How often do your trains crash?

After a wedding.

Once or twice a year.

Too much champagne.

When I watch this;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLroIZCgRy4

Whenever someone leaves the turnout from the staging yard to main open. Doesn't happen that often, but it can be pretty embarrassing.

When I have visitors, they start asking me questions about the trains while in operation(too many going on at once): I really can't answer them, and if I do they may/might/have done crashed

Guilty. Operational errors have been an occurrence on the Jefferson RR with an FRA official (my son) banning multiple consists on certain tracks during peak operational times ( when I get distracted or have guests over). Now that my son is away at a charter high school for studies I still find myself following those orders....but I still forget to throw a turnout now and then.....oops.

In the past couple of years, I have had 4 accidents on the line. 1 was a minor derailment due to badly laid track. 2 were C.O.L. (Cat on line) incidents, and 1 was a switch setting error which resulted in a low speed collision between a freight train and a stationary passenger train. (No injuries were reported in any of the above incidents.)

Fortunately just omce during the past three years when on a fastrack carpet central layout a L-O-N-G consist uncoupled from the tender and the conventional loco pulling those cars immediately sped up like the proverbial bat out of h*** and struck the end of the consist it was pulling before I could get to transformer to cut the power. Luckily no major damage done.

Every time I have company...

Most of the time it is when I am testing a new loco on a track with turns that I know are to tight. Normally it is just a partial derail.

  I had a real crash a couple days ago; I was running 3 trains and I think the loco decoupled and came around to hit the rear end of the train. I did not actually see it happen( heard a noise , pushed the Estop!)  but it looked like that is what happen.

  Don

I have one small operating flummox a month - car derails or a loco's front pilot jumps off for some weird reason or a coupler fails - situations where in the past I would have had to crawl through a duck under and open a hatch, etc.  However, now I  use a three foot long "grabber" to pick up de-railed cars, etc.  I can reach nearly everywhere and it is only when I don't trust this device to, say, pick up a heavy loco that is stalled or off the rails, that I have to "duck under" maybe twice a year now.

 

I have had only four serious accidents in the last seven years (since I have been back into O gauge).

• My Vision Hudson tumped over in a turn for no reason at all: not going too fast, nothing found on the track - never happened again.  No damage done, other than embarrassment because DG Jones was visiting that day.
• One of my two Legacy ATSF Northern's jump a curve and fell 40 inches to the floor.  Ouch.  Still not certain what the cause was  but I think I forgot to check the line and there may have been a small razor saw blade on the rails.  Damage was extensive but I fixed.
• The anti-derailing failed on a switch and an MTH 2900 Northern de-railed along with nearly the entire train behind it.  The switch was destroyed, the loco was not damaged but two PFE Reefers were torn up pretty badly.
• An MTH Premier ABA F3 set with four eighteen inch alum passenger cars behind it drove into the back of four eighteen passenger cars that had come loose from it and coasted to a stop when a coupler failed.  The lead A unit jumped off the layout to the floor and the body was ruined and one car was damaged enough it, too, went into the parts bin. 

I am satisfied with this "operating safety" record given that I generally run three trains "unsupervised" anytime I am in the train room - just run them up to speed and leave them while I go about whatever I'm working on: maybe an average of two to three hours a day, five or six days a week - works out to something like 15,000 train-operating hours over those past five years, or one accident per 3,750 hours. 

This is old news to most of you but here are two links you might want to see. 

The first is regarding a "hinge up" I put into my Christmas garden, and a few tips.

Mine is the fourth post there.

The second is one that partly answers your original question in the post!

 

I hope you enjoy both!  Greg

 

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...ss-gate-construction

 

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...04#12129987958270504

Never crash.  Split switches causing derailments rarely.  Not counting derailments as a "crash" that is.  Generally, I can go months without a derailment, which is really great, running with Fastrack. 

