[artgibson]

Well I found out today just how important having fully charged batteries for a transmitter and loco are.
I was running my Aster S-2 and after about an hour the battery in the transmitter began to beep si I figured that I coiulr run the S-2 manually.
Well that worked for aboutt AN hour and then the engine came uncoupled from the trailing car and off she went. I was able to stop her and back her up and rehook her to the car. Sterted her up again and she did fine until she got to same location and disconnected. This time while I was catching her and walkin backwards I grabedd her by the cab and the fell ove one of the supports for the track, taking the engine with me.

She was still running after a fall of about four feet, and Steve came over quicly to assist me. I think I must have some how let the engine fall on me and then to the ground. Put out the fire, turned off the throttle,opened the blower and things settled down.
Very little cosmetic damage, so Jeff it was not totaaly fatal. Will be back in business after the Thanksgiving Holidays.

Workin on video that I had made prior to the accident. I am still learning the engine, is reason for small consist of cars. Real touchy about correct anount on blower after start up. But I will get there.

 

[weaverc]

I'm glad you and your locomotive sustained only minor cosmetic damage. It was also nice that someone was there to assist you. I was alone for my last incident and it's scary. I keep my batteries fully charged for another reason and that is I'm too old, too fat and too smart to be chasing after my locomotive. Good to read that all is okay.

 

[altterrain]

Sounds more like the importance of having good track work.

-Brian

 

[artgibson]

tHE TRACK WORK IS FINE. tHE SETUP WAS ORIGINALLY SET UP NOT PLANNING ON OPERATORS ON INSIDE OF TRACK LAYOUT. I JUST MADE A BAD MISTAKE. NOT THE OWNER OF TRACKS FAULT.
NOT YELLING WITH CAPS, JUST TIRED.

 

[GNSteamer]

Art,

I'm glad to hear that you and your S2 emerged unscathed. All of my locomotives are manually controlled so reaching out and slowing them down to a stop becomes second nature. I did have an incident while down in Portland this fall where someone running another train failed to return a switch on this rather large indoor layout after they set their friends train in a siding. My S2 followed down that siding with me following behind it and before I could stop it, plowed into the rear of the train and its 1:20.3 caboose. The cowcatcher casting is very delicate and was slightly crushed by the impact while the pilot beam fasteners remained embeded. I didn't notice the dragging cowcatcher as I let the train run around the track until it picked a switch point and sent the S2 airborne into the soft gravel roadbed a short distance to almost landing on the concrete floor. I replaced the beam and cowcatcher and luckily everything else was intact. Just one less thing to have to remember, fresh batteries and having to be on the lookout for not so experienced people running around a layout.

 

[JEFF RUNGE]

Art good to hear YOUR ok, the engine can always be fixed! I'll have a chat with Steve about those "trip hazards" hehe.

 

[jfrank]

Posted By JEFF RUNGE on 11/18/2008 5:27 PM
Art good to hear YOUR ok, the engine can always be fixed! I'll have a chat with Steve about those "trip hazards" hehe.


We were debating whether to call the paramedics for Art or the engine first.

 

[Dave -- Use Coal]

It is good to know that Art has his priorities right. The heck with skin and bones --- save the engine.

 

[jfrank]

Posted By Dave -- Use Coal on 11/18/2008 6:37 PM


It is good to know that Art has his priorities right. The heck with skin and bones --- save the engine.

Here are Art and Steve giving it CPR

 

[JEFF RUNGE]

NO NO NO,  It goes  ON THE TRACK,  NOT UNDER

 

[Steve S.]

Art was real lucky...................his train Guardian Angel was with him. He went straight down on his back/side with the S2 on top of him. He was determined to not let that engine hit the rocks below, and when I got to him the S2's drivers were still blazing away with engine and tender twisted on top of him. Because the engine did fall on him, the damage is not near as bad as you would think. He was fortunate that alcohol did not splash all over him and ignite. It could have really been a whole lot worse for Art and the S2. Now that all is "ok" we can chuckle about it....................to bad Arts camera was not rolling to catch the action!!

 

[Semper Vaporo]

Yeah, chuckle about it 'now'... when it happens the nerves are a bit jangled. I have had 4 "MAJOR" accidents with one of my Mikes.

The 1st one actually injured me; gashed the palm of my hand when I tried to catch the engine when it fell from the railing of my deck... I had it upside-down oiling it and dropped a screwdriver; I checked that the engine was stable and all was okay, so I bent over to get the screwdriver and heard the loco come rolling off sideways after me. I don't know what part of the engine gashed my hand, but the only thing that broke (besides my skin) was the nipple for the water inlet from the tender (easily replaced).

