Idea

[Stenba1968]

 I have several of the newer steam and diesel dapol and farish locos and have a suggestion.
The manufactures should make some sort of clip on net bag that comes with the loco. The idea being that the net catches all the little parts of the loco which fall off whenever it's used . This will lead to less time going round the layout with a torch looking for the bits on the ballast or vacuuming with tights over the nozzle of the vacuum.

[railsquid]

Yeah, I have a little baggie of unidentified mystery parts.

I now take close-up photos of new acquisitions in the hope of being able to identify any detached bits.

Pro-tip: when vacuuming with tights over the nozzle of the vacuum, it helps to take the tights off first, particularly if you're not the one wearing them.

[Train Waiting]

Yeah, I have a little baggie of unidentified mystery parts.

I now take close-up photos of new acquisitions in the hope of being able to identify any detached bits.

Pro-tip: when vacuuming with tights over the nozzle of the vacuum, it helps to take the tights off first, particularly if you're not the one wearing them.

A friend of mine bought a new, very red, Alfa Romeo a couple of years ago.  It drove well, but he had a bag of fallen-off bits in the boot!
***
Bits falling off is, presumably, a consequence of the latest super-duper detailed model locomotives.  I should be content with fewer details and a reliable well-performing locomotive.  Union Mills provides this to my complete satisfaction.  However, it would be nice to have some outside-cylindered types to the same standard.  Possibly the Peco 'Jubilee' is about what I have in mind.

Happy vacuuming!

John

[The Q]

I think the idea has already been used..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/6058888.stm

[Bealman]

 

To all of above 

Fragility is a problem, though. I broke bits off my beloved Blue Pullman just getting it out of the box for the first time!

[Dr Al]

Or:

Handle the models with more care.....

Cheers,
Alan

[PLD]

Or:

Handle the models with more care.....

Cheers,
Alan

A radical idea Alan, but one I also endorse 

I look at these types of thread and think "what am I doing wrong? My models don't break down and bits don't fall off like everyone else's do..."

[railsquid]

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the rest of us, despite being very careful, are only human and occasionally less than 100% perfect and bits do fall off.

My Farish 31 (new model) no longer has the full complement of sand box thingies on the bogies, they come off if you look at them the wrong way, which I wasn't aware of until it was too late.

Apart from those, the things in my little baggie presumably came off while the train was running.

I should point out that after reading advice on this forum, I have refrained from using my rolling stock to juggle with or as furniture props.

[Bealman]

  

[Dr Al]

I look at these types of thread and think "what am I doing wrong? My models don't break down and bits don't fall off like everyone else's do..."

Indeed. Strange that the models can be built, shipped half way round the world on the storms of the high seas (or airlifted to 35,000 feet and frozen in a cargo hold) and all these details stay perfectly attached, right up until these supposedly 'careful' users get their mits on them, and within 20 seconds there's then a spray of parts that the second law of thermodynamics would be proud of....

The correlation is clear - only weeks ago at an exhibition I watched an operator drop a class 37 and smash a buffer (and probably more) off it. This is absolutely typical of handling I've seen at exhibitions, so it's no wonder the secondhand market is full of damaged or non functional models*. It's also a strong reason I've never joined a club.

Everybody makes mistakes - nobody is immune, and we've all done it; but isolated instances are different from being careless permanently, which is sadly extremely common in my experience. It is absolutely not fair to blame the manufacturers for that.

Cheers,
Alan

* great for folks like me who can fix them, or need scratchbuilding parts though.

[Chris Morris]

You think you have a problem with N gauge? My other large scale railway goes round the garden which is full of obstacles that want to remove fine detail. I often find bits that have fallen off during the winter after the years growth has died back and been cleared .

Exhibitions are hard on locos in terms of usage, transportation and handling by those who aren't experienced. Where an exhibiting member has a loco destroyed or damaged the club pays for repair or replacement, subject to circumstances of course .

[Dr Al]

Where an exhibiting member has a loco destroyed or damaged the club pays for repair or replacement, subject to circumstances of course .

Given that the typical production run (Dapol certainly) is now 300, getting a replacement can be hard - every model is basically a limited run. Moreover, many of my personal locos are unique, have been built by me, and simply cannot be flippantly replaced in either substance or the time and money spent building them.

Easiest way is to just look after them folks!

Cheers
Alan

[Intercity]

I didn't drop mine, I actually spent most of the day trying to fix it, that was swept away when my 10 month old husky swiped it off the table and made it his new chew toy, Kato GP50s don't react well to Siberian Husky fangs.

Oh and yes the detail bits did come off.