OK, time to fess up. "IT" Makes another appearance

ok walt i did it.

Dave

You do know that your house is built on an ancient indian burial ground.....

Set some mouse traps. You will get him.

Ditto. I recommend a nice glue board. Catch-em and the teach-em how to swim....

Gilly

It would take a big rat to pull the wire out like that.

Andrew

I think it's time for this

Walt,

     Either you're putting us on big time or you really do have a critter in your house.

Walt,

Is that a window beside your layout? If it is, make sure there isn't a bat tucked up in the corner.

Jim,

  Isn't it great being retired and staying up as late as you want.

Yes it is. I love it. I have been just sitting here reading the forum and listening to Christmas music that I have downloaded into the computer. I love Christmas time. It is the greatest time of the year. Attached please find a couple of Christmas songs for your listening pleasure.

Walt,

Stuff always follows you around, doesn't it?  Have you ever considered putting up a

Deercam and perhaps catch the culprit's image?

enjoying your posts so keep us intrigued!!!

"who you gonna call?"

I second the deer cam idea.  They are inexpensive and and endless source of entertainment once you discover who or what is doing the deed.  You would be amazed at what takes place outside your house when you don't watch.  Apparently you are already amazed at what takes place inside as well.

Well...your post title tells all..."It".

Check your photo more closely.

Mark

Walt, I have had wires that were in place for years, and suddenly came loose, pulling out of clips like those on a lockon, or a thumb nut loosening on a transformer, or a splice failing.  It is most probably from vibration. 

Vibration can do funny things.  When half of a neighbors lights went off a few years ago, I diagnosed that a line from the street to his house had failed.  The power company came in and located the break.  The tech told me that AC lines underground vibrate very slightly, and eventually they may fail where rubbing on a hard object.

Vibration on a train set would be more intense.  (No, I'm not saying AC did it.)

Now why there are 2x8's lying across the rails, I can't answer.  I would suspect vandals rather that spectres.

My son said it all in an email to me yesterday: "while we both know what really happened, I agree it's WAY more fun to say it's a ghost!".

I hope I'm not going to make anyone mad, but I was having way too much fun pretending there's a ghost in my house!

I understand all the well-intentioned replies, the 'critter' suggestions, but if you knew my house and my life-style you would know why 'critter' wouldn't be possible.

Here's what happened.  Actually (truthfully, honest) I still only can guess that what I'm suspecting happened is what really happened.

Start with the picture of the wire coming loose on the lockon, the far away image.  Notice the boards that are in place.  I have to be able to access the back right of the layout because there are 2 switches behind the plateau on the right.  I do that by laying down 1"x2" boards between the rails and then placing a nice sized 2"x6" piece on wood on top of them so that I can tramp on it and not crush the rails.  To reach the back I need to place 2 of them.

For the jumping candy bar, what I suspect happened is that after I fixed a derailment in the back and was coming back out, my leg bumped the Homasote that makes up the top of the plateau.  I remember doing that.  I'm guessing that it also knocked out the candy bar and derailed the blue gon.  But why that gon and why was nothing else, like the 100 people in that area, knocked out of place - see, suspicion is possible.

For the trannie wire - I can't explain it at all.  But last year while my son was running the layout, TWO wires came detached - one from the trannie and one from the TIU!  Talk about being puzzled.

As for the lockon wire, what I guess happened is that I must have gotten careless when I was placing the 1x2 that I put right past it.  I must have allowed for part of it to rest on the wire or part of the lockon and that somehow pulled it loose.

But all of the 3 are not beyond suspecting a 'black cloud' event.  BTW: the part that I mentioned about people for 30 years now saying that there's a black cloud following me, that's a true statement.

So, again, I hope it was entertaining by me letting it go on and fueling the fire with a 3rd event, instead of one that makes you mad.  I apologize to anyone that took offense in any way.

- walt

We always enjoy your Christmas set up Walt.... How many years now with OGR?

Why would you apologize, Walt?  We need some levity on the forum.

I've been on the forum from the first month that it started Gregg.

RJR: thanks!

- walt

Get a camera set up in the room and you will catch the critter! Because what is happening sounds more like a small critter playing games with you then anything else.

I am willing to bet that you have a squirrel or baby raccoon that is getting in there.

Board up the window on the outside and see if it keeps happening.

If you have a squirrel, use peanuts or walnuts with a mouse trap to catch it. If it is a raccoon use a piece of chicken to catch it in a rat trap. If you catch a raccoon it will be injured but not dead as it is too big to kill in a rat trap(at least I think a rat trap won't kill it).

Lee Fritz

Walt, I was not going to chime in on this thread until now. Having any of that happen on my layout, I would have tried to pass it off onto some mythical creature too, though in reality I knew that probably I had caused all of the afore mysteries and just could not remember doing them due to advancing age and some beginnings of brain dementia. Not saying that is what happened to you….just know I have a harder and harder time explaining how some things happen around the house these days!!!!   :-)

Rick

One of the things I love about my 3 year old is make believe and imagination.  From the dinosaurs roaming outside of my house, to whatever else he comes up with.  I think sometimes we miss that as adults and it's a lot of fun.

I have gotten a kick out of these posts Walt, no apologies necessary.  If you start wearing a tin foil hat and hiding in the basement, I might be concerned.  Until then, keep up the imaginative posts!

Lee: you need to read my confession.

Rick: truthfully, I'm still only guessing that what I said is what happened.  The candy bar thing is a real head scratcher since no people fell over, no scenery is messed up, the gon is NOT the gon nearest to where I might have bumped the Homasote with my leg, etc.  Critters is definitely NOT the answer though.

TexasSP: Thanks!  I needed to hear things like what you said to re-inforce that I didn't make anyone, or almost no one, mad.

- walt