I was running the trains the other night, had a nice long one going, three or four SD70’s, with sound, twenty plus cars, all metal wheels, a lovely sight and sound.
After a couple of trips around the layout, I noticed a coupler pocket skrew in the track between the rails after the train passed. I stood there and said Humm…I wonder if I can stop the train before the coupler seperates and just how big a derailment will follow.
So, what makes you guys start to wonder, or say whoops?
Tilden
When a six car train goes behind the back drop and only five appear at the other end, I start thinking Hmmmm!
Tom
Maybe when I park a car on a siding and it rolls away on the main and another train hits it. Or, I see a wheel is off and it’s about to hit a turnout, will the train make it untill the re-railer, and how many cars will fall of the layout if it dosn’t make it.
my big whoops-sitting at the work bench working on something with a freight train running loops on the layout. Not really paying attention to the train. You hear the steady rpm’s of the locos going round and round. Then you notice the rpm’s go up as the locos have broken lose of the train. Now it’s a race from the workbench to the throttle before the locos smash into the back of the train. Sometimes you make it.[:)] Sometimes you don’t[:(]
That’s the benfit of wireless DCC. [sigh]
You just spent hours planting your forest in a hard to reach corner. It looks wonderful and realistic there is even a tent and some campers back in there if you look carefully you can see them. It is now 2 am and you are happy and prooud of your newly planted forest. 5am you need to go to the bathroom and on the way there you step on something, you dont think much about it you are too tired. 8 am you wake up still sleepy but rested enough to do more work on some more of the layout, you walk into the layout room and realize that your precious forest was attacked by a GIANT cat that has a fondness for scenic foam. Now this makes you think Hmmm is there a local eastern type resturant that needs some fresh meat? Does said kitty need some flying lessons? Can cats land on their feet from 30,000 feet? Yes this really happened to me… not once but 3 times before I just left the forest with a few bushes and taught my kitty how to fly. Oh yea I could not shut the door to prevent this I had to remove the door from the hinges to build the layout.
SMassey-Sounds like it’s time for some home made Catsup or a little sweet & sour puddy tat.[C=:-)][dinner]
The saying actually goes “Things that make you say hmm”
When a train hits a dead block and I wonder, Hmmm, what’s up with that? I look down at the control panel and discover that I neglected to flip the silly switch.
Probably on of my most embarrassing whooops was working the roundhouse at the club, and turning around to see that while I was watching a locomotive under the coaling tower, I had run a locomotive into the pit, because I forgot to turn off a silly little switch( Fortunately it was my own locomotive, Trix Bigboy, no damage, luckily) but of course this was during an open house with guests watching. But I was still being prototypical, the real railroads have put engines in the pits too, but usually with a WHOLE LOT more damage than I had.
Doug
My layout has 10 AC plug sockets on it for connection of various items (throttle controls, turnout and sound power source, tools. that sort of thing). These plug sockets are spread out over 3 wall socket units. One day, not too long ago I had to do some work under the layout. The cord for my Dremel tool wasn’t quite long enough to reach, so I unplugged one of the layout cables from the wall so I could plug in the dremel. I got the work done and unplugged the tool and came out from under the layout. A little while later, I noticed my structure lights weren’t working. I checked the main fuse for the power supply, then the downline fuses. I even turned off the power supply to let it reset. No joy there. I was just on the verge of pulling my hair out, when I chanced to look under the layout and saw one of the cables lying on the floor. I had left it unplugged when I unplugged my Dremel tool 1 1/2 hours earlier. Boy, did I feel STUPID! [D)]
One of my biggest “Whoops” moments was when I forgot to flip a turnout switch. The whole train bumped off the rails and started running on the ties.
It did make a nice “clickety clack” noise though.
That seems to be way too much power for 20-25 cars.
Or even worse. A coupler & coupler pocket strewn on the track when there hasn’t been a train in quite a while, but nothing seems seems to be amiss anywhere. Hmmmm where did that coupler come from and how long has it been there?
OOPS!
Long reefer train behind my 2-8-8-4 struggling up my Yuba Pass. Looks incredibly cool crossing the Rock Creek bridge, circling around Bassett’s, then heading into Yuba Pass tunnel. Heaven! Mountain railroading with big steam as it USED to be.
KA-CHUNK! Train stops suddenly. Not dead, just stopped. I look around, can’t find anything. Look at the curved track leading into the tunnel. Oh, my. Akane Yellowstone has hung up front of boiler on tunnel entrance. Now WHY did that happen?
Back Yellowstone off of tunnel entrance, suddenly see that somehow, tunnel entrance has managed to shift itself 1/4" in the scenery just for kicks, so it could bite my locomotive. Hey, thanks, I NEEDED that!
Do a little adusting, Yellowstone runs through with no problem.
Until the next time–this time it eats my L-131 2-8-8-2. Just keeps snapping back and forth of its own accord.
I’m putting a rock face on that tunnel and getting rid of the concrete entrance. Shoulda done that the first place, LOL!
Tom
[quote user=“myred02”]
DAMN, I HATE it when that happens, but probably not as much as the guy who was at the throttle though. It is bad enough seeing your own steam model in that embarrassing situation, I don’t even want to think about it in the 12 inches to the foot world.
Thanks for the pic,
&n
I never knew CSX’s “nick name”(it’s more insulting)went that far…Crashed Smashed and eXploded. But how do I know that.[;)]
A definite Hummm moment…
When your “Friends” at the club start laughing at the other end of the layout, then they notice you looking at them, and they shut-up. Then you notice that you are the only one running…
Keep an eye on the track[B)]
Dang! Why does this keep happening?!?
-Brandon
This photo is a little harder to tell, but this and the other photo make it look as if the locomotive really doesn’t sustain all that much damage when this happens, probably no where near the amount of damage done to the engineer/ hostler’s career (my guess, THAT damage is pretty substantial) As much as I would hate to be the first one to explain this one to the boss, I would really hate to be the SECOND one to explain this to the boss.
Doug