Seeing as how today is April Fools Day, I thought it might be fun to take advantage of stretching the truth and telling the biggest lies we can think of about our trains to see who can tell the biggest and most outragious-but just for today… Since I’m the one that started this topic I’ll be the one to pick the winner of the contest 24 hours after it’s started as so to give everyone around the globe a chance to reply.
My lie doesn’t count, but I’m going to tell one anyway because I’m in a lying mood!.
A while back, I just wasn’t getting enough power out of my transformer and my trains were all running sluggish. So I decided to climb up on the utility pole and patch into the high voltage lines to see if a little added power might help. After I ran the lines, I went back down to my train room and flipped the switch. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light and a great ka-boom!. What had happened was that the lone engine that was on the layout had shot through the wall of my shop, out across the pasture, killed three of my neighbors milk cows, went through the side of a Gray Hound bus out on the highway narrowly missing several passengers and landed in tact on the repair table of the hobby shop where I bought it 35 miles away. How I know this is that I always put my name and phone number on the belly of my engines and the guy from the hobby shop called and told me that’s where it was. I told him to go ahead and tune it up a bit and I’d be by the next day to pick it up. No, really. Would I lie to you!?..
My car broke down yesterday, so I rode my 25 year old TYCO Plymouth Switcher to work. I got there in record time! It’s a little hard on the AAA battery, but man am I going to save on gas!
I read today that Mike of Mike’s Train House had a change of heart. He was tired of all the bickering, money grubbing, and ill will and decided to drop all charges against Lionel and Throttle Up in the spirit of good will and good business.
I also read today that a majority of model manufacturers have agreed to a unified design strategy for DCC locos. The proponents of the specification said it includes a set standards for speaker enclosure, decoder space requirements, and a standardized header plug for all decoders. Two way communication has also been settled in the new standard.
“This should be a great way to reduce headaches and prices for equipment for all those involved.” said John Smar T.
The consortium includes members from Trix, Bachmann, Like-Like, Atlas, Athern, and Broadway Limited, Hornby/Rivirossi, Lenz, Digitrax, DCE, IHC, and Fantasy Lines Inc.
The first models will be available in 1:1 scale.
In the last tidbit of news: Soundtraxx has released Tsunami!
I use my trains to discipline my children. You see, when they are in need of correction. I take them down to the layout and make them hold a finger on the track. Then, I tell them not to move it, or else. I then get one of my trains rolling, slow at first, then faster and faster until, Bang!
You are all welcome this weekend to come and look at my backyard. There is a 12 scale mile subway in HO with incredibly detailed cars, passengers and stations all about three feet below ground.
I have a question concerning DCC and my coal drags. What is the best way to consit the 25 Kato AC4400 I use on it. Also, given that I have three such trains running at any given time what kind of power supply do I need to control the 75 Kato AC4400’s pulling 400 Atlas RTR Hoppers. Trackwork is not a problem. Although it was a little more difficult than lying flex, the 3600 feet of code 78 track (started with code 83 and filed it down to code 78 which is more accurate for my prototype) is handlaid very accurately (in fact the NMRA uses my trackwork to calibrate their gages). I am also looking for someone that has a couple of brass big boys so that I can complete my one for one roster of Union Pacific steam that was present in LA on August 5, 1937. Hope to have my motive power totally DCC by tomorrow. Also, does anyone have color photos of the old Penn Station in NYC? I’ve almost completed my model of it kitbashed from 126 Walthers Union Station kits. Also when is Model Railroader going to move on to large layouts? Koester’s layout is cute, but not very prototypical given the selective compression he has used.
Man, my first 2 months in this hobby has been fun!!
I read on the www.trains.com site that Union Pacific issued a press release saying they were going to refund money to athearn and other manufactures for the rights to its name and symbols…furthermore they apologized for the takeover of SP and would relenquish control immediately…
This makes me so happy to hear, but it’s kind of like one of those dreams where you’ve won the lottery only to have the alarm clock wake you up just in time to be late for work…
Well the other day i decided to shrink down a real 5000hp diesel engine and place it inside an HO scale engine. With some minor shell modifications and lots of tweaking with the trucks it fit. Then i placed it on the layout and filled the tank with gasoline. I had placed a radio receiver in it so i could control. I turned the throttle up and BANG!!! It exploded and I flew through the roof of my house and crashed into a nearby water tower where i nearly drowned. Then when i narrowly escaped drowning in the water tower i ran back to my house and found that the entire neighborhood was on fire. Then i was attacked the ghost of my train engine because i killed it. So i ran away but it still followed me and…
Oh-no… the ghost is attacking me… Help!!!
Go back for the update. Apparently Union Pacific has decided to pay Athearn, Roundhouse, Atlas etc. an “advertising fee” for every unit that is painted in UP colors. There is some word that the amount of the payment would make such models free.
Neither of you read the second paragraph where UP was instead going to charge the modelers and magazines everytime they wrote their name in print to make up for the lost revenue. [:D] sorry couldn’t resist…
Oops, already used UP once, now I owe them $5.00
No wait that’s a second UP.
Oh nuts! Stupid Union Pacfic
Doh!
A few years ago I built a large extensive garden railroad in my back yard. One day I came home to find it gone. I mean the track and rolling stock just fanished. I chalked it up to some stealing it and reported it to our county sheriff’s dept. Anyway we live out in the woods and while walking my dog on day came acroos my track way out in the woods. Well, while standing there trying to figure out what my track was doing out there, my train comes along loaded with hickory nuts. Seems the squirels stole my train to haul thier nuts. Any how I grabbed a couple handsful of nuts, took then home an injected Texas Pete into them and the next day waited and when the train came by I put those laced nuts on the train. I got even, did you ever see a supercharged squirel???
Horizon Hobbies is discontinuing making Ready To Roll models and will concentrate on making kits. Also anyone may sell their products without having a brick and mortar store.
I finally finished all my resin and Branchline kits. My wife Bev chipped in and painted all my brass…
even the old Overland stuff that fell apart.
I’m going to apply for the proofreader job @ MRG.
Rob