Garden Railway Forum

You have a good running day, 4 or 5 trains out and about with a nice variety of rolling stock.

Then you pack everything away and at the last second, you notice this:



I'll be getting everything out again this evening and looking for the missing nut / bolt!

Well it's clean so probably not off a steam loco.
Looks like a nut for securing a buffer.

There is an old trick in the motor trade that used to get played a lot.
When someone had a gearbox or engine stripped and laid out neatly on a bench some rotter would add a couple of odd fastings or parts to the arrangement when the chap doing the job wasn't looking.
Watching someone stand there with a really confused look on their face with parts left over and no place to put them was priceless.
You could play a similar trick at a steam up by strategically leaving odd bits about. If you were feeling evil that is.

Big Jim:122929 wrote:Well it's clean so probably not off a steam loco.
Looks like a nut for securing a buffer.

There is an old trick in the motor trade that used to get played a lot.
When someone had a gearbox or engine stripped and laid out neatly on a bench some rotter would add a couple of odd fastings or parts to the arrangement when the chap doing the job wasn't looking.
Watching someone stand there with a really confused look on their face with parts left over and no place to put them was priceless.
You could play a similar trick at a steam up by strategically  leaving odd bits about. If you were feeling evil that is.

Yeah, more than likely some incidental fitting that's about to drop off a wagon but as a lover or practical jokes....I thank you for a giggle and further inspiration!

And the location of where it has dropped adds weight to the suggestions its a coupling nut.

No doubt at your next running session, you'll find out which wagon or coach its from when the loco pulls off with just the coupler attached!

Yes James, been there and done that. Hope the detective work solves the case.
Grant.

Happy to report that the nut came from a battery box mounting bracket from one of my new carriages! Now back in its rightful place accompanied by a blob of loctite

Good old Loctite!

To avoid loosing nuts and bolts entirely, why not make a wagon fitted up with magnets, so as to collect up ferrous metal fixings?

Killian Keane:123086 wrote:To avoid loosing nuts and bolts entirely, why not make a wagon fitted up with magnets, so as to collect up ferrous metal fixings?  ;)

That's a genius idea!

James from Devon:123120 wrote:

Killian Keane:123086 wrote:To avoid loosing nuts and bolts entirely, why not make a wagon fitted up with magnets, so as to collect up ferrous metal fixings?  ;)

That's a genius idea!

thanks James! Of coures, it also means you'll be picking up nuts and bolts from other peoples rolling stock also, but better than fixings getting lost altogether!

If you have a canal boat, you will know of something called a Sea Searcher Magnet which will pick up VERY heavy weights. Mind you, you'll need a well wagon to carry it........... https://marinestore.co.uk/Sea_Searcher_ ... agnet.html