I love the title of the thread..."small fire"... on our layouts, what would a big fire look like- scary?
PS: glad to see no major damage!
You could have a fire extinguisher at each aisle dead end so as to aggressively exit a fire situation.
I lost a home in a fire. Even that which was not burnt was seriously damaged.
As far as "maintaining an extinguisher properly", there IS NO MAINTENANCE. Period. Except for refilling the unit if used, and checking the pressure dial to insure it is in the green. If the pressure drops below the green, it's replacement time. Modern extinguishers are maintenance proof. The technology is mature. And they are inexpensive. The suggestion to puchase more than one is worthwhile. If a babysitter is in the house, or a caregiver, have them run through a drill as to "how to call the fire department", and how to use an extinguisher. I have them make a "make-believe 911 call" while I observe. Hint - when the "make believe dispatcher" asks for the address, they invariably provide their OWN HOME ADDRESS instead of the home where they are babysitting. Fires can result in unimaginable circumstances. I had a small toy transformer attached to an extension cord, which was under some discarded christmas wrapping paper some years ago. If I hadn't been there i wouldn't have believed it. The plug into the extension cord literally exploded, and set the christmas wrapping on fire! I was watching this from a chair not four feet away. Investigation did not determine any unusual overload. The extension word was light duty with four plug openings and only one was used. It was the only extension plugged into a two unit wall fixture in a 20 amp house circuit. I know about amps and loads and could never determine the exact cause. But I would never again run an extension cord on the floor and allow paper over it. One interesting fire I assisted in investigating was caused by a worker wearing a nylon jacket, which generates static. They had just painted a wood floor with a highly flammable product, filling the room with fumes. . He touched a radiator and the generated a spark which ignited the fumes , which has apparently ended up in a perfect stoichiometric ratio. And of course, oily rags in a bucket can spontaneously ignite. One factor that people who have not been in a fire cannot believe. The air becomes rapidly so dark with choking smoke, that you can't see your hand in front of your face. This brings to mind the many layouts in a basement or attic with a single small stairway providing access and no secondary means of egress. As an asside, I believe burning candles have no place in a house. Absolutely positively.
Tommy posted:As far as the "Tundra" extinguishers, absolutely, positively the WRONG choice. And worrying about "powder" on the layout is absurd. Fires grow quickly and exponentially. At an incredible rate. And the smoke can asphyxiate, and make it impossible to see in front of your hand. To worry about powder damaging the layout is a statement out of La-La land. And toxic smoke can kill as well as flames. I have removed the bodies of burned dead children from fires. It ain't a pretty sight. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DANGER FROM A LAYOUT FIRE! Extinguishers are rated by the UL (underwriters labs). The SOLE criterion should be the ability of the extinguisher to control a fire. On an extinguisher you will see the letters "A", "B", and "C", which indicates the class of fire they are able to extinguish. You will see a NUMBER on the side of the extinguisher. Some extinguishers are 2A,4B,1C. At a minimum, a 40ABC multi-purpose dry chemical should be selected, which have run between $40-$85 at Home Depot. The cost of a single freight car. Or a dinner for two. It will be the best investment you have ever made. They have a visible pressure valve. A UL approved ABC extinguisher will be suitable for wood, paper, electrical and oil fires. Remember to look for ALL three letters. And the "UL" or underwriters labs approval. Dry chemical extinguishers have a control valve/handle and you can stop the discharge when the fire is extinguished.
I might add NEVER EVER HESITATE TO CALL 911 and the FIRE DEPARTMENT!!!!
This is what they get paid for! And they have no objection to showing up, even if not needed.
If there is smoke, you tell them you "have a condition".
If there is s fire, and you are going to extinguish it, tell everyone to evacuate and call 911!
Thank You Tommy.
Tom Tee posted:Can't have too many power feeds. Two railers usually do not use rail joiners to pass electricity. Every piece of rail gets a drop.
You can say that again.Fastrak is notorious for continuity failure between track sections the more drops the better.Nick
