it?) coupler.  If you're a pack rat like me, save the screw (a 0-40), otherwise chuck the whole thing.  The screw is rather short (1/4"?), because the hook and loop coupler isn't very thick.

At this point, I had to assemble my Kadee #5; my lesson learned was to buy the preassembled version.  Even though I have a jig for putting them together, it's hard to do with an impatient child checking on your progress every 2-3 minutes.

Use a longer 0-40 screw (3/8", IRRC) through the center hole of your #5 and insert it until the coupler pocket is seated against the loco frame but still has some play in it (there is only a thin strip of plastic at the rear of the loco on which your coupler is resting).  There are two plastic pegs which the old coupler used to maintain alignment, but a #5 and its pocket fit neatly between them.  Put a drop of CA adhesive at each side of the pocket where it touches the loco rear (NOT the screw hole) and let capillary action draw it under the coupler.  CAREFULLY (unless you want your fingers to be part of the final assembly) hold the coupler straight and finish tightening the screw (pay attention, because the torque from tightening the screw will tend to turn your coupler out of its perpendicular alignment).

I originally thought I would have to reinforce these coupler mountings, but they have held up under the beatings from a 4 - 5 year old surprisingly well as is. I've converted every car in the Thomas line-up (12), including 3 locos, and have had only one failure in 18 months, and that was on one car on which I tried to re-use the original screw, which was too short.

This coupler mounting is way too low for NMRA standards (you have to bend the trip pin WAY up to clear turnout frogs), but all the Thomas pieces are the same height.  Making a transition car (I used a cheapo IHC boxcar) with a standard height coupler at one end and a high-offset shank coupler at the other neatly solves this problem (I had to shim the coupler pocket down with a couple of Kadee fiber washers to get a solid mating).  Thomas and Friends can now pull any car in my collection (well, 5-6 of them at a time), much to the delight of my 5-year-old.

 

[Medina1128]

I have a home-made fixture made of scrap 1x lumber nailed and glued into a U shape, into which I put scraps of foam rubber to make a cradle on which I can work on a loco upside down without holding it or damaging it. 

I have 2!

[lvanhen]

CTValleyRR - Thanks a lot for the tutorial!!  It's copied into my 'puter!!

[nscaler711]

when you look at prototype pictures of your models and compare them to the models only to find out they look way different!!!

when you look at cans of empty beer/soda and think "this would make a GREAT billboard"

or when you look at your sons new Estes rocket and thinks, "hmm i wonder if i can use this as a Saturn V rocket for my new Aviation and Rocket Science Museum"

(not that i have a son....)

or when you decide to go modern and throw away a couple of ribbed side hoppers  not knowing that all you had to do was replace the bentendorf trucks to roller bearings XD

[CTValleyRR]

I have a home-made fixture made of scrap 1x lumber nailed and glued into a U shape, into which I put scraps of foam rubber to make a cradle on which I can work on a loco upside down without holding it or damaging it. 

I have 2!

 So is that like, "You're not a real modeler until you make your own jigs and fixtures!"

Useful to have, aren't they?

[CTValleyRR]

CTValleyRR - Thanks a lot for the tutorial!!  It's copied into my 'puter!!

If you try it and get stuck, shoot me a PM and I'll try to help out!

[lvanhen]

CTValley - Thanks for the offer, but your tutorial makes it easy even for my 10 tthumbs!!

Edit:  Even the ones that can't type!!

[mj5890]

If you just glued  weights to a bottom of a car with CA then you flip it over but all the CA isn't dry so it runs down the side of the car right where your thumb is and you glue your thumb to the car right over the last of a decal you have that you put on the car not even a hour ago, then you panic and pull it off fast, whichs rips that great decal right off 

Joe

[loathar]

 600 watts a side stereo system is playing train sounds. (sure get some odd looks from people walking by)

 

 You know what your LHS has in stock better than the owner!

I've got 320 watts/side Onkyo and get the same looks from my neighbors.

I just went into a new Hobbytown USA and had to show the owner that he actually had 5 of the 6 items he told me he didn't carry. Got the standard "People don't play with trains anymore" answer from the guy...

[Buddah]

   wow all of thse post are great and make me laugh, heres a few that all happened to me recently.. since I just moved.

#301) Before moving had multiple arguements with the wife about the location of my layout.

#302) found the house of our dreams but I didnt like it for it had a finished basement, the 2 car Garage is too small so its not an option.

#303) Had to give the misses the pros and cons of letting me have the basement for my layout instead of turning it into a family room and guest area as she wanted. ( even after she tried to bribe me with a 60" flat screen LCD TV )

#304) when my 2 year old son knows how to say choo-choo better than mommie.   

#305) when my 9 year old son is waking me up early saturday morning to go to the train show 100+ miles away at 6 am in the morning, when we plan to move into our new house the next day. 

