Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

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Old Man Aaron
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Old Man Aaron » Sun May 31, 2020 4:26 am

Loving those hoppers and workshop. Just perfect.


During my Rubies' last overhaul, I decided to repaint the loco. To this day, I still don't know just how Accucraft finishes their locos, but it's the toughest coating the works have yet encountered. I figured it was powdercoat or something. But it was still chipped, glossy, and I wanted satin - the plan being to de-grease the chassis in enamel thinners, scotch-brite the original gloss finish, then etch prime and engine enamel. Returning to the thinners bath a few hours later, I was dismayed to find I now had several more days of work to do, scrubbing the half-lifted remains of the original finish, out of every nook and cranny. Areas such as behind the wheels and eccentrics were left alone and painted over, as for whatever reason, they weren't as badly affected by the thinners..

Upside is, I believe starting from bare metal made for a nicer finish in the end.
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Sylvian Tennant
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Sylvian Tennant » Mon Aug 03, 2020 10:24 pm

On my old line, the curves were sharp, the inclines steep and the pansies too close to the track.
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Vyvyan took something of an offence to all three.

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Scrat
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Scrat » Tue Aug 04, 2020 7:26 am

Electrics:

wired up my 5" gauge CoCo "Taigatrommel". 300Amp Controller, six axle-hung motors, 1.65m over buffers.
After finishing the main cable (24 cores) and connecting it to the two sockets where the handset plugs in and the three bits of stripboard, one in each cab, one in the dummy tank, and checking the lights I wanted to see her move for the first time.
Just see her move......once.
So instead of wiring properly with the right diameter cable I used alligator clips to "just check if both bogies go the same direction".
I know they can stand about 2 Amps.
So a first test of running up and down the 2.5m track on the bench was successful.
Looks good! Huge loco! Most have much power.
How about leaning against the front to get an impression how much power she has.
Thought, done.
Leaned against the loco front, gently opened the throttle.
A short buzz and lots of smoke followed.
The motors wanted power, the controller applied power and the alligator clips could not take it.
On some the wire and insulation were completely vaporized. Took some time to get all the smoke out.


Same on my O-gauge tinplate layout. Was fed up replacing mini-fuses after every short-circuit.
So I bought resettable automatic fuses. As I wanted to run thrains I mounted them mechanically in place but only wired them up using alligator clips as I wanted to improve the wiring in that place and this would take longer to do and could be done the next day.
After playing for some time I thought about testing the time it took for the multifuse to react.
You guessed it, the alligator clip afted faster than the fuse.
Smoke, curses, same procedure....

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dewintondave
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by dewintondave » Tue Aug 04, 2020 8:05 am

Some great Fails coming through. Keep it up lads!
Best wishes,
Dave

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Scrat » Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:25 am

First run of the Prussian P3.1 in 5" gauge.
Firing was a challenge as the front half of the grate slopes downwards.
All the coal slides to the front so it is not easy to keep a good fire on the whole grate.
The fire must be high, but not high enough to block the flues.
Got the system after an hour (or more).

Nearing the end of the running day the fire was taking more and more coal.
Strange.
I kept firing but the pressure went down. After a few more laps I noticed lumps of coal on the track.
WTF?
Drove the loco over the pit, dropped the fire.
After moving the loco forward I took the grate out of the pit and found that two thirds of the bars had gone.
A friend had made that grate. He just tack welded the bars and somehow forgot to do the "real" weld afterwards.

The loco is running fine with the new grate.

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FWLR
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by FWLR » Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:39 am

Oh heck, that was an heck of a lot of coal lost after that "bit of a mistake" :roll:

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Andrew » Sun Aug 16, 2020 4:29 pm

Hello!

If you've just read my plum train post on my (WH)WHR thread, you could be forgiven forgiven for thinking it had been a joyful and trouble-free run - which couldn't be further from the truth!

Problem with the gas meant I ended up re-lighting several times, a dislodged battery saw Russell charge off up the line at lightening speed of its own accord, the lighter wagons bounced themselves off the track (fortunately I've recently sourced a big sheet of lead!) and the loco also derailed several times...

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This was quite a discrete derailment, I thought, with the engine simply settling itself gently down in the foliage...

Russell's pony trucks are a bit of a nightmare really. My understanding is that on real engines pony trucks are supposed to smooth the ride by leading the engine round curves, but on this particular model they seem to excel at finding the smallest flaws in the trackwork, curling themselves up under the bufferbeam where they're a b**ger to retrieve, and then flinging the loco off the track! All part of the fun...

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by FWLR » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:51 am

Good job she fell on the mind-your-own-business Andrew.. :(

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:05 pm

Hi Andrew,

That's possibly one of the most prototypical derailments I've ever seen!

As Rod said, the natural 'cushion' was well placed!

Andrew
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"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Andrew » Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:47 am

Soar Valley Light wrote: ↑Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:05 pm Hi Andrew,

That's possibly one of the most prototypical derailments I've ever seen!
Yes, I thought that - I was strangely pleased with it!

