Joined: 04/01/2005(UTC)
Posts: 137
Location: , Florida
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I have noticed that the posts have been getting a little “heavy” as of late, so to add a little humor, lets discuss the dumbest thing that we have ever done with our Marklin trains. Mine has to be related to my first post on this site. In my "never to be questioned" wisdom, I saw a Delta V-188 at my dealer. It was cheaper that the Digital, and I thought to myself…….. hey one decoder, I’ve installed all kinds of decoders in my DCC stuff how tough can it be? a) Well… open the shell…”what are all these extra wires for?” b) Oh… gota convert the AC motors to HP. c) Then… hummm, the decoder that M* uses for the two motor loks is special and can’t be found in the USA. Need to buy two Loksound 2’s d) Ah….. Decoders have speed stabilization. Must now spend hours programming each decoder separately to keep the speed stabilization on decoder one from fighting the speed stabilization on decoder two. e) Lights keep blinking. Oh I give up, I’ll just run it in the daytime. The moral of the story…….. Just buy the digital version…. It’s cheaper and easier on your nerves. Come on……..there has to be some other good stories out there!!!! <ul><li> </li><li> </li><li> </li></ul>
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Joined: 04/02/2002(UTC)
Posts: 799
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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I did the same thing, bought a Delta 12X set only to dump $200+ into decoders to make it into a Digital, and not have the benefit of the digital items that came with the starter set! |
Era I-V / HO & 1 Gauge / C-Track & Mobil Station, with Central Station. |
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Joined: 06/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 1,159
Location: The Netherlands
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On my very first layout. Everything I build along the lineside was carefully checked with the widest and longest car I did own (17,5 cm). For some years, everything went well. Untill I had money for a electric locomotive and 4-axle passenger cars...... |
Absolutly AFB-NOHAB fan ;-) |
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Joined: 25/07/2001(UTC)
Posts: 11,165
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Mentioned in the forum a couple of years ago but still a great mistake: We all make our little mistakes and when I came back into the hobby around 1994, I had bought a very gunky secondhand loco. Ok, I thought, let's do some *serious* cleanup here - so I dismounted the motor, relay and such and was left with the frame with gears and wheels. After some thinking I thought I should do it rationally and soak the whole underframe in alcohol instead of wasting a lot time with Q-tips and such... So I did that.... And was suddenly standing there with a jar of red alcohol, red fingertips and a pink BR 78 underframe after a few seconds.... Ouch... The red paint on a steam loco frame & wheels is dissolved by alcohol, so don't use that.  |
Juhan - "Webmaster", at your service...
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Old Chinese Proverb] |
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 Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,456 Location: Scotland
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On deciding to use some light oil on the wheels of a steamer I picked up the bottle and put a few drops on each wheel. A few minutes earlier I had been using super glue on a Faller model and yep I had picked up the superglue tube and applied it to the wheels of the steamer. Ah well such is the joy of getting older.
David |
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer. |
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 Joined: 15/04/2005(UTC) Posts: 2,464 Location: St. Michael, Barbados
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Hi Everyone, As I caanot program a VCR, my dumbest mistake was buying
model r/r to start with. I have the Big Boy starter set with electric
turnouts I can't wire and a 6051 or 7051 (can't remember which) crane
I can't use and a wife who thinks it's hysterical. When I got a set
of wagons with no couplers,I sent it back to the dealer as defective,
ok Jeremy - they're are right there in the box to be installed, that
was the Cali. Zephyr set.Man take an engine apart,install a decoder?
You all are gods. Seriously thinking of going to spend a day or two
with Robert Frowenfeld to learn a few things but it will have to be
a surprise visit- otherwise he would leave town(SORRY Robert). wife
starting to get less hysterical - haven't told Carol about the the
Northlander yet. You know what, at the end of the day most fun my son
Nicholas and I have ever had. Best for last. Carol, bless her heart,
bought me an Insider Big Boy, now I have two, put it on the track,
tryed to play with it as I do with the starter set Big Boy, wouldn't
work. Back to the States for a service, nothing wrong Jeremy. UH
Jeremy you did know about the TWO decoders right? Yes well, I will
pay the postage to Marklin. As I am about to start crying I will
I will save the rest for another time. Peace everyone. Jeremy. |
Jeremy.
1). If at first you don't succeed, bungee jumping mightn't be for you.
2). The early bird may get the worm, but it's the second rat that gets the cheese. |
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 Joined: 19/12/2003(UTC) Posts: 1,205 Location: Swindon, Wiltshire
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Jeremy - I'd be more than happy to come over and help you out. You just pay for my trip...  My dumbest thing: running a 3077 Zeppelin where the propeller motor had got stuck (after years in storage). A few rounds later, the motor "smoked out" on me... |
Richard |
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 Joined: 22/04/2004(UTC) Posts: 12,139 Location: New York, NY
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To quit MRR when I became 15 ... [xx(][xx(][xx(]
John
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I hope no one visits a poor Southener's layout in Brooklyn. Intruders beware of Gators.
AT&SF, D&RGW, T&P, SP, WP, UP, BN, NYC, ARR, epI-III - analog & digital Marklin Classics only.
CU#6021 FX-MOTOROLA DIGITAL SYSTEM. Fast as lightning and no trouble. What else ...
