We learn through experience and mistakes. So, to help everyone learn without having to make as many mistake, I created this thread to share our mistakes and make each other smarter.
Some of my mistakes/lessons:
1. Check a turnout before you go through it, especailly if you might stop on it. I have gone through turnouts that were lined for the other direction. My turnouts will let you go through, but if you stop and go the other way, you will have the train stretching between two tracks, and you many not catch your mistake in time, and cause a derailment.
2. Don't leave a tube of glue on its side, it will only leak and make a mess. Prop you glue tube upright, so it will stay in the tube. Also, don't let the glue set up before you use it.
Here is a mistake I am sure alot of us make. And one I am not so sure I have learned yet..... PATIENCE!
Another is dont leave your small parts in a micro-cleaner and take a lunch break thinking the extra time will only make them cleaner. It will destroy them! Ruined a set of drivers that way. Some happy meal that was.
Never throw anything away (unless it is really trash)! Pack-Rat is an acceptable socialism in Model Railroading. Tossed alot of parts and left over supplies I wish I still had.
Mistakes are costly so I try to avoid them.
However..
Where to start?
Well,suffice it to say after almost 60 years in the hobby I made my share of mistakes some costly,some not so much and the down right stupid mistakes like last week when I sliced my finger with a X-Acto knife..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Don't look at them as mistakes - rather they are 'learning experiences.'
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
Once I thought I made a mistake, but then found I was mistaken.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Not so long ago, I started my what I thought to be my final layout - On30 shelf type switching layout. I took utmost care planning it, with many iterations. It was intended to be the epitome of my 50+ years as a model railroader.
To cut things short, it won´t be my final layout! Why?
Despite a quite solid foundation of experience in building layouts, I made a number of mistakes during planning and construction, mistakes which cannot be remedied easily.
Now you will be asking how that could happen? I don´t know. I should have and I did know better! My best guess is I was so happy to be able to start a new layout that I rushed into building it, as I was too eager to see the first train running.
I will take down this layout and start all over again, this time hopefully avoiding costly mistakes!
Never stick your fingers in a blender without unplugging it first. I was chopping up some lichen a year or so ago when I did this bone headed move that sent me to the ER. Luckily I still have the top of my finger.
Joe Staten Island West
The old phrase "measure twice cut once" is timehonored yet it is still needed. So is thinking about where to measure, and how many guys scratchbuilding their first structure, or house car, forgot that either the end overlaps the sides, or the sides overlap the ends? So you cut where you measured (twice) but you failed to measure right. (Surely I can't be the only one.)
One mistake that I have made and I know others have made is when designing a track plan. Few things are more misleading when drawing a track plan than having the track represented by a line. Lines can do all sorts of things that tracks -- and the trains that run on them -- cannot do. A yard made up of lines can give even a small layout a yard that looks like Enola or Proviso -- and then actual tracks are laid and you realize -- well no I cannot fit a 20 track yard in that space. I could fit twenty lines, but not twenty tracks.
And when actually laying track, once you progress beyond snap track and start laying flex track, or even handlaying your track, you start to encounter the marvelous things a saw or rail nipper can do - why, you can neatly join all manner of tracks so that they look great. And then you try to run a train or even a single car over it and discover you can create a kink of impossible radius or angle.
On the scale of little tiny mistakes that still irk, what of the nicely assembled craftsman caboose made of wood and small metal detail parts, nearing completion and then you realize that the instructions said nothing about adding weight, but weight is surely needed. And now the body of the caboose is sealed and glued and detailed. You "know" a caboose or any piece of rolling stock needs weight. But you didn't "know" it when building this kit because the instructions assumed you knew, and said nothing.
This thread is starting to depress me all over again.
Dave Nelson
Like most here, I have made my fair share of mistakes over the years, but I like to think I learened from them. Rather than list my mistakes, which would put most of you to sleep, I'll share some of my favorite words:
1) See the Herny Ford quote in my signature.
2) "The man who mankes no mistakes commonly never makes anything." (I think that was Mark Twain, but not sure).
3) "It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." --Franklin D. Roosevelt.
4) "It is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena..." -- Theodore Roosevelt.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
i often make the mistake of being afraid to make mistakes
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
I'm doing my first significant bit of scenery right now.
Two suggestions:
Do an experiment first, if you don't KNOW that it'll work. For example, I've tried doing the static grass thing on a piece of scrap wood, just to see how it goes. Also, I heard of a glue for styrofoam--I tried it first on scrap.
The other thing is to take lots of breaks--don't rush. As this thing has moved along, I'm surprised how much I see/learn by just walkin' out and staring at the project for awhile.
Ed
I don't recall what mistakes I made on my 4x6 Ho layout in Jr High, but the primary mistake on my 5x10 1980s layout (Atlas custom turnouts and flex track, on cork) was not learning how to effectivly lay somewhat bulletproof (re; derailments) trackwork. Poor running reliability was a definite factor in not progressing past track stage.
