Why I laugh when I cut grass at the club

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..

Reply to
the OTHER Mike
Loading thread data ...

That anyone thinks this is funny is sad. I came to HO model RRing because of Lionel trains as a kid and I bet many others did too.

Why people can't respect other model RRers' interest areas is beyond me.

Odds are too that Glen's Lionel set-up got some share of interest from members of the public that came to those open house shows.

And in the end it appears that your club lost a very supportive member who helped the club by doing a non-model RR related job no one else wanted to do.

No cheers, Bill S.

-------------------

Reply to
Bill Sohl

Sorry.

I should have added that even though it's an HO club, an area had been cleared out in the downstairs room for him to set up where everyone wanted it set up all along. ( instead of clogging up the layout room.)

Besides, Glenn is STILL a member and though retired, still does a share of the grass cutting.

Glen even took an interest in doing scenery work and ended up with a decent home layout.

Glen himself is usually the one to laugh the most about the Walthers instant deadspot.

What a shame not everyone in the hobby doesn't have Glens' sense of humor.

Mike

Reply to
the OTHER Mike

You're right Mike! And Lionel has got to be the noisiest stuff on the planet...

Reply to
Big Rich Soprano

Mike, I was dismayed to read of your 'Instant dead spot'. You left out the part that you added here as well as his overall reaction to the prank. You didn't tell us that he laughed. Your last part was that is why I laugh when I cut the grass. It sounded like you drove him out of the club and I felt sorry for him.

I do have a sense of humor, and laugh at myself quite a bit, but you are right, I don't have Glens' sense of humor.

Reply to
Frank Rosenbaum

Well, it could arguably be seen as somewhat cruel, but it is a neat prank. Not up to these, however:

formatting link

Reply to
Steve Caple

I'm gonna try it with ducK tape at the next open house!...

Reply to
Big Rich Soprano

These additional details adds much clarification to the original story. I still wouldn't have let the joke go on more than several minutes or so and definetly not to the point that Glen began tearing into his engine(s). My point/comment was to encourage folks to live & let live, what one person enjoys shouldn't be put down just because it isn't your or my main interest.

Cheers, Bill S,

Reply to
Bill Sohl

For those who may be interested.... I know Mike. He doesn't have a cruel bone in his body. Some very large ones, but no cruel ones.

Andy

Reply to
Andyroo111

I use the 'bright' yellow 'DUCK' tape on my hinged section. hehe

Reply to
Ken Day

Ok, i'll nibble? how come? To prank yourself?..

This prank is so too good not to perpetrate! The tinplate layout at the club i frequent is all open air so black tape is out of the question...

Reply to
Big Rich Soprano

Never mind i got it - DUCK under hehehe...

Reply to
Big Rich Soprano

Big Rich Soprano spake thus:

Just use regular scotch tape; done well, they shouldn't see it ... at least for a while.

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

Sorry guys, it's "duct" tape. Unless I'm missing the joke?

-- Cheers

Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

formatting link

Reply to
Roger T.

Duck!

Reply to
Steve Caple

But won't that be harder to remove? After all it is a short term harmless prank...

Reply to
Big Rich Soprano

Big Rich Soprano spake thus:

Nah, just squirt some charcoal lighter on it and burn it off!

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

Clear nail varnish ?? Alan in beautiful Golden Bay, Western Oz, South 32.25.42, East 115.45.44 GMT+8 VK6 YAB ICQ 6581610 to reply, change oz to au in address

Reply to
alan200

It just keeps gettin worse don't it... hehehe...

Reply to
Big Rich Soprano

Ohhhh.... and after a couple of times around that'll be gone... I like it...

Reply to
Big Rich Soprano

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.