1. When something falls and obstructs the track.

 

2. When a car overhangs a siding.

 

3. Too fast.

 

4. Kid operators.

Not as often as I would have thought...considering what I run.  Postwar to modern, any size, on Lionel tubular with 022 and 072 switches and crossovers, on many trestle bents. 

 

I've left the room with four trains running, Cab 2's in the hands of my 3 and 5 year old Grandsons.  They each run one train, any speed (they don't care for high speed, which is odd, but a good thing) and direction they want, automatic switch operation (I throw switches if need be).  Right now at thier age they're enamored with the big stuff, Centipedes, scale S1, S2, T1, J1, DD35, SD-70ACe, JLC GG1 etc., but every now and then an Atlantic or K4, or F3. 

 

I have more 'accidents' than them.  And it's usually my error.  Thank goodness for the ZW-L and modern circuit breakers.

Hardly ever. I set the layout up so that I can run trains even with distractions without the risk of running into another train.

No "crashes", occasional derailments.

CRASH AVOIDANCE SYSTEM DESIGN:

 

I am working on a crash avoidance system. I use multiple blocks and block occupancy sensing so that I can tell if a train is approaching another stalled or derailed engine or uncoupled cars on an adjoining block.

 

This system will be used where track visibility is a problem especially in tunnels, etc.

 

This will involve the use of interlocking relays, MTH ITADs and high current diode strings. 

Rarely, (once or twice a year) but always in front of visitors if it happens.

I try explaining something and lose track of where I parked another train or how slow it was running, always the cause.

Disaster (crash) avoidance -

 

1) I have one of those "grabber" poles and they do come in handy.

2) I have designed my layout with access in mind. Still, there are a couple of areas where I need that pole.

 

3) S.O.P. - whenever I assemble a new train, make a change to an existing train, whenever I complete a bunch of moves, switching, etc,  the 1st time around the layout is always DEAD SLOW. For my MTH locomotives this is usually "yard speed" of about 15 smph. Only after a successful run around the layout do I then open it up to its desired speed.

 

Whether a switch was left open or there is a piece of equipment somewhere that is in the way,  derailments and collisions are much less damaging at low speed!

 

4) When problems occur it is usually 50/50 human error VS equipment malfunction.

Are you kidding me...  No greater joy then when the Grandkids yell out "TRAIN WRECK!!".  They have them, I fix them.  I gotta say it's part of the fun. 

 

Over the years I have stopped the annoying derailment and bad switch orientation problems.  Now they only occur when it's a failure of the rules. Such as not following the right of way, clearing the line switches, maintaining the proper trailing distance and finally failure to maintain proper speed.  As the kids age they are getting better.  I limit them to three operators at a time.  About half the kids are now running with TMCC.  With three main lines the wrecks usually occur when they are trying to swap routes.  I always remind myself that this is a "Toy"

N.Q.D.Y.,

Gotcha! You are the lady that said I need to practice driving my trains in response to my thread about an accident avoidance system. So you have accidents too. Hmm!. Maybe my accident avoidance idea has some merit after all.

 

Getting back to the principle theme, there have been some blood pressure raising events on my railroad this year like the times the:

> Y6b hauling coal to Long Island ran into the rear of the 20th Century Limited;

> Crusader ran into into the back of Long Island peddler and sent its caboose to the concrete;

> N&W J608 & C&O Chessie met head-on because a switch was not thrown correctly;

> 20th Century crashed into the Cedar Rapids skytop observation on the afternoon Hiawatha. Unfortunately the Cedar Rapids, made of aluminum, went to the floor and cracked. It is still out of service. No more expensive aluminum cars will be on the roster of my railroad.

 

I thank the Lord for the Grabber. Every layout needs to have one or two handy.

 I never claimed to be accident free. Perfect, Yes. But accident free, No. 

I have a derailment and/or crash about once a weekend

when I'm running at shows.

And it never fails, some kid always says

"do it again"

 

The Gomez Adams Youtube video, several years ago,

Classic Toy Trains showed in one of their issues the pile

of post war trains that were trashed during the shooting

of that film. Its was a sad sorry looking pile of junk.

