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Bonehead Club of Model Railroading

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  • Member since
    June 2008
  • 598 posts
Posted by tin can on Friday, August 14, 2009 3:40 PM

Arjay1969

 I'm chuckling at this thread. :)

My modular club was set up for a month in an old building downtown where I live.  One of our members decided that it would be a good idea to do some scenery work (ballasting, I believe) one evening after the doors were locked.  It wasn't until we started to take the modules down that he realized that the glue had gotten in between the modules, and now we had four modules glued quite firmly together.

And a couple of times at my local permanent layout club, I've been puzzled as to why the locomotives won't work even after I've turned on the power to our DCC system (Digitrax), only to have someone else remind me to turn the track power on.

I guess I can't tell the story about how you got your nickname; that would have to be told on a railfanning thread...Whistling

When we were buying the lumber for said modules; I took a couple of guys to our local lumbertorium to help in the selection of the lumber.  One of the guys was, well, just different.  I knew where to go to get our lumber, but different guy just has to ask the first lumbertorium employee he sees, at the top of his lungs, at mach 1.2, "Hiwe'refromthebrazosvalleymodularrailroadclub.We'regoingtobuildamodularrailroad.Doyouhaveanyplywoodand1x4's?"

I don't think I have ever been so embarrassed; don't know why, at the time, I owned a hobby shop.  Second guy and I excused our selves and got what we needed...  We should have left different guy there to tell our story; because he told anyone and everyone what we were doing...

 

 

Remember the tin can; the MKT's central Texas branch...
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: Sunny SoCal
  • 423 posts
Posted by Margaritaman on Friday, August 14, 2009 3:07 PM

Good timing!

I like to collect the first run Broadway Limited locos that are QSI and fully DCC equipped.  Because I wanted to double head my ATSF #3751 but didn't want to spend the bucks so I thought I'd buy the Blueline #3754.

Received it, put it on the track, darn it, won't go.  Made plenty of noise but had this silly buzz.  Packed it up, back inside, start to go to their website and then it hit me...DUH you d.a., put a decoder in it.  Got one from the stash and all is good.  Good thing it didn't have teeth!

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Columbia, Pa.
  • 1,592 posts
Posted by Grampys Trains on Friday, August 14, 2009 2:40 PM

 Yeah, let's see. Early in the ballasting phase, I'd sit the bottle of Scenic Cement on the layout. Yep, knocked the bottle over and had a big pond of cement to clean up and a section of track to re-ballast.DJ.

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Williamsville, ILL
  • 3,698 posts
Posted by TMarsh on Friday, August 14, 2009 2:20 PM

davekelly
"shouldn't you run the wires into the hole on the side of the box before connecting everything together?"

Oh that's the silliest thing I've ever heard. That couldn't happen to anyone....... other than me. It was a light fixture. So how long do you think I looked at the thing trying to figure out why the fixture wouldn't attach to the box correctly. That we won't go into. Last fixture in a hurry to get done, I've told you the rest.

As for modeling, I'll need to get my book out and make a hard decision as to which is the boneheadedness. Hard decision.

 

Todd  

Central Illinoyz

In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.

I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk. Laugh

  • Member since
    August 2001
  • From: Nebraska
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Posted by RedGrey62 on Friday, August 14, 2009 2:03 PM

Okay

Pretty sure we've all heard warnings about don't solder under the layout (or module in this case) while wearing shorts, did it, nuff said.

The even dumber thing happened when I was soldering on top of the layout and someone had to pass under the wire.  Somehow, I managed to turn the soldering iron in just the right direction and bend/twist my head just right that I burned my own neck with the thing!  Of course we had a full crew on that night and everyone had a good laugh, well, almost everyone....ouch.

Ricky

"...Mother Nature will always punish the incompetent and uninformed." Bill Barney from Thor's Legions
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Rhode Island
  • 2,216 posts
Posted by davekelly on Friday, August 14, 2009 1:33 PM

Arjay1969

 And a couple of times at my local permanent layout club, I've been puzzled as to why the locomotives won't work even after I've turned on the power to our DCC system (Digitrax), only to have someone else remind me to turn the track power on.

