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The Application of Murphy's Law to the art of model railroading
As is well known to those versed in the modern theories, Murphy's Law states that "if anything can go wrong - it will" or to express that in Mathematical terms 1+1~2, where ~ is the mathematical term for "hardly ever." It has been suggested that the proof of Murphy's Law became apparent to Edsell Murphy when his future bride informed him she was about to bear an heir to his fortunes. A law with this degree of simplicity can obviously have many applications and indeed the application to electronic engineering was the basis of a thesis published in 1967.
The following are a few examples of the application of the law to out particular field-
Model Construction.
1. Original diagram will have been mangled be the copy machine.
2. 2. The probability of a dimension having been omitted from a plan or drawing is directly proportional to its importance.
3. Dimensions will usually be expressed in the least useable term. For instance velocity will be expressed as furlongs per fortnight. Scale as 1:29:35
4. If a model will require x identical parts, only x-1 will be available in the local shops.
5. Any wire cut to length will be to short.
6. The necessity of making a major structural change increases as the model nears completion.
7. A dropped tool will land where it will cause the most damage. (Also known as the law of selective gravitation)
8. A wagon mounted with bogies on the precise center line will lean to one side.
9. A scale coach will exceed your scale tunnel dimensions.
10. A pilot model will function very well, but exact duplicates will not.
Electrical Work
1. When installing point motors the most awkward to replace will be wired incorrectly.
2. A fail-safe signaling system will fail during the first big demonstration.
3. A transistor protected by a fast blowing fuse will protect the fuse by blowing first.
4. In difficult circuits Murphy's Law supercedes OHMS5. If an obviously defective part is replaced in a power supply or track layout with an intermittent fault
then the fault will re-appear after the system has been modified.
Inspecting and buying equipment
1. Manufacturers' specification sheets will be incorrect by a factor of 0.5 or 2.0 depending on which multiplier gives the most optimistic value. For salesmen this will be 0.1 or 1.0.
2. For any price estimate, the eventual cost will be nearly double the estimate.
3. The loco you want most won't go around your curves.
4. A ready to run loco just won't
5. The last of these available will be missing a vital part.
Internet Auctions
1. The item described as mint in box will arrive as rusty in wrong box.
2. The item you really need will go for $1 more than your budget allows.
3. Shipping on the above boxed rusty item will exceed the item price.
4. You spot the item you've been looking for for the last week listed incorrectly only to relise it has just ended.
5. You turn up at your local meet with your latest purchase off eBay and one of the other members has a mint in box one they got for half the price of yours.
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