Cat vs HO trains

Watch it people. You are getting dangerously close to getting the ASPCA and Animal Cruelty after you.

At the same time, Rusty almost saved my passenger train. I was going through a crossover with the train when he suddenly started to yell. Too late I hit the brakes. The train split the switch and the E-8, Model Power, and the following F-7's, Penn Line, went one way, and the passenger cars, mostly Rivarossi, scattered all over. Yup, my fault. I usually add graphite lubricant to the switch mechanisms on a timely basis to lubricate the motor mechanisms and moveable parts on the switch, turnout, but I must have missed this one. After cleaning up the train, and lubricating the errant switch, problem solved. I guess that his yell made me hit the brakes, but not in time. I now call him my Junior Engineer, even though in Cat years, he is older than myself.

As I might have mentioned in earlier posts, all of my Vista Domes have scratch built interiors, in the domes, including people, HO gauge. One concern was that none of the fixtures or people broke loose from the interiors of the Vista Domes. Fortunately the clear adhesive, cement, that my local hobby shop in San Dimas provided did a marvelous job, no failures.

There was a huge post on the MRR forums about cats vs. trains.
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1/1346561/S ... px#1346561
I hope I am not breaking any rules here, I just re-read the rules and didn't find anything about posting thread links to other forums.

Easy way to get rid of small animals on your layout...put up a Plexiglas barrier! The first section which I installed last night works fine. Actually, they haven't even tried to jump up on the table.

I know one kitty who would mess up the real deal. I used to work at the New York Transit Musuem and while I was there, we had a cat named Token who lived in the station. unfortunaly for us, wicker seats make great scratching posts. They survive being sat on 6 days a week for months on end, but they couldn't take one cat.

here's the little culprit.

That is not what Rusty told me. And cats generally like the catbird view of whatever they are looking at. They like to look down on what they are about to pounce on.

My wife bought a cat a a couple months ago. It started creating havoc on my layout. So Finally a few hundred dollars loss later I told the old ball and chain the cat must go. She quickly replied no. I said either she takes the cat to a shelter I will shoot the thing. 2 days later I found One of my Athearn challengers on the floor in pieces. I showed the Wife the train and before I said the cat should go she says aww did did the kitty break your train? That was my breaking point.

That night after she went to sleep. I took the cat and dumped it out of town near a farm. When she woke up she could not find the cat I said aww did the kitty run away...... Having learned my lesson I had already put a padlock on the door leading to my layout. Needless to say she planned on getting another cat until a couple days later she comes home to find a German Shepard as a new pet.

I just love happy endings......

Words fail me...

You're a b-----d!

Interesting point of view Roger. I have some Vet friends that tell me that this practice is not uncommon. The misconception here is that the cat/ kitten can fend for itself as any alley cat could. Problem is that these felines are home grown, and have never seen a feral feline. They are tame and used to being around people, and HO trains. Accordingly, leaving such an animal out in the wild, is tantamount to a death sentence.

For those interested, the proper way to "dispose" of such an unwanted feline is to pack it up in a carrier, take it over to the nearest animal shelter, ASPCA, etc. and sign it over. This usually happens with older pets that have lost their owners for one reason or another, and relatives, survivors or neighbors cannot take the animal in.

I knew I should have locked this thread earlier.

Well now that there is no cat, there is no reason for the cat vs HO train thread.



Chris
Lancaster, CA