The 2nd one got video taped and is kind of related to the comment about keeping the R/C batteries charged... I had put the R/C transmitter down and had collapsed he telescoping antenna to be sure I didn't break it while I worked on the engine; when I picked it up I forgot to extend the antenna and with only 20-ft of range from the transmitter with the short stubby collapsed antenna the engine got away from me. You can see the video in the MLS topic at:

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/4/postid/57689/view/topic/Default.aspx

(It is the 1st of the two videos there.) The only damages was a bent cowcatcher and lots of dirt and grass on the front truck. The cowcatcher was easily bent back into place and the grass and dirt brushed off.

The 3ird one also got video taped. (It is the 2nd of the two videos at the above link.) It presents the result of not paying attention to switches. The damages were a bent frame and cowcatcher and a broken arm on the servo for the throttle. It was running again in an hour!

The 4th time... well... I used to run every Sunday afternoon and ALWAYS started by hand pushing a boxcar around the track to look for twigs and other obstructions, and for problems with the track... NEVER did I ever find a problem with the track, so one Sunday I just glanced around and not seeing any leaves or twigs on the track I fired up the engine and let 'er go... the track had separated on the far side of one of the loop-backs and the loco derailed there and landed in the grass about 3 and a half feet down. Damage this time was one handrail stanchion broke and another two bent and the mounting bolt for the headlight broke. The hardest part to fix?... getting the bolt remnant out of the headlight casting so I could remount the thing! Took a bit longer to repair, but I had it running by the next Sunday... and I walked around that track inspecting every rail joint very closely!


Glad you weren't hurt... but I wonder if you'll have some aches in the morning?

Aster Locomotives can take a wrecking and keep on trekking!

 

[topshed]

Hi all,


Boy you do have some fun when they come off the rails! It looks to me as if the real problem is related to running on elevated tracks (I'm still flexible enough to run mine on the ground!). Perhaps the possibility of this kind of derailment could be taken into account by people contemplating building such a line. A wider baseboard might eliminate most problems, while on existing layouts a crash barrier/fence could be erected at sensitive areas.


I have just removed the R/C system from my C-16, with a huge improvement in reliability and performance. The ageing servos were getting quite glitchy and it was impossible to keep the johnson bar in position even when everything was fully charged. The biggest problem was with the rectanguar gas tank running along the axis of the tender. When the gas was fairly full and the loco stalled briefly with a glitch, a gout of liquid gas would be sent through the jet and blow out the fire. I thought about new servos, but I have a couple of manual locos so thought I'd try that first and was so pleased I scrapped the R/C altogether. I could not do this with some locos however, I have a couple of R/C controlled Roundhouse locos which are superb runners. However, due to a couple of gradients on my line, there is no throttle setting at which they could be left to run; they either crawl up the grades and race the rest, or run nicely on the level and stall as soon as they hit the hill, so for them, R/C is a must.


Thanks for an interesting thread with some exciting episodes! (Glad no-one was hurt)


Martin. 

 

[tacfoley]

Posted By Dave -- Use Coal on 11/18/2008 6:37 PM


It is good to know that Art has his priorities right. The heck with skin and bones --- save the engine.

Yup. Skin and bone heal. As I have discovered over the years, a scratch or a dent on a train doesn't get better if you ignore it.

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/

 

[Charles]

Another steamer joins becomes a FAC member: Flying Aster Card holder. Good to see and hear all worked out without serious injury to person or machine. Next question, was it the track or wheel out of gauge?

 

[jfrank]

Posted By Charles on 11/19/2008 4:11 AM
Another steamer joins becomes a FAC member: Flying Aster Card holder. Good to see and hear all worked out without serious injury to person or machine. Next question, was it the track of out of gauge wheel?


It was neither. The locomotive came uncoupled from the train and took off. When Art tried to grab it to stop it he tripped and fell and pulled the engine off the track and it fell on top him. Fortunately Art was not hurt and the engine only suffered some minor damage. I bet he works on that coupler before next time.

 

[Charles]

Hmmm....then maybe coupler problem?

 

[GaugeOneLines]

Charles, it's almost certainly uneven track in the area where it uncoupled repeatedly. The locomotive and train should be pushed by hand through the offending area and all will quickly be revealed. Make sure all couplers are mounted 1 1/16" to the centre of the coupler above the top of the rail.
David M-K
Ottawa

 

[jfrank]

Posted By GaugeOneLines on 11/19/2008 12:06 PM
Charles, it's almost certainly uneven track in the area where it uncoupled repeatedly.
David M-K
Ottawa



It most certainly is not. We are not totally stupid down here in Texas. Art has a coupler problem. The track is fine and all the wheels are in gauge. Only the tender and first car came loose. Nothing else.

 

[artgibson]

Just got back from making a short trip about 50 miles up the road. Did not tell my spouse about the accident and boy did I hurt all day. Felt like these 73 year old gones and muscles
were just that "73 YearOld" bones. Nothing in body broken and have not really looked the S-2 over closely. Steve looked at it pretty close after the evbent and said he saw no real serious damage.

Glad to hear i am not the only one who has experienced this. Bet oyu Ill ahve charged batteries and my peripheral vision on next time we run.


Thanks for your words of comfort and encouragement.