Outlaw Member of BIG JUHAN's OUTSIDER CLUB. With the most members, worldwide
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 Joined: 25/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,106 Location: Guelph, Ontario
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marklin-eh |
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 Joined: 10/09/2004(UTC) Posts: 959 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
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Once, back when I was a kid, I wanted to redo a part of my layout. The old layout had one big web of wires, with knots and everything. Impossible to sort out. So I decided to scrap it all, and start over from scratch.
So I took a very big cutter of some sort, one out of metal without any handles or other insulation. I just wanted to cut everything to clear up the mess, but right in there with all the other wires was the main 220V feed for the room. KaZZZZZZAPPPPPP...... The result was a pitch back room, where I was tumbling around on the floor in a lot of pain.
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Joined: 19/12/2003(UTC) Posts: 1,205 Location: Swindon, Wiltshire
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Richard |
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 Joined: 13/10/2004(UTC) Posts: 2,616
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Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:originally posted by John:
To quit MRR when I became 15 ... [xx(][xx(][xx(] Did the same.Luckily I kept all train stuff and now older and wiser(hopefully [:I])I appreciate them even better than I did ever before. Tried to do a quick repair on a reversing relay when I was 15 with a very large soldering iron [:I].The plastic parts and wire insulation didn't survive this foolish action ofcourse. Guus |
Kind regards,
Guus |
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Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 2,976 Location: CA, USA
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Well here goes, I was young and decided it would be a good idea to connect dad's 275 Watt Lionel ZW transformer and hook it up to the Marklin layout because I thought it was so cool. I toasted every light bulb on the layout and fully equipped a 3000 with working smoke for about 30 seconds! [:(] |
SBB Era 2-5 |
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Joined: 17/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 970 Location: Okanagan Valley, BC
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Almost gave my dad a heart attack once (so he claims). I was 13 or 14 at the time and my Dad bought a new Fleischman turntable for the layout. He cut the hole, placed it in, got it all set up but could not read the wiring instructions to save his life! That's where I came in. He was "Financing" and I was "Engineering". So my dad goes off to bed and I get the thing wired up and working in no time. When I went to bed that night I left him a note upstairs that said something like......."Dad. The wiring went well but when I applied power, all the electrical shorted out and start some small fires. The station (Baden), turntable and roundhouse have been either severley damaged or destroyed by the internal short. Many of the tracks have melted due to the center-rail contacts. The smell of burnt wiring and plastic may take a few days to get rid of. I suffered some small burns on my hand but I'm okay. I don't know what the cost will be to repair the damage". When he got downstairs he saw a note on the turntable.... " Just kidding. It works!!!"
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Joined: 04/02/2002(UTC)
Posts: 799
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote: Originally posted by 5HorizonsRR<br />Well here goes, I was young and decided it would be a good idea to connect dad's 275 Watt Lionel ZW transformer and hook it up to the Marklin layout because I thought it was so cool. I toasted every light bulb on the layout and fully equipped a 3000 with working smoke for about 30 seconds! [:(] You still are young!!! But yup, that one takes the prize! Man that had to get you a good spanking or atleast a serious amount of time without toys! [B)] |
Era I-V / HO & 1 Gauge / C-Track & Mobil Station, with Central Station. |
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Joined: 19/06/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,412 Location: Home
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You are a BAAAAAD BOY Brian!!! Since we restarted in February 2004 I make a lot of small engineering mistakes. Al these small engineering mistakes together make a financial gap in our budget. That is because we don't plan anything and just start building (we pass the drawingboard stage). Timaximus |
Märklin | HO | C+K Track | Digital | I+II+III+IV+V | Power and control by Uhlenbrock | Win-Digipet |
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 Joined: 12/01/2002(UTC) Posts: 2,578 Location: Sweden
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Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:The red paint on a steam loco frame & wheels is dissolved by alcohol, so don't use that. I can certify that this is still the case with newer locos. I had to clean a small area from oil underneath a 33081 (BR85) a few days ago to be able to mount an IR-sender. I used alcohol, and the cloth got very red even though I only used it on a 5x5mm spot. I can also tell you (not from my own experience though) that alcohol may dissolve the plastic in some models. So be careful with alcohol!
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Joined: 17/04/2003(UTC) Posts: 997 Location: Netherlands
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My dumbest thing: To glue a crack in a loc housing, and picking up the housing with my glue stained fingers. CSI can now identify this loc to be mine due to the fingerprints ! [V]
See also archived topic "My worst mistake(s)"
Gregor
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Joined: 03/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 55
Location: drammen,
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my dumbest thing? kill my dads old 3029. after 30years of problem free service.
i got the great idea! to put a decoder into it.... poff! dont now hvat vent wrong |
analog american mini-club
1950+ |
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Joined: 22/11/2004(UTC)
Posts: 1,836
Location: Trumbull, CT
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I bought GM stock..
Stephen |
Stephen(USA)
ETE,NMRA,MEA |
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Joined: 04/02/2002(UTC)
Posts: 799
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by stephenbb
<br />I bought GM stock..
Stephen
I sold Apple and Starbucks in the 90's! |
Era I-V / HO & 1 Gauge / C-Track & Mobil Station, with Central Station. |
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Joined: 21/10/2004(UTC) Posts: 31,692 Location: United Kingdom
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Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote: Originally posted by Hoffmann<br /> Instead of playing with Trains  Selling them Martin Are you selling marklin[xx(] |
Large Marklinist 3- Rails Layout with CS2/MS2/Boosters/C-track/favorites Electric class E03/BR103, E18/E118, E94, Crocodiles/Steam BR01, BR03, BR05, BR23, BR44, BR50, Big Boy. |
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