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by philipy » Mon Aug 24, 2020 12:16 pm

This is a disaster waiting to happen. Needless to say nothing has run over this section for quite some time!
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Originally the track was flat and straight. There is an Ash tree growing next to the track which had a cut off branch at exactly the right height to add support to the timber so I flattened it off and used it, when I originally built the line. That was about 6 years ago. 3 years ago the tree had continued to grow, both vertically and horizontally, so that the trackbed needed realignment, which I did. Since then it's got worse and worse and the track is now canted at almost 45degrees. All this year I've been debating with myself whether to just abandon it, or do a major realignment which will also require a lot of work to the flower border in front of it.
Philip

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Garethh » Wed Aug 26, 2020 9:58 am

Oops....
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Jimmyb » Wed Aug 26, 2020 10:58 am

Garethh wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 9:58 am Oops....

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So were you reversing the train when this happened - no banksman :D

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Garethh » Wed Aug 26, 2020 11:23 am

Reversing out of sight, will teach me to pay attention!

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by FWLR » Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:23 am

Garethh wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 9:58 am Oops....

B1541934-A233-49CA-AE6C-46E6F600E316.jpeg
Oh dear.... :roll:

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Lonsdaler » Fri Aug 28, 2020 1:04 pm

I've found Binnie skips almost impossible to propel, or maybe it's just small rolling stock that is the issue :roll:
Phil

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Old Man Aaron » Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:51 am

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 1:04 pm I've found Binnie skips almost impossible to propel, or maybe it's just small rolling stock that is the issue :roll:
Often being so light doesn't help, partly why mine are on some spare Roundhouse wheels. Are your skips permanently-coupled with links?


Water seems to have worked it's way into my Rubies' front headlight during degreasing the other day. Wanting to avoid a complete teardown/rebuild to replace the bulb, I thought I'd try absorbing any moisture with rice; leaving it for a few days. The foil "hopper" was held to the smokebox with Blu-Tac. Unsurprisingly, this didn't work, and the headlight is now in bits, soaking in thinners to strip the paint ahead of reassembly. Not pleased, given the loco's 13-month rebuild was recently completed, and I've eight other locos waiting in line..
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Regards,
Aaron
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Lonsdaler » Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:17 pm

Old Man Aaron wrote: ↑Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:51 am
Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 1:04 pm I've found Binnie skips almost impossible to propel, or maybe it's just small rolling stock that is the issue :roll:
Often being so light doesn't help, partly why mine are on some spare Roundhouse wheels. Are your skips permanently-coupled with links?


Regards,
Aaron
Mine have steel wheels (Brandbright iirc) and also some strip lead affixed to the chassis underside. It certainly helps, but hasn't cured it completely. Rather than 3 link chain couplings, mine are connected to one another by a single chain link. The only 3 link is for attachment to motive power.
I presume your foil 'hopper' was closed to the air? Otherwise you would be trying to dry the atmosphere :lol:
I have some 'rechargeable' moisture absorbing sachets which work quite well.
Phil

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My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by Old Man Aaron » Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:42 am

Huh. Surprising to hear the problem persists. Sounds like you've already tried anything I would think of. My skips are all 3-linkers and propel without issue, but then I've only four of 'em, and expect to have similar problems to you, when the another three are commissioned..

I did wonder about weather I should try sealing the loco inside a container, but didn't expect the rice to work in any case. Was more of an act of desperation, to avoid another rebuild.. Those re-usable sachets, does one leave them in the sun to dry out?


Just remembered something else pertinent to the thread.
About a month back, during a running day at the elevated AMRA club track in Brisbane, the wind blew to the ground, the tail end of a 20-wagon train. This dragged off all but the leading three wagons, which were held back by the weight of the MKII Baguley pulling them. The wooden wholestick trucks, having balsa frames, were badly smashed but since repaired. The bins escaped with a few scrapes and twisted coupling bars. Yet to fix those..
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Aaron
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Re: Disasters, Out-takes, Accidents, Fails etc.

Post by GTB » Tue Sep 01, 2020 3:09 pm

Old Man Aaron wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:42 am My skips are all 3-linkers and propel without issue, but then I've only four of 'em, and expect to have similar problems to you, when the another three are commissioned..
A bit off-subject I guess, as there is no disaster to report.......

Today was a nice day here, sunny, cool and no wind, so I decided to run a train and see if I could successfully back the string of v-skips through a yard. The first photo shows them being successfully backed through an s-bend in the yard by the little IP railmotor. The turnouts are a #6 which probably helps, but the skips are a derailment looking for a place to happen, as they are running on 45mm gauge and only have a 32mm wheelbase. So can easily get skewed out of line.

The little works motor has a simple speed control, so can run slowly enough to shunt, but only has 2 wheels driven. It normally pulls the three wagon weedex train and I wasn't sure if it could move 12 skips, let alone back them through turnouts, but it managed. The only skip that got out of line was the one coupled to the works motor, as the coupling arrangement was a drawbar, not the open link fitted to the skips.

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The next two photos show the semi-permanent couplings used on the skips, based loosely on a type I found in a photo of a Hudson v-skip.

First photo shows the coupling in the forward running position, the second shows them when reversing. The coupling is an open oval link that is sized to allow the buffers cast into the underframe to touch when being reversed. The cover is bent out of 10 thous brass shim and keeps the link in place so it can't lock up and push the skips out of line.

The trick is to make sure all the skip chassis touch on the centreline when backing up. The only added weight in mine is the steel wheel sets, but all the trucks in a rake being the same weight is as important as the actual weight. This works fine on my track, but I don't have sharp curves and turnouts, so your mileage may vary.

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Of course once the train of skips was set up and working, it would have been a shame not to give it a run......... :roll:

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Regards,
Graeme

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