What's the biggest mess up you've made on your layout . . . . . . .

[paulprice]

I think building my layout in the first place

[Vigo]

My layout, which is housed in the garage, features a double track hellix at either end enabling a return line to run beneath the layout. They are both disguised by lift off sections of scenery. At the eastern end this is a fairly straight forward lump of fields and walls but the other end is covered by the village. I didn't take into consideration the wieght of buildings, scenic compounds, etc when I built this but I was very pleased with the resulting village scene...


...that was until I tried to run a train around the layout.
I'd planned a minimum of 40mm clearance underneath the lift out section but being a bit of a mong I forgot that when you put wet material like plaster/papier mache etc on top of fairly thin MDF it will tend to sag somewhat. I found this out as my Garratt was thundering up the hidden helix hauling about 30 wagons behind it.

Bugger and other rude words

[jonclox]

  Thinking that changing from seep motor point changing to cobalt/tortoise point motors wold be easy and look better 
Now changing back to Fleischmann solenoid motors 
---------------- when health permits 

[Jerry Howlett]

Ballasting!!

Tried it in July 2015, hardly run a train since the first one barely crunched it's way over the mess.

[Newportnobby]

Ballasting!!

Maybe this should be considered a swear word and thus be banned from any posts

[railsquid]

Ballasting!!

Maybe this should be considered a swear word and thus be banned from any posts

(Imagine a spiv opening his overcoat)

"Pssst, want to buy some Kato Unitrack?"

[Sprintex]

Since the whole world seems to hate ballasting so much maybe I should set up a spare-time business ballasting other people's layouts - I loved every minute doing my own 


Paul

[jrb]

I haven't got very far with my layout yet, but already I'm regretting my biggest mistake so far - and that's trying to fit too much into too small a space. But, it's too late to change it now, too much effort has gone into getting the baseboards done & the track down!

[Bob G]

Knocking a jar of humbrol enamel gloss yellow onto a blue carpet....
I was eight and my friends thought I was going to be killed by my mum.
They all ran away.

Had a more recent experience with aerosol matt varnish.
Was too cold to go into the garage, so applied said aerosol to the coach in the downstairs loo.
We now have a matt loo seat and no attempt by my wife has brought it back to its former gloss.
She blames the previous owners of the house.

 

[silly moo]

 My first layout was a steep learning curve. I decided to use green towelling like a grass mat and then pulled it all off because it looked like - green towelling 

I also used Atlas points which were totally incompatible with Poole Farish locos and their pizza cutter wheels. I couldn't get a train to complete even one circuit without derailing. I nearly gave up N and crossed over to the dark side.

I persevered and learned a lot and I'm glad I did.

[Zogbert Splod]

Knocking a jar of humbrol enamel gloss yellow onto a blue carpet....
I was eight and my friends thought I was going to be killed by my mum.
They all ran away.

Had a more recent experience with aerosol matt varnish.
Was too cold to go into the garage, so applied said aerosol to the coach in the downstairs loo.
We now have a matt loo seat and no attempt by my wife has brought it back to its former gloss.
She blames the previous owners of the house.

 

could have been worse -  she might have sat down while it was still wet!

[Bob G]

Had a more recent experience with aerosol matt varnish.
Was too cold to go into the garage, so applied said aerosol to the coach in the downstairs loo.
We now have a matt loo seat and no attempt by my wife has brought it back to its former gloss.
She blames the previous owners of the house.

 

could have been worse -  she might have sat down while it was still wet!

Static (gr)ass anyone?

[Zogbert Splod]

     Wish I'd thought of that!