Klutz of the Year Award

Don't take it hard partner.  There are those that have and those that will, we know where you fit. 

This forum is full of stories like yours.

I d@mn near dropped a Challenger.  First time ever out of the box.  Literally, removed from box and was carrying it to the test track.  And, to make it worse, I wasn't as lucky as you.  Tore off a marker light.  UGH.

I know that agony of defeat!

Some of these fine scale model freight trains have such great detailed parts, that when I handle the cars my big, fat fingers touch parts that are delicate, causing them to break off.

Remedy: glue, or cement.

But, I have to say, most cars have sturdy detailed parts.

I had bought a beautiful 50' A.T.S.F. plug door car, that after having it, two parts easily broke off.

I don't know who made it, but I mentioned this problem to the seller and he agreed that the car was not made too well, that not only did he discover the problem with the car, but he received complaints from other customers, regarding the car being made flimsy!!!!

Ralph

I am pretty sure that the PRR actually probably did the same thing in real life at some point.  Thus, you now have a scale model engine with scale sized-inflicted damage. At least the FRA will not be investigating this incident.  Good lesson for all.  Sorry about the damage, but we all learn from errors.  Bet you'll check that track very well next time.  And probably forever - going forward!

Be thankful!  No, really!! 

You could've been a R/C hobbyist...like the legion of R/C hobby customers...airplanes, cars, trucks, boats...who come through our (LHS) doors for repair, rebuilding, replacement parts after their airplane, helicopter, dirt buggy, speedboat, etc. into which they've poured hours of effort responds (or not) to a flick of a transmitter lever at the wrong time, wrong direction and..........Bada-bing, biga-boom! 

Ka-ching, ka-ching! $$$$

Your pantograph by comparison...peanuts.

Nonetheless, we've all been there, done that.  You're in good company!

KD

The good news is you fixed the problem. The other good news is you can replace the pantograph. When you look at that way, all good.

Hey OkHiker...............then there was the time I was nearly finished repairing/tuning up the trains. And the Christmas Carpet Central was up and running. So I forgot about putting parts back on some cars

         ( like the smoke stack ) on a smoking caboose.

     I thought "before I invite friends over and inaugurate the Christmas layout...I think I'll run the vacuum cleaner......around the layout.....over the desk I used as a repair bench!  Now where did those parts go?????     Duhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

I glad someone mentioned RC because with the model airplane guys, you don't attempt to build and fly unless you can handle the crashes. I was following a thread on a guy who was building a PERFECT 1:9 scale B-17. It had the most beautifully applied aluminum skin I'd ever seen. By that I mean that each aluminum panel on the real plane was duplicated on the model. Each panel was laid over the adjacent ones after the edge was faired with filler so there wasn't a double crease. Anyway, on it's maiden flight, before he super-detailed it with about a .5 million simulated rivets, it crashes. Something about trim. 

The same goes for use train guys. If you want to leave them on a shelf (and never dust them) they'll stay pretty good. As soon as you want to run them, well... if you can't handle an occasional wreck, you shouldn't be in the hobby. Even the real railroads have wreck cranes.

I was holding my 2 year old grandson (7 years ago), my brass 3rd rail Pennsy J1-a was coming around in front of us. In a flash he reached out to grab the engine as it went by, pulled it off the track where he went head first into the concrete floor (after losing some of its speed by smashing into my ankle). The engines headlight was smashed along with a bunch of other front end stuff. New headlamp and careful reshaping of the brass and you can't tell it ever happened.

And then there was the time when I was running my MTH premiere Veranda around the track when my layout was in Germany. It had about 15 cars behind it. My control station was inside the layout. The train was running well so I ducked under the end and was getting something on a shelf with my back turned to the running train. I heard this terrible crash and things hitting the floor. The train had parted in the middle and the engine and some cars came around and collided with the caboose and cars that were now sitting idle on the track. Of course this had to happen on one of the narrow ribbon roadbed areas. The only car that broke was an inexpensive Weaver plastic box car which I repaired. The weight of the Veranda was sufficient to keep it on the layout although it was derailed.

Needless to say, we all do stupid stuff. It's not whether you make a mistake, it's how you recover. 

