Weekend Update 11/18/12

[brokemoto]

Similar thing happened to me with MP eight wheeler.  It knocked the drivers out of quarter.  They appear to be in quarter and the thing runs with no hitch in the getalong but I can not seem to get the slight wobble out of it.  If my train room floor diddun' have no carpet on it, it might have been worser.  I have been there, as well.

[u18b]

Me too!   



I was photographing this for my GP40 article and my leg bumped the tripod holding the photo module.

Dropped 4' to the grass right on the rear end.  Was in total shock.

Decided to not fix it since real ones have bent rails just about like that.

[lock4244]

Mike, those are some stunning photos you have links to! Wow!
Not sure snow looks that good in person...
Nice work, Otto K.

Thanks Otto. I'm one of those folks that loves the winter, the snow, and the cold... heck, I even love shoveling snow. My only complaint about a heavy snowfall is that it still isn't enough, and in the depth of a heavy winter storm, you can find me gleefully driving in it. Love it!

And it does make for some great photographic opportunities 

Summer, heat, humidity... like a thousand knives of fire in my soul.

[bbussey]

So I'm working' on the drawbar and     

I drop the effin' thing on the basement floor. Lost the front pilot and the marker lights:

Put away your money, this round of face palms is on me 

Buy these and cover your basement floor with them around the workbench and layout areas.  Preferably, cover the entire floor.  When I got them, they were exclusive to Lowe's.  But now everyone carries the brand. - Home Depot, Sears, etcetera, for between $1.00 - $1.25 per sqft, 16 sqft per package.

Best Step interlocking floor tiles:  at Sears  |  at Home Depot
Charcoal gray is the common color, but they are available in primary colors as well.

Nothing will ever break again if you drop it on these babies, no models and no tools, and I'm speaking from experience.  Best investment for my basement I ever made.  I also use them for trade shows so that I'm not standing on a hard cement floor for a weekend.

[Philip H]

Bryan,
You win the Inaugural Railwire Neatest Workbench Award!  And I can second those tiles - we've had them in labs wherei"ve worked, and they make all sorts of dropped stuff far less dangerous.

[conrail98]

Buy these and cover your basement floor with them around the workbench and layout areas.  Preferably, cover the entire floor.  When I got them, they were exclusive to Lowe's.  But now everyone carries the brand. - Home Depot, Sears, etcetera, for between $1.10 - $1.25 per sqft, 16 sqft per package.

Be extremely careful with them. We've had several DT400s fry around here because the mats will create a lot of static that is discharged when you plug the throttles in. Many layout owners around here removed them completely and I know a few who will not work on layouts where they will be walking on these on a regular basis. Now, around the workbench, probably a good idea and ok,

Phil

[bbussey]

Bryan,
You win the Inaugural Railwire Neatest Workbench Award!

Philip, I can assure you it looks nothing like that now. 

[bbussey]

Be extremely careful with them. We've had several DT400s fry around here because the mats will create a lot of static that is discharged when you plug the throttles in. Many layout owners around here removed them completely and I know a few who will not work on layouts where they will be walking on these on a regular basis. Now, around the workbench, probably a good idea and ok,

Phil

So, similar to when working on computer equipment, one should be grounded?  Good to know.

[conrail98]

So, similar to when working on computer equipment, one should be grounded?  Good to know.

Yes, but operators tend not to remember that when running between panels, 

[C855B]

Problem solved, but not affordable in an MRR setting: http://www.anti-staticmat.com/ConductiveModularAFRingMat.htm

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks Otto. I'm one of those folks that loves the winter, the snow, and the cold... heck, I even love shoveling snow. My only complaint about a heavy snowfall is that it still isn't enough, and in the depth of a heavy winter storm, you can find me gleefully driving in it. Love it!

And it does make for some great photographic opportunities 

Summer, heat, humidity... like a thousand knives of fire in my soul.

Well, I do agree on the photo opportunities, growing up I used to watch steam locos explode in white clouds of exhaust in below freezing weather and it was simply spectacular! Of course I didn't own a camera then, but ah, the memories...
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

Chris, ouch, but it's good to know you're human...
Otto

[Bendtracker1]

Be extremely careful with them. We've had several DT400s fry around here because the mats will create a lot of static that is discharged when you plug the throttles in. Many layout owners around here removed them completely and I know a few who will not work on layouts where they will be walking on these on a regular basis. Now, around the workbench, probably a good idea and ok,

Phil

Bryan,
Do be careful with these!  They make for an awesome floor covering.  I just installed them in my basement last June.
http://thelittlerockline.blogspot.com/2012/07/another-milestone.html

Phil contacted me and warned me of the same problem.  Now that fall has set in and the humidity has subsided, I've noticed that if I touch the rails or the UP3/5 panels I do get a slight shock.
I'm thinking of installing some grounding panels or pads next to the UP3/5 panels or trying to ground the mats to an earth ground and see if that helps.  Another thing I might try is to get a humidifier for the basement.

If I'm wearing rubber soled shoes I don't get the shock.

[Kisatchie]

...Nothing will ever break again if you drop it on these babies...

Hmm... Kiz could drop
a feather on it and have
it break...

[sizemore]

Problem solved, but not affordable in an MRR setting: http://www.anti-staticmat.com/ConductiveModularAFRingMat.htm

Just goto your local watering hole. They have them by the roll.

The S.