Well, as of now I'm a bit highly upset about a wreck this afternoon involving one of my BNSF Dash 9's and several cars that are completely trashed. All of the details on my Atlas 60' auto parts car including the flasher unit have been completely smashed to bits along with a matching 60' GT box car that had the body broke almost in half at the doors also with all detail parts broke and coupler pocket screws striped out making this car nothing more than a wrecked paper weight. An Athearn 60' flat that I just got threw stripping the paint off of and just added all new detail parts to was a victim of the wreck but wasn't hurt as bad along with a couple other cars that had some deep scratches put in them.
As for the locomotive, it hit the floor dead on the rear end completely "dislodging" the motor and drive train from the frame. It has serious mechanical problems as well as cosmetic. The hand rails are all mangled up. 2 MU hose's are gone and one badly mangled and the main airline hose is gone. The back pilot walking plate is cracked but not fully broken off. Drivers side has a bent step but the other side they are almost completely gone with other cracks in the pilot and no holes for the hand rails and both rear truck frames were broken off along with a badly bent coupler. the shell snap mounts are broke off and the radiator grill popped out and one corner where it goes is all crunched in.
As for the front the snow plow was hanging half way off with a missing MU hose with one hole missing for the front hand rail with a few scratches in the cab and one of the cab mounted handrails is missing along with the cab hood details (which I have been unable to find).
All this occurred when I threw a switch while the train was making it's run and was unaware of an on coming UP push-pull 80 car coal train that nobody told me anything about that was pulled out of a yard. They collided head on at the switch ripping the points right off the ties doing about the same speeds around 60-65MPH scale speed throwing my whole train off to the floor and sent the coal train off in the other direction crashing into several buildings cars and trucks removing them from their resting places derailing 54 of it's cars in a domino effect. The only reason my entire train went to the floor is because about half of it was equipted with the new #118 shelf couplers which held it together as it went over. Luckily the control for the #2 inside track was in front of me because the passenger train come barreling up doing about 85MPH and that would have been nasty being those locomotives cost around $300.00 each custom made with sound lights and you name it with there being 4 of them in a A-B-B-A arrangement pulling 30 heavy weight cars.
That would have been an expensive wreck. No damage was caused to the coal train except a couple broke off MU hose's and a scratch in the snow plow. An estimated cost of close to $400.00 in damage after including all the detail parts and new motor that was bought for the dash 9 along with buildings vehicles track and high detailed cars with custom made items installed. That accident just bankrupted my railroad because I only own 4 decent locomotives that has had custom work and made items on them. That's what happens when someone takes off for a coffee break while trying to get their train out on the main.
To bad I didn't have a camera with me. That's by far the worst wreck I've seen in my years of model railroading. It was fun to see knowing no one was really hurt but the cost of damage to my trains is making me weep.
Now I have a question. I have tried to salvage as much as I could from the wreckage and got all the trucks. How ever I did find most of the rollering bearing truck bearing caps except for 3 of them. Does anyone have 3 spare's for the Kato trucks I can have? I will gladly pay $.25 per cap plus postage.
Charles
As for the locomotive, it hit the floor dead on the rear end completely "dislodging" the motor and drive train from the frame. It has serious mechanical problems as well as cosmetic. The hand rails are all mangled up. 2 MU hose's are gone and one badly mangled and the main airline hose is gone. The back pilot walking plate is cracked but not fully broken off. Drivers side has a bent step but the other side they are almost completely gone with other cracks in the pilot and no holes for the hand rails and both rear truck frames were broken off along with a badly bent coupler. the shell snap mounts are broke off and the radiator grill popped out and one corner where it goes is all crunched in.
As for the front the snow plow was hanging half way off with a missing MU hose with one hole missing for the front hand rail with a few scratches in the cab and one of the cab mounted handrails is missing along with the cab hood details (which I have been unable to find).
All this occurred when I threw a switch while the train was making it's run and was unaware of an on coming UP push-pull 80 car coal train that nobody told me anything about that was pulled out of a yard. They collided head on at the switch ripping the points right off the ties doing about the same speeds around 60-65MPH scale speed throwing my whole train off to the floor and sent the coal train off in the other direction crashing into several buildings cars and trucks removing them from their resting places derailing 54 of it's cars in a domino effect. The only reason my entire train went to the floor is because about half of it was equipted with the new #118 shelf couplers which held it together as it went over. Luckily the control for the #2 inside track was in front of me because the passenger train come barreling up doing about 85MPH and that would have been nasty being those locomotives cost around $300.00 each custom made with sound lights and you name it with there being 4 of them in a A-B-B-A arrangement pulling 30 heavy weight cars.
That would have been an expensive wreck. No damage was caused to the coal train except a couple broke off MU hose's and a scratch in the snow plow. An estimated cost of close to $400.00 in damage after including all the detail parts and new motor that was bought for the dash 9 along with buildings vehicles track and high detailed cars with custom made items installed. That accident just bankrupted my railroad because I only own 4 decent locomotives that has had custom work and made items on them. That's what happens when someone takes off for a coffee break while trying to get their train out on the main.
To bad I didn't have a camera with me. That's by far the worst wreck I've seen in my years of model railroading. It was fun to see knowing no one was really hurt but the cost of damage to my trains is making me weep.
Now I have a question. I have tried to salvage as much as I could from the wreckage and got all the trucks. How ever I did find most of the rollering bearing truck bearing caps except for 3 of them. Does anyone have 3 spare's for the Kato trucks I can have? I will gladly pay $.25 per cap plus postage.
Charles
