Trains are my second hobby. My first, it would seem, is plumbing the depths of my own idiocy. Story as follows:
Currently working on laying out the yard approach on the main level of the Miracle Mile. Notable features include three #6 turnouts along a curved yard lead, part of which connects to the first reverse loop i've ever wired. Predictably, I put the insulating joiners in the wrong spot and suddenly needed to replace two recently soldered metal joiners. Of course with the track latexed, soldered, and connected to the power bus i sought the least bothersome way to insulate the correct area. The classic solution is to cut gaps in the rails with a dremel and cutting wheel. I don't own a dremel.
I do, however, own a grinder.
Please give me some credit; at least I thought to have a fire extinguisher nearby. No fires resulted. What DID result was two rails sporting a charred 3/8" gap between them; trains weren't so much in danger of falling off the gap but were rather likely to fall INTO it. Lesson learned, grinder sheepishly returned to cubby hole from whence it came.
For what it's worth, the non-stupid solution (desoldering the suddenly gap-toothed section of rail and carefully installing a replacement) worked very well...
Any other tales of woeful and embarrassing numbskullitude?
Stu
Streamlined steam, oh, what a dream!!
I recently installed a 9 pin plug for DCC into a non DCC engine. I installed the black and red wire to the motor, and the gray and orange wires to the power pickup. This is backwards; the red and black are the power pickup and the orange and gray are the motor leads.
The $50.00 decoder lasted 5 seconds and then went up in smoke.
Stu:
Well at least you didn't use a chainsaw or an axe!
South Penn:
I think the decoder was doing very well to last 5 seconds! It was obviously top of the line! (just to rub it in a bit).
I have had my blockhead moments. My problem is that I regularly forget to install the resistors with LEDs. I have done it a few times. Invariably the LED has been buried inside a locomotive with tons of epoxy holding it in place. I have even made sure to glue the LED leads in place so they don't get caught when the shell goes back on.
I can happily report that LEDs are actually fairly easy to drill through, and a Dremel grinder works great for getting rid of the wires that have been rendered useless.
The worst part is knowing that I will likely do it again!
Cheers all!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Spending 2&1/2 hours trouble shooting between computer (Decoderpro) and programming track, before realizing the USB cable was not plugged in.......
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Yes, Dave, yes! That's exactly how i let the smoke out on my first decoder install, no resistors. Right up there with needing stitches on my hand after trying to strip bus wire insulation with a hunting knife. Feeling stupid is at least a familiar sensation...
Ricky:
How hard did you smack yourself in the head when you realized the USB cable wasn't plugged in?
That sounds like something I would do. At least now I won't feel so bad if I do it knowing that I am in good company!
I got myself a bunch of stitches a few years ago after doing as many things wrong with an X-acto knife as could be imagined. I remember it was on Father's Day. Fortunately the blade was fresh so I hardly felt it. The worst part of the whole dumb adventure was having the stitches removed by an elderly nurse with very shakey hands!
The finger tip is still numb.
RastafarrAny other tales of woeful and embarrassing numbskullitude?
Again, while laying track or more specifically, placing Tortoise switch machines under the layout.
I mis-judged the hole for the actuating wire, that ever happen to you??
Well, I needed to open one side of the hole only about 1/4" but since the switch was in place above I sure couldn't use a saw or rasp.
Rotozip to the rescue! While reclining in my scoot-around chair I set the Rotozip depth to exactly 3/4" + maybe 1/32" so it would clear the ties on the switch, allowing for the 1/4" roadbed.
Now I'm reaching up with this razor-sharp bit spinning at 33,000 RPM ready to work it into the hole and...
I drop it! Since there was about 250 pounds of flesh between it and the floor it landed squarely on my chest with the spinning bit aimed at my neck!
You want to see somebody sweat bullets! S-l-o-w-l-y I reached for the tool, of course the cord was wrapped around my free arm, and fortunately, I was able to hold the tool to turn it off before I lost any blood!
No one was home at the time. I can just imagine what the medical examiner would have written in that report!
Having Fun with Model Railroading!
Ed
RastafarrWhat DID result was two rails sporting a charred 3/8" gap between them
Fill the gaps with pieces of styrene using CA; when dry smooth with a fine file or sandpaper, particularly on the inside surface of the rail head. Gaps that big could cause derailments.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
G Paine Rastafarr What DID result was two rails sporting a charred 3/8" gap between them Fill the gaps with pieces of styrene using CA; when dry smooth with a fine file or sandpaper, particularly on the inside surface of the rail head. Gaps that big could cause derailments.
Rastafarr What DID result was two rails sporting a charred 3/8" gap between them
Hah! I love it! Just like how having a piano dropped on your head can cause a bad hair day. Brilliant!
I have cut every finger on my left hand at least once with my hobby knives. From one error with a knife, I have a roughly oval-shaped scar on my left index finger from when a knife slipped. I was doing some kitbashing to create a large building for my layout. It used parts from three DPM Laube's Linen Mill kits. (The long walls were glued together with all the windows for one side and the doors for the other.) I was getting the center brick detail from two end walls in order to have a center section to glue the other four building ends together. (One end type on each end.) The knife slipped and I ended up with a 1/4" x 3/8" scar. (I still have the building to this day. It anchors a good sized industrial area.)
