F-UnitMad

Much the same way as I imagine seeing American trains for real, or getting to something like the Chicago O Scale March Meet.... 🤔😉🤦‍♂️

Only one? 🤔😁

How many times has your friend there been told "Don't panic!!"..??!! 🤣🤣🤣 VID-20230502-WA0000.mp4

I suppose it's just assumed knowledge on this Section, so we were all too polite to state the very obvious... 😁 What track spikes have you got? I started off with Peco IL-13 'rail spikes' but they're well over scale for O, & stand out too much, even more so with Code 100 rail. I switched to Peco SL-14 'track pins' which are much less obstrusive, especially once painted. I'm aware of 'proper' spikes from Micro Engineering, but was too lazy to try & work out how many I'd need, and too mean to pay postage & Customs VAT from the USA as well.!! 🙄🤦‍♂️ Photographed during ballsting; the two spurs (Code 100) used the IL-13 spikes, by the time I laid the front, main line (Code 125), I'd swapped to SL-14 pins....

I'd think it's more likely to be a ready-built brass model, from Sunset, or 3rdRail or suchlike? If so, I do hope you got a bargain as they can be quite expensive, being brass. Here's one on ebay at the moment.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305267201650?itmmeta=01J3NBCZ1QWM7B4R65JQ7S4CGJ&hash=item471357d672:g:Z3gAAOSwd2llUlsX&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0CUYPknL7oERpuwmb2VwwcX6er9zTzyRb9YOwgdVHL%2BTrRLRvNvs8tCFwwfaWNQ3Q2v8KwzkF4rIretnbNWWrORXDXf9K5KT6srlz2rGKJqTfgDW%2BQnsTBcMb3fiupEqHyAry6mUPmk%2FDC8xtbRyOv9I8YsiMFt4rcIge7fdQyMf30hOylVLDmOTT5ywi5QG4HvcldMIDdxG%2BFzKBAhO%2Fv7XS2bzTFN6%2BVrWuPPsCwXcbSKJ5OvV9MhJS8tgoqxV2mAydRwvHprJ%2FuBCULhVS%2BE%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_bws6udZA&edge=1

As I've posted elsewhere, it's one golden opportunity that TT:120 really opens up. Having witnessed for myself operations in the West Mids in the 80s & 90s involving Ferry chemical tankers, replicating such ops in TT:120 would be a real temptation for me - when, or if, suitable locos & rolling stock become available.

Exactly why some of us left British OO behind decades ago. 👍 I have since moved on from US HO, up to US O scale. 😎

Just fixed that for you, Rob.... 🥳🤩

Many years ago now, with me & my then young son, it was a mix up with self-isolating points, on a half-built layout up the garden shed. "Dad, the train's not moving?" Me, in the middle of doing something else so not paying attention, flicks point to power the right track. Meanwhile, he had turned the controller to maximum. No end stops on the board - cue one flying Atlas O Scale Switcher - Terminal Velocity onto concrete.... Fortunately, it was a cheap loco, in a Foobie livery. The chassis was salvaged & runs with another bodyshell to this day.

From incidents like this, and other things like the state of some of the track on Portway Terminal, it would be easy to get the impression that US Short Lines operate with a sort of free-for-all, devil-may-care attitude, free of lots of regulations and inconvenient Red Tape. While researching which body investigates Short Lines I came across this interesting article... https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/fra-shuts-down-oklahoma-short-line/ Along with more major incidents like the lethal Lac-Mégantic rail disaster ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac-Mégantic_rail_disaster ) it shows that even if they try & operate with disregard for the rules, they will be held to account. With regard to the Portway Terminal, one of the recommendations is an increase in Crew operational training, which the staff, both full- and part-time, are very much in favour of. It just has to be got past the SWMBO Authority, now.... 😁🙄🤦‍♂️🤣

The investigation into last Saturday's derailment at Shortside Yard North has published the results of it's findings into the cause of the incident. The boxcar was being propelled along the spur, taking the 'straight' route through the switch. It was found that the GATX tanker was actually the problem - the wheelsets on the truck closest to the CSX boxcar caught the switch blade for the curved route, rode up, over and on to the curve, taking the boxcar with it, and dragging it off the spur rails. The report said it was remarkable that the boxcar truck stayed in place, which facilitated a speedy re-railing operation (once the crew got their hands out of their pockets!!). This was due to the truck being bolted to the boxcar chassis, which is not normal full size practise. It was a surprise to the Portway Terminal management that the tanker wheelsets needed adjustments. It had recently been re-equipped with trucks from Kadee Quality Products Co, as have other items of rolling stock, none of which have needed adjustments. However in this instance a visit to the Wheel Puller at Portway's shops, to ease the back-to-backs by a smidge (technical term) has cured the issue. The other truck on the tanker was found to be within tolerances, and tests showed that if this truck had been leading through the switch, the derailment was highly unlikely to occur in the first place.... 🙄😁👍

Love the mirrored interior, Mike! Very clever. 👍👍👌👌

Oi..!!! Photos of the real thing are NOT allowed!!! 🙄🙄🙄🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤣🤣🤣

An interesting conundrum there, Bob. Chris Ellis was always espousing 'Multi-mode' layouts in his magazines, personally I was never convinced it really works, despite trying it myself a couple of times. In this case it is, as you say, the track - delapidated secondary US track looks totally different to pre-WW1 (?? I guess?) EU branchline track, which I imagine was quite well looked after, and would be chaired rather than spiked? (again I'm guessing?). I did use a mix of Peco UK & old Lima setrack on my Portway Mk2 layout, & no one seemed to notice at the couple of shows it went to, but then it was heavily ballasted & overgrown, and of course very wonky!! Cue gratuitous photos...

Far too close to the truth to be funny, really, isn't it..... 🤦‍♂️