Large Scale Central

Don't ya hate when this happens?

Modeling Rolling stock
#1

I have two fold-up bridges on the indoor layout. I usually protect an open bridge with an Aristo track hex driver stuck in a hole drilled in the ties and roadbed. Tonight I swung open a bridge to get a beer, didn’t place the ‘blue flag’ and left the bridge open. I went on the other side of a partition to start making up a train from car storage shelves and forgot about the bridge. The switching power was a pair of 45 Ton Dizzies. When they hung on a switch I went back to the other side of the partition to free them, not realizing I had the throttle turned up. As soon as they broke free, they raced toward the open bridge. I hit the emergency stop, but not in time to save the lead engine from going into the abyss. I caught the second engine with one hand just before it went completely over.

Yellow Dizzy landed on the front coupler and bounced on the concrete floor several times. Parts everywhere. Front pilot smashed, front coupler bent and rippled loose, foot boards busted off both ends, at least one ladder busted off and the rear coupler bent. It still runs, but nether end has a working coupler.

I was going to bash at least one of the 3 I have into something. I liked the yellow one and was going to keep it as-built, but now it looks like the bashing has begun on yellow Dizzy.

Guess you just can’t drink beer and run trains :smiley: :o :smiley:

#2

Jon,

It’s the time of year; Fall approaching, your railroad’s getting ready for the winter jobs. :confused:

#3

Dear Jon,

What kind of power/control?

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

#4

Ooh!

(http://www.outsidetrains.com/smile/40.gif)

#5
Jon Radder said:
Guess you just can't drink beer and run trains :D :o :D
Thank you for listing them in order of priority!
#6
Joe Satnik said:
Dear Jon,

What kind of power/control?

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik


This train was track powered / Aristo TE control. I was putting together a consist for a battery powered train.

#7

Dear Jon,

A spring loaded nail that pops up as the lip of the bridge is lifted off of it would take the place of your track hex driver.

A micro-switch would work to cut electrical power to your approach tracks. It wouldn’t work very well if you were battery powered, though.

Your approach tracks would have to be longer than your longest engine consist, plus any distance from momentum.

Well, look on the bright side. You can get published. Marc Horovitz has a back page in GR called “If I had only known”.

Build a magnetic lift-out bridge
Model Railroader, December 1999 page 97
Latches secure this removable connection across an aisle
( BENCHWORK, BRIDGE, “DARNABY, BILL”, HINGE, LIFTOUT, MR )

You could google “bridge interlock model train” for more ideas.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

#8

Well, whaddya expect with a name like “Dizzy?”

Sorry to hear of the misfortune, but I eagerly await what you do with the loco.

Later,

K

#9

I have a friend with several “floor models”. :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#10

Kevin Strong said:
Well, whaddya expect with a name like “Dizzy?” Sorry to hear of the misfortune, but I eagerly await what you do with the loco. Later, K

Don’t hold your breath. I still haven’t finished the speeder I started 5 years ago, not gotten any further with the wood EBT gondola bash we talked about years ago - and you built :smiley: Sad part is the engineer died in the fall. An hour or so later riders in the caboose had a wild downgrade ride when a coupler separated at the summit, twice. Fortunately the caboose and tank behind it made it around a re-aligned coal-dump curve without this happening… [url=

(www.cvsry.com/images/Derail1-1280.jpg)

]

(http://www.cvsry.com/images/Derail1-640.jpg)

[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] [url=

(www.cvsry.com/images/Derail2-1280.jpg)

]

(http://www.cvsry.com/images/Derail2-640.jpg)

[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] The second photo tells why the curve is now named “coal dump curve” :smiley: :smiley:

#11
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
It's the time of year; Fall approaching, your railroad's getting ready for the winter jobs. :/
I think "Fall" arrived early on his layout!
#12

[url=

(www.cvsry.com/images/Derail2-1280.jpg)

]

(http://www.cvsry.com/images/Derail2-640.jpg)

[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] Love it - a kindred spirit!!!

#13

Sorry for the loss.

#14

Thanks Ric, I hope your smiling when you say that. I decided a few years ago when all those cars went over the edge, that just like real railroading, damage and loss of rolling stock is part of the game. It’s easier to take when damage is minimal, or when the loco that went into the abyss was a $70 job, not a $500 one.

Now, has anyone seen the glad-hands and air hoses from my new Bachmann cars?? I just found one on the indoor track and when I looked at the cars to see where it came from, most of them were missing. OK TOC, an I told-you-so is in order :smiley:

#15

I always look at “disasters” like that as an opportunity to improve the original. :wink:

#16

Jon,
The statement was said with true sympathy. There is so much to do on a railroad, it is hard to go back and have to repair and redo the things that happen. Just like the big guys, you pick up the pieces and go on. If the damage is not to great, you put it back in service. If the damage is bad, it goes into the scrap box for future mods and discoveries. Still, it hurts when something is lost, no matter how. Is that the “chessy sound car” or a second one you had in inventory?

#17
Ric Golding said:
[i][/i]Is that the "chessy sound car" or a second one you had in inventory?
That's an old picture, long before it was modified to be a sound car. I think I still have 3 or 4 of them still in boxes.
#18

I knew somebody cornered the market. :wink:

#19

Jon

Sounds like someone was never told that when you install a lift out bridge yer supoosed to wire the track so that when the bridge is lifted up the power supply is cut off from the rest ot the track on that particular block, and is only restored when the track is lowered back into place.

This ensures that this sort of thing doesnt happen, any engine thats approaching an open bridge will stop as soon as it crosses onto the block where the open bridge has cut the track power off.

Sorry about what happened to your Dizzy

#20

Thanks Victor -

With only about half of the trains that cross the bridges being track powered (I have 3 lift-out or fold-up), I didn’t bother with the mechanics and wiring to make a power cut-out. A mechanical derail might be a good idea, but paying closer attention will have to do for now.