I really like RC planes. Years ago I got  bored with HO and poured my efforts into building and crashing RC planes. RC planes are not for the faint of heart. I'm just fumble fingered, and when that plane comes back towards you it's really easy to oops............. I rebuilt a plane (after several crashes) into a tail dragger. A guy in the local club was going to give me some flight instruction. He was a commercial 747 pilot for I believe Northwest. Now this is an over-wing plane with a modest sizes 4 stroke engine. Along the lines of a Piper cub or a Cessna 172. No a plane you do acrobatics with. Well this guy took it up flew it a little to check everything and then proceeded to attempt a loop with it. PULL UP...........PULL UP..........THUD.............$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. It drilled itself into the ground. Brand New engine. Now mangled junk. I don't even think the  guy said oops or sorry. Now I could have crashed it myself. Remind me never to fly Northwest. That's why I prefer trains. NO Steering..........and MOST of the time they are not air borne. Well except for my Lionel RS-3 whose coupler popped open, (with my back turned) while pulling about 8 or 9 PW cars, entering curve, upper level. Coupler popped open, instant BURST of acceleration, STRAIGHT, (NO TURN), beautiful arch, (I'd give it a 9.5), clears edge of layout, impacts HARD concrete floor, OUCH........... Oh well a little epoxy and some super glue and it lives again.

Next week on FOX: "The O Gauge Darwin Awards".  Always wanted to be on TV!  I could fill a mini series.  We've all been there (or are headed there at notch 8!).

Kids and cats LOVE to touch running trains.

RC?  Went from planes to cars DECADES ago.  Don't need a shovel for crash recovery.

Don't worry, in a year or twelve, they all become great campfire stories.

Plenty of pans get damaged on real railroads, although usually its from running engines out from under the wires.

It wouldn't have been so bad, but them danged telephone poles seam to jump out right in front of a wing..............everytime........... Now I've done a lot of other stupid stuff, but so far no telephone poles or trees have jumped in front of any of my moving trains. Although I had 3 loops of track under the tree this past Christmas and I hadn't calculated the overhang of my Williams GG1, (027 radius), until the GG1 and my Lionel GP20 met at the a fore mentioned curve, HEAD ON, sounded quite nasty, but at least no damage. Looked like a real wreck, freight cars scattered in both directions................

These things happen to all of us. I often hit something that I leave on tracks, including rolling stock...

Time for senseable slow speed control running! 

PCRR/Dave

I have the occasional collision when Catzilla (Mr. Tiddles name in the 'O'-Gauge world.) decides to sleep on the tracks in a place where I can't see him. Fortunately this has never resulted in any damage to either cat or train. These days I tend to sound the horn when approaching areas that I cannot see. 

Talk about loose wires in the brain.  Back during my crappy 

basement days I put down three main lines for PW ZW

operation, this was in the late 80's.  

After three months of hard work and fun getting the track 

and switch's the way I wanted them (Layout size was 8'x 20')

I was ready for my inaugural run.  On track 1 a Lionel 2343 ABA

with four 2500 series passenger cars.  On track 2 a Lionel PW

GG1 2332 with four madison cars.  On track 3 a Lionel PW 681

Turbine with mixed PW freight cars.

After about ten minutes of run time  they all met at the far

curve. I had not put proper space between the number l thru

3 main lines bang, the 2343 was opposite the GG1.  Derailment

followed off went the 681 as well on to the cement floor. After

I composed myself, the only damage was to my pride.

Old Josh had made these trains to last and take punishment

from a clod like me.  It is OK to mess up in this hobby.  It is

how we learn, and move on.  I am happy that all is OK with

your Scale Lionel GG 1.  

Many thanks,

Billy C

I have a hinged gate on the corner of the layout, that when open creates a horrible "abyss of certain death". I wanted to put an interlock on that gate to shut power off if the gate was open. After toying with several schemes my oldest grandson suggested making the interlock attached to the lock mechanism itself. I did this.

Since installation, that interlock has saved thousands of $$$ of destruction by stopping trains when the gate was open. I've only had trains running for a short time since construction began, but the interlock was well worth the design and installation effort.

I'm still concerned that the layout sits on a concrete floor. I eventually will have to put carpeting and padding around the perimeter to help mitigate damage to inevitable falls that are going to occur since flawed human beings are in charge of running these things.