Well, here I am, Mr big shot with my DCC MRR..All the bells and whistles I'd want, but still careless about RR safety...!! With DCC, it really gets REAL sometimes ! I had tied up my brand new HO Bach RS3 on a stub ended track and the 'big shot' then hits 'recall' and goes over to the mogul in the engine house..I'm futzing with her and some programming or at water tower gettin' my big shot RR CEO jollies when I hear ' clop clop, kerbangedy bang bang ,,BANG ! Oh, %$*.^%^ !!! ..On the slab floor is my favorite tank car and rest of cars behind RS3 heading for the same fate !! I paniced and ran and UNPLUGGED PowerCab preventing a 2nd car and then the RS3 from the fatal 5 foot drop !!! Apparently what I did was assummed I had 'set the hand brake' on the RS3...Nope ! It was crawling at 2 scale MPH..while I was on my CEO's 'date' with the mogul !! And, my hearing is poor from 35 years of bass playing..You guys probably would have heard diesel's whine, but, until I get a hearing aid, I can't very easily without cupping my ear. I'm not deaf, but have tinnitus, ironically, a hissing, whistling sound 25 hours a day, eight days a week like a steamer at blowdown ! ) Like, W O W !... The tanker's crashing noise got my attention in the nick of time !! It only broke off a stirrup..What would the loco have broken ? !! My Heart !! ...PHEeeeW ! Saved by the tanker !! It was for me a HUGE wake-up-call about RR safety..Ya gonna own and run one? Then do just that, but next time to the nines !! I believe that was the second time of a similar scary close call , to boot !! 3 strikes and your out !! Next headline: " MRR CEO FIRED ! " Oh, yeah, BTW, stub-end has no bumper, and at a cliff !! Right-on boss !...Doh !
Mark, you must be living right. OK, I'll agree that your tank has been dinged a bit, but the little guy on your shoulder was still looking out for your "investments".
Get them bumpers in place. I to have tinnitus and understand but a hearing aid will not take care of it.
Tanks guys ! Yeah, I am tryin' to live right..trying to be responsible for my actions at 65 years or MPH....Driving is utmost a safety-first ops 1 sec behind the wheel...Oh, BTW, it dawned on me next day that all I had to do is run over and lift off the engine...Ironically, the reason for this is I try least as possible to hand-move any eguipment..If I can roll something by locomotive, running session or not, I have a built in habit to not touch 'em ..I (we) like to think they're real at all times...This is why stall-outs really test my nerves, as I have handle it..Hate that THE MOSTof all the problems !! Even derailments don't bother me as the 1:1scale do it all the time..They'll even drag a derailed car through the switch frog like us, to rerail it !! I had 2 clunky old, behind the ear hearing aids I lost , broke, got sick of battery buys , gave up on...But they actually do help with tinnitus because since you are now hearing alot louder/clearer, the tinnitus tends to go on the 'back burner'.
