This brings up a somewhat humorous situation that occurred on my layout
during one of my earlier open houses. I don't recall what kind of
control system I had at the time, but I had built a three stall engine
house (Village Depot kit) fairly early on. A three way switch (my first
scratchbilt one) lead to the house.
Anyway several folks were standing around watching the action, then one
concerned lady poked me on the shoulder saying---your engine house is
moving! My OMI Mike was very gradually shoving it. So the switches
were aligned to that stall and we had forgotten about it--no damage just
something that probably wouldn't happen in the open. With my DCC system
bringing the throttle down to 1% power will also cause problems
eventually. Last weekend, my able bodied engineer, did just that and
eventually we had a short as the train had drifted into a closed track
switch.
Of course, we immediately had to call in a tech to administer a blood
alcohol/drug test! We should get the results back today. We need him
back, as the Houston S Gaugers will again be setting up our modules at
Memorial City Mall for a weekend of running trains. We've been doing
this mall show for the Father's Day weekend for many-many years.
I think Danny Click was still in high school (he's approaching old-man
hood soon) when we started. Billy and Danny used to drive down for
these kinds of events with three modules they built, so we always left
room for them. When they arrived after several hours of driving, it was
always a mad dash to insert them and get things running. In those early
daze we normally had a track short, so the guys with meters would be
crawling under the layout checking the wiring. After solving that
problem, we typically had a dragging coupler or two hitting the highway
approaches, also replacing a missing knuckle spring was in order. Then
things would smooth out until we changed the direction of travel or the
trains themselves. Then we started all over again plus now we're
starting to see dirty wheels that have to be dealt with. After that it
seemed that one of the Overland diesels would drop a drive shaft. Then
one of our guys would bring out a very long SHS/AM series of HW Pullman
cars. Despite changing out wheel-sets, extra weight and adding 802's it
generally took an hour of fussing before that train would be making the
rounds correctly.
More recently we've been much more successful in our operations (close
to flawless except for operator error), but it's taken 20+ years for
that to happen. So let the gods of smooth running bless our weekend!
And Billy, Danny, John, Ted or any others in the area stop in--bring
some tuned equipment to run!
Bob Werre
PhotoTraxx
On 6/13/12 10:16 PM, scale S only wrote:
Hi George --
Well, you are just being prototypical. The Gunnison roundhouse was
modified at least once by a loco going out the back...
Have fun!
Bill Winans
-----------------------------
I had a flawless night operating a D&RGW K-36 on Gary Rabetoy's layout
tonight until I ran the loco out the back of the roundhouse. ...Gary's
work,
my enjoyment. Fun watching Gary and Dean Odiorne down on their knees to
watch the train roll by at eye level: The way sixty something year old
men
enjoy trains.
George Courtney