I hand lay all my turnouts. Cheap and reliable. Mostly. This one, I just could not get it to work. Having exhausted every conceivable solution to it's stubbornness, I, in the heat of frusteration, decided it's easier to replace it than fight it anymore. I reached in and just yanked it off the layout. It's joints were soldered to connecting track. As I recall (it's been about 15 years)I think I "took out" about 2 or 3 good ones along with the offending one.
Oops, excuse me, I entered the layout asylum by mistake. I will close the door on the way out.
Rich
Alton Junction
Stu,That's why I never solder my rail joints since I'm guarantee to make a miscalculation by at least by a inch----usually less.
Since I plan my track as I go you can bet the farm I will spike a switch in the wrong location even after laying everything out and making adjustments as needed.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
After spending an hour painstakingly ballasting the mainline through town and applying the approved white glue/water mix I left it to dry. Came back later and the glue was almost dry so I pulled out the brad I used to hold the track in position until the glue was dry. The brad said I'm not ready yet and resisted my efforts. I applied a little more effort and the brad came out - along with another two feet of freshly ballasted track and a turnout. I put the pliers down, turned off the light, and went upstairs.
Tom
Life is simple - eat, drink, play with trains!
Go Big Red!
PA&ERR "If you think you are doing something stupid, you're probably right!"
RastafarrOf course with the track latexed, soldered, and connected to the power bus i sought the least bothersome way to insulate the correct area. The classic solution is to cut gaps in the rails with a dremel and cutting wheel. I don't own a dremel.
And that is exactly the main reason I don't latex track. It makes it too permanent too soon. I've had to change or remove track on my current layout during building and progress, more times than I can count. I'm doing my layout "old school" by securing track with Atlas track nails ane Microengineering spikes. It's so easy to just pull the nails or spikes up and remove track while in the "shakedown" phases of layout building. It's been a real affirming thing to lay track that way and reap the benefits umpteen times during the past couple years.
Time to give in to the schwartz!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Well, I got a stupid goof to offer. While I have had good success so far with building benchwork and laying track, I've hit the wall with scenery. I got all the plaster gauze down nicely and then came the real fun; plaster. I found it was not so easy to mix and cover the plaster gauze. But with some advise to use soupier plaster and a spray bottle, I managed to get it all in and looking about how I wanted it too.
Then the things really went south when it came time to paint it yesterday. I foolishly painted it all in a few hours time and then watched the paint dry and start cracking and peeling up to my horror. After some discussion elsewhere it appears the paint was too thick and as soon as it was laid down, the plaster underneath sucked all the moisture out and it formed a rubbery layer over the top. Advise was, thin the paint way down and spray the plaster with water very well before painting it.
So now looks like I"m going to need to peal paint off of 18 feet of scenery - which is quite abit and replace some of the damaged plaster and do it all over again. So my plaster inexperience is really showing here - learning through the school of hard knocks on that front.
Once I instaled 10 windows in a warehouse, upside down.
Can't recall the number of openings I cut too big, window/door just fell thru.
richhotrainOops, excuse me, I entered the layout asylum by mistake. I will close the door on the way out. Rich
Opps, I set a metal spray can across the rails while the power was on. I'm an idiot.
FazbyLeaving a Kadee jig on the rails and then wondering why the engine wouldn't move.
They now have a plastic version, so if you leave it on the rails, the engine plows into it and ends up on the floor! Which is worse?
One time I had left one of those RIX car railing ramps on the main! Talk about a dumb move. My nephew decided to run trains, unbeknownst to me, and that's when the ramp was discovered... after a pair of SD-7s did an Evel Knievel right into the concrete chasm!
Maybe it is better to have tools like this so that they DO short the track...
Regards, Ed
This week had my second cousin from California down for supper. He has an HO layout that he has just started building, and was interested in my N scale layout. After operating the turntable I comshawed together with odd gears and a 2RPM AC motor I set a new un-run B&O 4-6-6-2 on the tracks to try out. Wheels spinning, very slow movement, what the??? check for wheel placement--drive wheels spin like mad, still slow momentum. After doing this several times in a row, happened to notice a small piece of styrofoam between the gondola and the engine-----
After removing same, ran ever so much better---
herrinchoker
Many years ago when I was hand laying my track and switches the first curved switch I ever made worked perfectly. I was so proud of my new found skill until a freind came over and as I decided to show off my handy work.
There I was beaming like a child pointing to my work when the electric drill I had in my hand slipped out and landed dead center on the switch, we'll all I can say is that ruined my day.
A few weeks ago I was going through my model train show boxes, swapping Kadee #5s for Sergents. I pulled out the top drawer in my train box a little too far, and to my suprise it had my wife's (yes she plays too) Chessie System SD-9 in the back slot. This caused the drawer to tip and dump into a pile the SD-9, a couple of Tangent covered hoppers, and an Athearn RTR gon.
Fortunately all were salvagable. I just had to find all of the small pieces, and I finally got to learn how to completely strip a Proto 2000 locomotive to the individual component pieces (I dont recommend this method) and re-assemble it.
Two weekends completely used up on unplanned repair projects. I did take the opportunity to clean and re-lube the SD-9 with Labelle products, so not a total waste.