Scariest Model Moments

Well I thought this would serve as an amusing topic. I was curious what your scariest "recks" or things of that sort that have occured on your layout?

Mine would have to be a long time ago when I first began my main line on the outer rim of my bench work. I had not yet nailed the track down. I was running a 2 engine Santa Fe F-unit freight with about 10 cars. Just to kind of test out the conditions. As it rounded the part of the layout closest to edge, the entire track leaned sideways and I literally dove under the layout in an attempt to grab the engines. Just as I got to the other side of the table, they fell directly into my hands....but unfortunately, one of them bounced off my palm and fell to the floor with a thud. The engine has never run since then . But I did purchase a new one, and you best believe I fixed that layout mighty quick :lol: .

I lost a Superliner II Sightseer Lounge that fell 4 ft. to the cement floor of my basement while rounding a 22" radius curve at a very fast speed. A huge crack formed straight down the roof of the car, I tried to fix it, but no lcuk. Now the car is used for spare parts.

What brand Superliner was it? My friend has had similar issues in the past, but only with one brand.

Walthers, they are usually very strong because of the double layer of plastic in the shell. Concor, another brand the manufactures Superliners, leaves a lot to be desired with thin plastic and poor construction.

Yeah, I agree. My friend had a Concor coach car that only fell about 2 feet and left some nice cracks. He was dissapointed, but I always told him walthers was better :lol: .

Amfleet said:

I lost a Superliner II Sightseer Lounge that fell 4 ft. to the cement floor of my basement while rounding a 22" radius curve at a very fast speed. A huge crack formed straight down the roof of the car, I tried to fix it, but no lcuk. Now the car is used for spare parts.

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My table is narrow (getting it widended soon), so track was misaligned, and Phase IV AEM-7, Heritage Sleeper, and Diner fell roughly the same height as Amfleet's onto my basement (cement) floor. Had to take an elmers glue to a few loose parts, they all work, only the AEM-7 hum's now.

When I was a real youngin around 10 years ago when I was first getting into model trains I used to drop them by accident all the time. My first two Amtrak units were wrecked this way - A Tyco F7 and Life Like F40PH.

Well two years ago it happened again, execpt this time it happened after I bumped into a table carring a couple of Amfleets and my Walthers F40PH #339, the 339 was the only victim. It was smashed not very seriously at all, I was suprised, it must have fell a good 31/2-4 feet to a hard floor. The worse part was the truck got messed up a bit and the flywheel broke inside, I got it fixed but it was fustrating working on it.

As actual train wrecks go on the model railroad, I dont have very many. 1996 though I was running the Cresent, well I remember that I was pretending that we had just pulled out of Manasses Virginia and we got up to around 85 scale MPH ( a little over the speed limit). A freight train was just getting going on the second main in the opposite direction. The electic switch didnt work when I tried throwing it to line it up onto the #2 track so I could have it go around in its own circle instead of going out into the Amtrak's main. Just as the Cresent started to fly by the freight careened on to the other main smacking into the Cresents baggage car and since it was going at a good clip, the cars on that train jackedknifed realisticly, one Amfleet car actually piled into the top of the diner, it was very reminicent of the Chase wreck in 1987. It was the middle of the summer too and the train was packed, out of 410 people on board 268 were injured and unfortunatly 4 people were lost, all in the lead sleeping car

Once was I was nine, and I had thoose old anger issues that we all had as children , I was so frustrated that I banged the table, making the cars jump in the air...one of them was sitting right on the edge...it fell to its death.

I always get mad at myself when I think about that <_< :lol:

Almost had another scary moment last night. I was running an Empire Corridor train around the main line and I guess I forgot it was on for a second. The next thing I knew my #182 was on its way into the big turn that, if off the track, would have most likley fallen off the layout. I did the smart thing and just turned the power off.

Note to self: DONT FORGET YOUR TRAIN IS STILL RUNNING!

Are you runing your trainset today?

I will be later. I am not right now, (atleast as far as I know :lol: )

What kind of Amtrak Passager Cars to you got on your Trainset?

P42's, Baggage cars, Amfleet coaches, Diner, Viewliners, Lounge cars, Express Freight, Mail cars.

No superliners yet though, I plan to purchase thoose around christmas. I am re-doing my layout so that the superliner will make the turns.

A neat thing I did was took a bunch of my old beat up freight boxcars I had and painted them up in Platinum mist and stenciled in Amtrak Markings and made nice cheap express boxcars. I put some graffitti on some of them for added effect! They are sidelined though behind the shops due to the cancelation of Mail and Express on my layout.

P40Power said:

A neat thing I did was took a bunch of my old beat up freight boxcars I had and painted them up in Platinum mist and stenciled in Amtrak Markings and made nice cheap express boxcars. I put some graffitti on some of them for added effect! They are sidelined though behind the shops due to the cancelation of Mail and Express on my layout.

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You may want to put a few back in service. Though a good chunk of Amtrak's Express business is gone, express cars are still put on the rear of many trains. I still have three for my layout.

Amfleet, do you know if the City Of New Orleans still runs with that single boxcar that it used to. I always found that kind of amusing, the little lonely boxcar on the rear.

My older sister once threatend to break my Amtrakk GG1 if I didn't listen to her when I was in high school. When I went upside her head about 4 times with my fist, she changed her mind pretty quickly.

Well on my layout, MHCs have not been banned (my walthers MHC is one of the best tracking, best rolling cars I own!) and the M&E express shipments are small enough now adays just be be put in one MHC.

P40Power said:

(my walthers MHC is one of the best tracking, best rolling cars I own!)

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Same here. I was amazed how easily it rolled around the layout. I have never had it derail on an active train.

There is a slight incline on my layout and the mhc runs soooo freely and smooth that it would be the ONLY car to roll from it!! I never had a problem with it derailing either, great car . . a nice looker too!

P40Power said:

There is a slight incline on my layout and the mhc runs soooo freely and smooth that it would be the ONLY car to roll from it!! I never had a problem with it derailing either, great car . . a nice looker too!

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Just a tip, but a little lubrication on passenger car wheel barings will do the trick. My Amfleets roll a lot smoother now, but about every month you have to wipe off the old lubricant and apply again as dust collects on it and things start to get nasty. You can find locomotivce lubricant at your local hobby shop for about $5. One word of caution is don't use anything in your garage as that will eat at the plastic!!!