I’m building a turnout for an about-to-be-constructed mine on the layout. When I am switching I will be leaving part of the train on a 4 percent grade, I’d like it to be there when I come back!
Is your thought the same as mine that I will just cut a block to throw behind the cars so they will stay where they are parked? Now if they were bigger they’d have brakes… Just think how small the brake shoes would be!
I just stick a screwdriver in the ballast behind the last car…
Bart Salmons said:Icepick works better, disturbs less ballast. ;)
I just stick a screwdriver in the ballast behind the last car......
Ric Golding suggested to me a while back to use the little blue hex drivers that come with every box of Aristo track. They are perfect and stick up into the coupler on truck mounts, or can hold the end beam if you are coupling from the down-hill side.
Ric calls them Blue Flags.
JR
Doug Arnold said:Working brakes are possible although beyond my inclinations or abilities. Forty years ago (wow I'm getting ooold) a fella in Hon3 had working manual brakes on some of his freight cars. Granted he was a modeling genius and the brakes were more for show than practicality but if it can be done in such a tiny scale it certainly could be done in any of the "G" scales.
I'm building a turnout for an about-to-be-constructed mine on the layout. When I am switching I will be leaving part of the train on a 4 percent grade, I'd like it to be there when I come back! Is your thought the same as mine that I will just cut a block to throw behind the cars so they will stay where they are parked? Now if they were bigger they'd have brakes........ Just think how small the brake shoes would be!
If you are using 332 sized rail LGB had a yellow plastic wheel stop that snapped onto the rail. I don’t know about availability now but I believe they came several in a pack. I kept one on the tender of each engine when I was using LGB track. They could hold a pretty good weight of cars and easily snapped on and off.
I like the wheel stops but if I can’t find them I’ll break out the ice pick!
I like Ric’s idea of the blue Aristo screwdriver “Blue Flag”
Fred Ottusch said:I've used it before, it works well. I even use it for it's intended purpose as a "Blue Flag" on the RIP track. I just have to remember to remove the Blue Flag before operating the equipment. I don't want the yardmaster mad at me! :lol:
I like Ric's idea of the blue Aristo screwdriver "Blue Flag"
It’s in the regulations, “Never pass a blue flag.”
We have numersous “air brakes” on the CCRy.
Found a stash of new railroad spikes more then 20 feet off the main line once.
Painted white.
Lay them with the tip pointing downhill, the long ear up, against the couppler, short ear down to a tie.
Holds on 6% grade, 8 cars or so anyawy.
Tom Ruby said:I'll bet that would hurt, too, especially the Aristo one. :D
It's in the regulations, "Never pass a blue flag."
Tom Ruby said:No kidding, they hurt coming out!
It's in the regulations, "Never pass a blue flag."
Bob McCown said:Ummmmm just how did they get 'IN' in the first place??? Ne'er mind...not sure I wanna know.....Tom Ruby said:No kidding, they hurt coming out!
It's in the regulations, "Never pass a blue flag."
Bart Salmons said:Well, you know those Mexican spirituous fluids that have worms in them to prove they're the real thing? Certain varieties of Railroadian holy waters are rumoured to contain "blue flags" as similar testament to their ferrovian authenticity.Bob McCown said:Ummmmm just how did they get 'IN' in the first place??? Ne'er mind...not sure I wanna know.....Tom Ruby said:No kidding, they hurt coming out!
It's in the regulations, "Never pass a blue flag."
Chris Vernell said:I always wondered what the chewy part was. :DBart Salmons said:Well, you know those Mexican spirituous fluids that have worms in them to prove they're the real thing? Certain varieties of Railroadian holy waters are rumoured to contain "blue flags" as similar testament to their ferrovian authenticity.Bob McCown said:Ummmmm just how did they get 'IN' in the first place??? Ne'er mind...not sure I wanna know.....
No kidding, they hurt coming out!
Doug;
A choke cable would work great for that if you can dig up your road bed before the spring thaw. And you could mount it in an elbo fitting attached to a sheet of plywood that is attached to your track.
smokeboxI bought some LGB rail stops not too long ago…from Ridge Road Station I think.
Depending on how heavy the cars are and how steep the grade id, the wheel stops might not do it. I’ve managed to back over them quite easily. The brick, spike,ice-pick & hex driver methods are pretty fool proof. I use the “blue flag” to protect open lift-out bridges indoors by drilling into the plywood through a tie. They will STOP a moving train, and if it’s not moving too fast, won’t cause much damage either. Much better than the 4 foot drop to concrete.
Ric has a railroad spike laying on his layout at a convenient place.
Tom Ruby said:Is that to stop the trains or the operators?
Ric has a railroad spike laying on his layout at a convenient place.