It was in my early days at the club back around 85 or 86. The club layout had not been expanded in awhile and there was still a large area in the layout room that was unoccupied.
At every show/open house, the resident "lionel guy" would haul his modules to the club and set them up in that open area. It was a simple two track loop on plywood pieces painted green that clamped together and had screw in legs. It was abour 8 feet wide and 12 feet long.
While many groaned about it's arrival, few would make formal statements to Glen other than snide remarks about the " members who played with toys". Glen is one of the nicest guys you ever want to meet and a treasure to the club since being a Fireman, he would take care of the grass cutting at the club on his days off. Glen was worshipped for this since no one else wanted that duty. Glenn took great pride in the upkeep of the grounds which is large enough to park 30-36 cars on. But no one other than Glen really liked the Lionel Layout since it made too much noise, looked like crap and took up so much room.
As he set it up on that Friday night before the open house in his usual spot, the noise began. Round and round at breakneck speeds with enough noise to force those setting up the show trains on the club layout to give up talking by radio and start yelling.to each other across the room.
We had wrapped up and headed to Dennys for our 11 pm post club meal and bull session before a few of us headed back to the club about 1 am. As we sat there moaning about the noise from the lionel layout, the idea came.
About 2 feet of one of the ends of the lionel racetrack was under a big return loop on the club layout. As I rummaged through the electrical supplies I came out with the roll of black electrical tape and help up my prize for all to see. So what ?...So WHAT ? look at his track, it's that three rail with the black rail in the middle.............yea, so ? So ?.....watch "this";
So I crawl under the layout and applied black electrical tape in about three different spots that were hidden from view and made each piece about 6 inches long. Poor Glen comes in the next day and places his trains on the track and of course they stop in that area under the HO layout that was hidden from view. He would lean under and give it a push and the train would move a few inches and stop.
This went on for about 30 minutes before Glen double checked his power source and made sure it was plugged in, he checked his wheels, he checked his transformer.............all the while, there was no noise. Some members not in on the joke actually thought something was wrong and tried to help Glenn. As one member crawled under the layout to check the track someone else had to divert Glenn's attention so that the person under the layout could be told what was going on.
With the "all ok" from the guy under the layout, Glen takes his engines off the layout and downstairs to the workbench and spends the next hour taking engines apart and checking everything. he takes his power pack downstairs with some track and tests the engines only to find no problems. Glen even goes under the layout to check the track but doesn't run his hand over the actual spots where the tape was applied.
When the open house was over and Glenn pulled his layout from under the club layout he still didn't see the tape. it wasn't until he ran his hand across the area that he felt it.
What the hell is THIS ? as he peeled the tape from the center rail.................
Thats something new in the Walthers HO catalog..........it's called Walthers instant deadspot.
Just the look on his face was enough to keep me laughing all summer long as I cut the grass at the club..