On my current 2-1/2 year journey, again around 5x10. Firstly, I may regret someday (if we move) that I did not make the layout with connected sections that could be moved and reassembled with minimal effort. Secondly, when negotiating for space, I learned that what I built was viewed as "big", so I could have built bigger (in the same room) with the same reaction, possibly even a different (non-rectangular, not "too wide" style).
I don't have enough time to list my smaller mistakes. Some are inevitable; e.g., taking locos apart, even partially, opens up lots of negative opportunities. Recently I succeeded in changing my Genesis "tires" but not without bending, then breaking an eccentric rod. Thanks to Athearn I was able to repair that (with phone consultation) successfully as they had the right parts.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
When working with LEDs or low voltage light bulbs, ALWAYS!!! install the resistors at the same time!!!!
Don't ask me how I know this! OK, go ahead and ask - I am on my third set of 1.5V light bulbs in my HOn30 engine house:
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
"Failure is not an Option" is the most stupid statement that has ever been made! Failure is reality! We learn by failure and failure is how we succeed! Anyone who does not understand this is an idiot! Fail fast, succeed fast!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
gregc i often make the mistake of being afraid to make mistakes
That's a biggie.Me, I found out the hard way that if it requires stupidly elaborate benchwork, it's time to reassess the situation and do it with much simpler benchwork. Benchwork should never look like it was built by Dr. Seuss.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
NP2626 "Failure is not an Option" is the most stupid statement that has ever been made! Failure is reality! We learn by failure and failure is how we succeed! Anyone who does not understand this is an idiot! Fail fast, succeed fast!
At a manufacturing company I worked at for several years had this sign by the time clock:
Mistakes is not a option..Mistakes costs money,lost production and unsatisfied customers.
Do your part in keeping our customers happy..
Take pictures of your work and study them. You'll be surprised what the eyes alone miss.
joe323 Take pictures of your work and study them. You'll be surprised what the eyes alone miss.
Those are words of much wisdom..The camera shows all defects even if the car,scenery etc looks good to our eyes..
BRAKIE NP2626 "Failure is not an Option" is the most stupid statement that has ever been made! Failure is reality! We learn by failure and failure is how we succeed! Anyone who does not understand this is an idiot! Fail fast, succeed fast! At a manufacturing company I worked at for several years had this sign by the time clock: Mistakes is not a option..Mistakes costs money,lost production and unsatisfied customers. Do your part in keeping our customers happy.
Do your part in keeping our customers happy.
Did the sign stop everyone from making mistakes? Mistakes, like failures, are inevitable. I think it is possible to cut down on mistakes; but, am doubtful of being able to eliminate all of them. Many of the mistakes and failures made by manufacturing companies are made by management. My guess is this isn't limited to manufacturing.
If you say this, you don't understand the quote or the concept involved. It should be a guiding principle for everyone.
"Failure is not an option" means failure as an end state is not acceptable, the mindset that you will succeed in what you set out to do. It does not mean that you will not experience failures, mistakes and setbacks along the way. Remember the apocryphal quote attributed to Thomas Edison, "I haven't failed. I've just discovered 1000 ways NOT to make a lightbulb."
NP2626 BRAKIE NP2626 "Failure is not an Option" is the most stupid statement that has ever been made! Failure is reality! We learn by failure and failure is how we succeed! Anyone who does not understand this is an idiot! Fail fast, succeed fast! At a manufacturing company I worked at for several years had this sign by the time clock: Mistakes is not a option..Mistakes costs money,lost production and unsatisfied customers. Do your part in keeping our customers happy. Did the sign stop everyone from making mistakes? Mistakes, like failures, are inevitable. I think it is possible to cut down on mistakes; but, am doubtful of being able to eliminate all of them. Many of the mistakes and failures made by manufacturing companies are made by management. My guess is this isn't limited to manufacturing.
You show a remarkable disinclination or inability to separate process from outcome.
The underlying principle here is that employees should not accept mistakes as an envitable outcome. The message is try not make mistakes. It does not imply that a process involving human beings should be error free. The employee who makes a mistake on the assembly line should be focused on correcting it then and there, not on passing a substandard product down the line as "acceptable". Granted, the referenced sign doesn't communicate that very well, but that's the message.
Kyle... to help everyone learn without having to make as many mistake, I created this thread to share our mistakes and make each other smarter.
I have two major mistakes that are related to long-term layout planning.
1: Failure to anticipate heating/cooling needs - led to a delay of 4 years before the trainroom space was habitable year-round.
2: Building the layout with duck-unders, assuming I would never be hosting guest operators who were "osteo-challenged". I wound up spending 4 years razing, redesigning, and rebuilding my layout.
-Ken in Maryland (B&O modeler, former CSX modeler)
CTValleyRR NP2626 "Failure is not an Option" is the most stupid statement that has ever been made! Failure is reality! We learn by failure and failure is how we succeed! Anyone who does not understand this is an idiot! Fail fast, succeed fast! If you say this, you don't understand the quote or the concept involved. It should be a guiding principle for everyone. "Failure is not an option" means failure as an end state is not acceptable, the mindset that you will succeed in what you set out to do. It does not mean that you will not experience failures, mistakes and setbacks along the way. Remember the apocryphal quote attributed to Thomas Edison, "I haven't failed. I've just discovered 1000 ways NOT to make a lightbulb."