#306)  U sneak out of work early just to stop by your LHS and make it home before the wife knows I detoured!

#307)when the debate for your layouts placement goes from Basement.... to.... garage..... to ....I will remove the roof and build a new floor above the previous one. ( making my 2-story house into a 3-story one)

 #308)When U map out the back yard for your Train .. ooops I mean "storage" shed U tell the wife about.  lol

#309)when moving day comes and no one is allowed to move ANY of your train parafanalia, and not to mention your prize posesion Loco's rides in the front seat next to you. 

#310) IN my case when the wife does NOT leave or give the.. ITS ME OR THE TRAINS SPEACH! like so many others have posted, My wife took the demotion. In a war she knew she wasn't going to win, SO She calls the trains my WIFE and shes the MISTRESS.

[lvanhen]

   wow all of thse post are great and make me laugh, heres a few that all happened to me recently.. since I just moved.

#310) IN my case when the wife does NOT leave or give the.. ITS ME OR THE TRAINS SPEACH! like so many others have posted, My wife took the demotion. In a war she knew she wasn't going to win, SO She calls the trains my WIFE and shes the MISTRESS.

The Mrs. being the mistress may not be a bad thing if . . . . . .

[stokesda]

You have cars and engines shipped to where you work so you won't hear it from the wife!

Good one, Ken! I've seriously considered doing that before, but I've always just sucked it up and had them sent to the house anyway.

 

How about these?

- you've ever told yourself "I can quit buying freight cars any time I want."

- you've ever bought an unusual freight car just because you thought it looked cool. Then you bought another one or two, just so it wouldn't look lonely or out of place.

- you've ever run two cars with the same road number, and hoped that nobody would notice.

- you're exicted to see the final season of "The Sopranos" because you heard that Bobby has a model railroad layout, but when you see it you are disappointed to realize he really has a "toy train" layout, and there is a distinct difference... but nobody cares when you try to explain it to them.

[MOPACnut]

-you've ever run two cars with the same road number, and hoped that nobody would notice.

guilty. in fact my 21 car OGEX coal train still has 2 or 3 of the same numbers despite my best efforts. noody's noticed though because nobody's seen it.

Oh @#%* now all of  you know

[Packer]

You have equipment from more than one RR. (I have some DRGW stuff now)

You spend more on trains in one day than you ever did on a girlfriend in 6 months. (guilty, I spent 180 in a day, I only spent 60 in 6 months for my ex-girlfriend)

You have more engines than your mother has shoes. (Never will be guilty, I doubt all of us put together has more shoes than her [I have 11 locomotives, she has 3 closest full of shoes, in addition to a garage of them {which is why I don't have a layout anymore, the shoes took it over}])

You spent more than 200 bucks on an engine, that isn't even DCC ready or painted. (not guilty, can't afford brass)

When you spend more on trains than you ever did on your car. (guilty, my car cost 1600, I've spent over 2000 on trains)

When you wonder if you should get payed to haul long trains on club layouts. (guilty, me and a couple of other people run trains over 30 cars long. I've gone up to 60 with with 2 engines, they hit around 50-70 with 3 or more)

[RicHamilton]

You spend more on trains in one day than you ever did on a girlfriend in 6 months. (guilty, I spent 180 in a day, I only spent 60 in 6 months for my ex-girlfriend)

And now you know why she is the ex....

[Anonymous]

You run your locomotives to tease your pets( I know this is cruel, but it is funny)

lean over the layout and get senic stuff on your shirt......I hate when that happens

You scratchbuild a Locmotive then learn it is available allready built

[Flashwave]

You run your locomotives to tease your pets( I know this is cruel, but it is funny)

lean over the layout and get senic stuff on your shirt......I hate when that happens

You scratchbuild a Locmotive then learn it will be available allready built

The more usual case. And I;ve pulled 70 with one engine, club record is 90. How he got past stringlining I'll never know.

[lvanhen]

You have more engines than your mother has shoes. (Never will be guilty, I doubt all of us put together has more shoes than her [I have 11 locomotives, she has 3 closest full of shoes, in addition to a garage of them {which is why I don't have a layout anymore, the shoes took it over}])

Your mother is Imelda Marcos?

[leejax01]

You are a model railroader when you don't mind doing those honey-do's...especially if they are in the general(term used very loosely) direction of the hobby shop. " No honey, I insist....really, really, I don't mind, but you know how traffic can be, It may take an hour...atleast."

You are a model railroader when you take apart a perfectly good loco/rolling stock to "superdetail" it and it ends up as "weathered".

You are a model railroader when the train show vendors know you by name and they ask, " Are you going to get that loco that you haggled over for the last 3 years to save $4.53"? 

You are a real model railroader when as you build your layout, people ask you, "How can you stand those fumes?" You reply, "What fumes?"