Not many crashes, I pretty much stay with the locomotive as it works its way around the layout.  There is the occasional derailment, usually minor, for one reason or another.  The time of greatest risk, like others have noted is when visitors/guests are down in the train room and I get distracted during conversation.  I did have one serious derailment not long ago on the MARS, can't talk about it though as it's currently under investigation!  Bo     

Whenever certain members of the club run on the layout, a crash is almost guaranteed. It can be amusing as long as he doesn't crash into my train (which he often does).

No switches, no curvature less than 72" diameter, hence NO crashes or derailments! :-)

Two weeks ago, I hooked up my new DCS system and proceeded to have more crashes and carnage than I've had in 3 years (just received a parts order to repair all the damage and was successful). The problem was not with MTH engines in command. It was my PW stuff running conventional(with the remote) onto an inner loop (separate block). Engines were taking off like the proverbial bat out of **** and crashing into parked consists (or going airborne). I figured out what I was doing wrong, but realized that it's just not worth the risk vs. benefits running PW off the remote. They don't run as well anyway (or anything with a solenoid). So....I set up a toggle switch in front of the TIU, so I can bypass it to run conventional the traditional way (only for my PW). I have to say, I made some amazing, diving catches to save some engines!

I have had a few.....so I have some "rules" now:

-no expensive cabooses. My trains actually run in a circle (surprise?) and I have had coupler failures on two different occasions. (These are NOT Kadee couplers. The name of these couplers begins with an "A"). When a coupler fails, the train runs into its own caboose. (Cabooses do not like this treatment......)

AND

One coupler knuckle failure left the debris between the rails, and the speaker magnet of an AC4400 picked it up and failed the speaker.

-I park my Dreyfuss Hudson out of harm's way. And as a precaution, there is a square of blue painters tape over the front coupler cover, just in case.....

I used to start up the train or trains and then let myself be distracted by something on the work bench. Now I try to pay more attention to what I am doing. Another precaution is that, when I am using turnouts or making simple switching moves, I ALWAYS realign the switches.

Crashes are the reason I have started setting up a lot of routes and sub routes. I now drive trains via routes.

 

I also follow three new rules:

1. No stopping or slowing of trains in tunnels.

2. No more than two trains on each level.  Only legacy engines when running 4 trains to keep speed and separation precise.

3. Where applicable, connect switch throws that reverse direction of travel on main lines.  

Very rarely, thank goodness!  And when they do it is usually a result of operator error.

Never. My layout and skills are flawless, without blemish.

What? No, I don't want to go with the nice men in the white coats, thank you very

much.

 

 

 

 

 

We have about about 3 to 5 crashes(usually rear ending) at the train meetings when they are at my house. We generally have 5 members each running  a 4-8 car consist over a 2 1/2 hour period with a 1/2 hr coffee-pie break. I think this is pretty good given I have three Ross double crossovers in a line and we sometimes run in opposite directions on the inner and outer loops( requires running in opposite directions on the same loop when moving engines from one loop to another).We are running at about 50 to 80 scale MPH. We are all over 70 except one member and 3 of us are over 80. It keeps we old timers from getting mentally old!!

 

As for running up sidings I have dead man controls on siding switches so they are always set for through and a momentary switch must depressed while bringing out consists from that siding. Its critical when neighbor kids come over to run with me!!

Not often enough? 

Every time "Ben" (RC3R) has been switching out trains on the modular club layout..... His last smooth move whacked the pilot on my new 3rd Rail K2a.

 

There are some folks that would be best served to omit switches from their layout.

The only crash that has happened in recent memory, i.e. with my current layout, was when I was trying to hit 120 SMPH with my 2-8-0 and a leased Montour RR SW9. All that plus a long train and O-31 curves...guess what happens. 4 reported "fatalities."

 

 

 

My carpet layouts are for "Gomez" days, its a long drop from the shelf layout to the floor.(cost me a lamp off my boiler, lucky that was all)