What is the absolute worst thing to ever happen on your railroad?
My worst GR moment was having a drunken party guest destroy some scenery AND vomit on the tracks. I promtly threw him out after that. You can bet the section gang got paid double that day. At keast the guy felt bad when he sobered up and paid for the damage.
Having my favorite LGB Porter hit an Aristo switch bad, derail and fall of the side of my layout and fall 36" to the concrete, luckily my dogs sleeping pad was there and it landing without a scratch, but I was like “AHHHHH!”
A raccoon infestation last summer. Little snots liked to play in the garden a bit too much. Didn’t do any real damage, but made it hard to grow plants. Also they liked to jump out and run away from you in the dark, nearly soiled my pants a time or two. They haven’t been back this year, maybe got hit by cars or eaten by rednecks or something.
[oX)]
Yeah, those Aristo switches are junk. I had one on my layout but it caused so many problems I had to remove it.
In the tunnel collision with one of the wife’s dogs! 5.5 pound engine colliding with a sleeping 3.5 pound ball of fur equals $600 bill at the Vet!
(No wise cracks about the dogs! They are totally funding the GRR!)
Poor pooch! Bet he never crawls into that tunnel again!
GP, yeah I got a bunch when I first started 4 years ago but ended up dumping all of them for LGB, too many [censored] problems!
vsmith
That is her favorite place to hide from the “big” dogs. (4 1/2 to 6 pounds). Plus I’ve been working on getting her used to the train so that some day she just might go for a ride! If I can get her to do it I promise to share the pix.
Alex
I have thought and thought on this
“What is the absolute worst thing to ever happen on your railroad?”
I have many little things but no “absolute” worst.
I have been very lucky.
I have a big dog, coons, heavy rain, winds, kids that visit. but all minor things
There again I have concrete roadbed, real steel bridges and large curves.[;)]
The worst thing that has happened to me was when my Bachmann 1:20.3 Consolidation rolled out of the end of its carrier and hit the ground nose-first, breaking off the pilot and front coupler. I never have been able to get the pilot glued back on securely enough for it to stay in place.
The second-worst incident was my AccuCraft Mimi live steamer trying to make a straightaway out of an elevated curve before I had radio control of it. One of the front steps is still crooked because I’m afraid to put too much pressure on it with pliers.
It would be my daughter slicing through three trestle bents with a weedwacker and then, after admonishing her and repairing those bents, my wife sliced through three others the following week.
Mark
Ooh. Those qualify as worst.
Had a hard time figuring out an answer to this question, but I think I’d have to say, “Cousin Levi.”
My second worst thing was constructing a second loop within the origional loop and placing the tracks too close together. Damaged a lot of equipment.