Finally, you are a REAL model railroader when you will deny yourself food in order to buy more train stuff. That's a hardcore modeler right there.

[boston1943]

Your not a real modeler until the owner of your local hobby shop knows you by name and has memorized your phone number and pay-day.

[Blue Flamer]

you wake your wife up in bed about a idea you have for the layout, and ask her opinion on it. 

 

Did this many years ago, but it was about food. I was on the 4 - 12 shift as a Gas Co. Serviceman and I got a late call to turn the gas back on in a classy restaurant after a minor fire in the exhaust vent. After I got all the equipment back on, the Chef sat me down and asked if I would like an order of Garlic Escargo in butter and a coffee as he had two orders made up and due to the long wait, the customers had left. I told him that I had never tried them. He said, "you'll like them". He sat me down at the Chefs Table in the kitchen and at 1:30AM I tried my first Escargo. One word, DELICIOUS. After mopping up all the melted butter with the crusty bread the chef came over and asked how they were and I told him. He said there is another order keeping warm if you want it. So down went another order of Escargo, crusty bread and coffee.

When I got home at gone 2:30AM, I woke the wife and told her what I had tried and that she was going to have to try them the next time we went out. She was NOT amused. You see, she had to get up at 6:30AM to go to work.

She got even with me though. She had always loved raw oysters on the 1/2 shell and was always trying to get me to try them. UGH! So she would try Escargo, but only if I tried raw oysters. Now we are both addicted to both of them.

BUT, she has still not forgiven me for waking her up at 2:30AM+ to tell her about the Escargo.

Blue Flamer. 

[easyaces]

You have'nt run the layout in a few days ,and when you do you find  mice, spiders, etc., have nested or set up shop in one of your tunnels and on a runthru you suddenly have passengers !

[stokesda]

Just remembered a few more:

You spend more on your model railroad annually than most third world countries spend on the real thing.

Your tax refund check arrives on the same day as the new issue of Model Railroader... and you open the magazine first.

You show your layout to friends, and the first thing they say is "How long did it take you to build this?" followed shortly by "How fast can it go?"

(Disclaimer: all of these were from a previous thread from a couple of years ago called "You might be a model railroader if," so I can't take credit for their originality. Same for the first two ones I listed on my previous post - forgot to mention that the first time! )

[TheK4Kid]

When cleaning up your "stash" you realize you have enough unbuilt kits of structures/rolling stock/scenery details to last past 2050!

Glad to know I.m not the ONLY ONE to have this problem! LOL!

TheK4Kid

[Anonymous]

untill your local hobby shop has a Tab for you

[sleeper33]

1,your office desk drawers ar full of kits, paint mr mags and rollingstock

2. you run a switching layout on your bosses desk

3. a display case in work contains finished kits from no. 1

 

(all True)

Gav

[trainfan1221]

You have'nt run the layout in a few days ,and when you do you find  mice, spiders, etc., have nested or set up shop in one of your tunnels and on a runthru you suddenly have passengers !

If this is happening then you have a slightly bigger problem than not running your layout for a few days.

[Packer]

You spend more on trains in one day than you ever did on a girlfriend in 6 months. (guilty, I spent 180 in a day, I only spent 60 in 6 months for my ex-girlfriend)

And now you know why she is the ex....

Actually, I dumped her. She just got mad about it.

You have more engines than your mother has shoes. (Never will be guilty, I doubt all of us put together has more shoes than her [I have 11 locomotives, she has 3 closest full of shoes, in addition to a garage of them {which is why I don't have a layout anymore, the shoes took it over}])

Your mother is Imelda Marcos?

How did you know (she was philipino)?

You have at least 1 sound-equipped loco (became guilty a week ago)

[electrolove]

...you modeled the Rio Grande in HO scale :-)

[Packer]

...you modeled the Rio Grande in HO scale :-)

About half my fleet is Rio Grande (GP40, FT-ABA and FT-ABB sets)

[Anonymous]

you spend more time in your train room then at work

[nscaler711]

.........you decide to super-detail a super-detailed locomotive! XD

or when you finaly decide on switching eras, and coasts right after you have built your east coast layout and paid $1000's on frieght cars (yea i did that, i now model Modern UP.....after i did the whole 70's CR.....and early CSX...... )

[highhood63]

In a dead sleep you mumble. "Train...Train" smile really big and continue sleeping.

 I actually did this one night acording to my wife.

[Buddah]

you have done everything you can think of in the model world, and now the only thing you dream of is.........

How can I get my hands on the real thing?

Would I get a tax break if I opened a Train museum?

Can I build a spur off my closest branch line to my backyard? 

[moelarrycurly4]

...Your tax refund check arrives on the same day as the new issue of Model Railroader... and you open the magazine first......

 

 

Guilty

[steemtrayn]

...you've built a westwood kit.