Well at least you remembered to plug the thing in.  It's amazing how much better electric stuff runs when the plug is in the outlet - Don't ask how I know this or how many times I've proven it.

If you ain't having fun, you're not doing it right and if you are having fun, don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong.
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: College Station, TX
  • 675 posts
Posted by Arjay1969 on Friday, August 14, 2009 1:25 PM

 I'm chuckling at this thread. :)

 

My modular club was set up for a month in an old building downtown where I live.  One of our members decided that it would be a good idea to do some scenery work (ballasting, I believe) one evening after the doors were locked.  It wasn't until we started to take the modules down that he realized that the glue had gotten in between the modules, and now we had four modules glued quite firmly together.

And a couple of times at my local permanent layout club, I've been puzzled as to why the locomotives won't work even after I've turned on the power to our DCC system (Digitrax), only to have someone else remind me to turn the track power on.

Robert Beaty

The Laughing Hippie

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The CF-7...a waste of a perfectly good F-unit!

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Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the

end of your tunnel, Was just a freight train coming

your way.          -Metallica, No Leaf Clover

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  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 14, 2009 1:20 PM

trainnut57
Number two, and one EVERYBODY probably knows: Never try to spread ground cover on a specific area with a fan blowing at your backDead. "Nuff said!!

 

Some fans are actually strong enough to knock the top containers in double-stack cars right off the car... (don't ask!) I don't want to see what would happen with ground cover!

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
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Posted by BRAKIE on Friday, August 14, 2009 1:18 PM

Let's see then..

I have a right to remain silent..

 I have protection under the fifth Amendment.

 

'nough said..Evil

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Rhode Island
  • 2,216 posts
Posted by davekelly on Friday, August 14, 2009 1:09 PM

There are times I think I could be the king of "don't ask me how I know this" !

Let's see: I have built two left or right sides for structures on a couple of occassions (I refuse to say how many).  I've also, when soldering stuff to circuitboards, forgot that when I flip the board over everything is on the opposite side.  Related to that - ever notice that solder connections that have to be redone because the wrong thingies were soldered together are usually the nice shiny solid ones? I also once totally undid a dcc decoder install cause I was sure I messed it up cause the loco's light didn't come on.  After redoing the whole thing I remembered the little button on the throttle with the "lightbulb" picture on it.  Then there was the time I was showing my wife how to wire in a new outlet as I was putting in a new junction box above the layout.  Things were going on fine and I felt like such the instructor until she said "shouldn't you run the wires into the hole on the side of the box before connecting everything together?" 

Oh well - if we learn from our mistakes I must be a genius!! Laugh

If you ain't having fun, you're not doing it right and if you are having fun, don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong.
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: 5 miles west of Erie GE Locomotive Division
  • 170 posts
Bonehead Club of Model Railroading
Posted by trainnut57 on Friday, August 14, 2009 12:59 PM

SoapBox Okay, somewhere out there are some really honest modelers who won't be afraid to admit to at least one bonehead incident in their model building. I'll start it out and let see who will add onto this:

Actually I have two recent ones: I was working with "Instant Water" and had my lake perfectly formed right to the edge of a waterfall. During the setting process, I noticed a little bit along the shoreline that needed a tad more ground cover. Did I wait until the surface was dry? No. Always in a partial rush, I scooped up a spoonful of Woodland Scenice Blended Earth, and as the spoon made its way to the spot it had to go, it dropped a good portion of the load right into my lake. Angry Okay, so I can call it a sandbar, it doesn't look so good to me.Sign - Oops

Number two, and one EVERYBODY probably knows: Never try to spread ground cover on a specific area with a fan blowing at your backDead. "Nuff said!!

So who's next? We could have some fun with this one.

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