While it certainly is true I was not at the latest "Failure is not and OPTION" Pep Fest and do not know the full story. I can only use my 31 years of being in business for myself as reference. "Failure" was always a possibility that did not get in the way of the ultimate successes that define who I ultimately am. I'm saying that perserverence is the route to succeeds. Can we agree on this?
CSX_road_slug Kyle ... to help everyone learn without having to make as many mistake, I created this thread to share our mistakes and make each other smarter. I have two major mistakes that are related to long-term layout planning. 1: Failure to anticipate heating/cooling needs - led to a delay of 4 years before the trainroom space was habitable year-round. 2: Building the layout with duck-unders, assuming I would never be hosting guest operators who were "osteo-challenged". I wound up spending 4 years razing, redesigning, and rebuilding my layout.
Kyle ... to help everyone learn without having to make as many mistake, I created this thread to share our mistakes and make each other smarter.
I learned early on about others MISTAKES! as I tried to visit as many other Layouts as possible to see how they were built and ran!
The biggest mistake I found - is that the OWNER believed that smaller aisles must be better as 99% had them!
They assumed (incorrectly) no one would ever be visiting the layouts let alone trying to OPERATE it besides themselves!
Now they had a worthless layout as no one wanted to run the layout or see it!
It wasn't because the layout wasn't done well - it was - UNFORTUNATELY - YOU could't get in close enough as the scenes were too far back - aisles too NARROW and the list just went on and on!
SO I knew from the start on my current layout - what I needed to do to make it VISITOR/OPERATOR Friendly!
Wide aisles - Turnout controls located at the front of the layout - A SWING Bridge to get into the layout!
This is the problem with those Modelers that think they are lone wolves - in the end - once they find others that are also interested (another Lone Wolf) now they want to share their layouts and find that having build the layout for ONLY ONE - is now NO Fun to run on!
So in the end they either quit Modeling (as they don't want to tear down all of the work - but find it is no fun to Operate) or they tear down the current layout and spend years getting it back up and running (as SO MANY have stated on the Forums that they have done)!
It doesn't cost any more to plan ahead in in the long run - will be cheaper!
Talking from Experience Here!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Sucess is more governed by persitance than most other things!!!!!!!! Also learn from others mistakes, you can make new ones!
As have most of the people here who have been in this hobby; or, other hobbies and life know, if they can be honest with themselves, much is learned by mistakes, misscalculations and missunderstandings. It is a part of the learning process. Many times I have gone back and changed something that did not work, got screwed up by a misscalculation and even started over, when soemething just didn't turn out the way I planned/hoped. Every mistake I have made has helped me do better in the future and I have no problem with having made them!
In one instance, I built a grade into my layout that was 4%, I had planned to use helpers to get up that grade. However, after running the layout for a couple years, I decided that a 4% grade was more work than I wanted, so I redesigned this portion of the layout and split the grade in two, to 2% and I like how the layout works far better now. Maybe it wasn't a mistake making this grade 4% originally; but, after some time I found that I didn't like how it worked and decided a change would make things better!
cmrproductsThe biggest mistake I found - is that the OWNER believed that smaller aisles must be better as 99% had them!
The biggest mistakes I have seen was the owner accepting derailments as part of the operation and add those narrow aisles and the layout had serious issues that can only lead to frustration.
All it would have taken is a 5 minute check of the wheels,truck screws couplers,and trip pin height,laying good solid track work checking switches and like you said some planing ahead.
NP2626 CTValleyRR NP2626 "Failure is not an Option" is the most stupid statement that has ever been made! Failure is reality! We learn by failure and failure is how we succeed! Anyone who does not understand this is an idiot! Fail fast, succeed fast! If you say this, you don't understand the quote or the concept involved. It should be a guiding principle for everyone. "Failure is not an option" means failure as an end state is not acceptable, the mindset that you will succeed in what you set out to do. It does not mean that you will not experience failures, mistakes and setbacks along the way. Remember the apocryphal quote attributed to Thomas Edison, "I haven't failed. I've just discovered 1000 ways NOT to make a lightbulb." While it certainly is true I was not at the latest "Failure is not and OPTION" Pep Fest and do not know the full story. I can only use my 31 years of being in business for myself as reference. "Failure" was always a possibility that did not get in the way of the ultimate successes that define who I ultimately am. I'm saying that perserverence is the route to succeeds. Can we agree on this?
Amen, Brother!
I have started to come to the conclusion that not only is failure an option, it is often my only option. On the other hand I never make misteaks.
BRAKIEAt a manufacturing company I worked at for several years had this sign by the time clock: Mistakes is not a option..Mistakes costs money,lost production and unsatisfied customers.Do your part in keeping our customers happy..
Mistakes is not a option..Mistakes costs money,lost production and unsatisfied customers.Do your part in keeping our customers happy..