A Complete Book on Railroad Operations

[cv_acr]

Big Boy Forever

It would seem that there would have to be some universal rules shared by all railroads, otherwise, there would be anarchy on the rails.

 

Except in specific cases and situations where two railroads have trackage or running rights, crews from one railroad do not operate on another railroad.

Where they do, those crews have to be qualified to run on both railroads as noted above.

[dehusman]

Big Boy Forever

It would seem that there would have to be some universal rules shared by all railroads, otherwise, there would be anarchy on the rails.

 

How so?  All the railroads share some basic concepts but the details vary. If a crew operates on a different railroad they have to be conversant with that railroad's rules.  The vast majority of crews only operate on one railroad.  The US, Canada and Mexico all have different driving rules but that doesn't mean that there is anarchy on the roads, you just drive acording the rules of where you are.

 

For example a GCOR "track warrant" used for granting authority to operate on the main track outside of CTC is called a Form D on NORAC properties.  The format of a Form D is different than the format of a track warrant.  Even within GCOR, each railroad has a different form for the track warrant with the lines/boxes in different orders and a few boxes on some that aren't on others.  All the major stuff is the same on the track warrant forms and the major parts are used the same, but the details are different.

 

Howabout shortlines? Just guessing, I would think that they would use some of the same rules to operate their trains, but maybe common sense is not relevant there?? Just thinking out loud.

Typically they use their own rule book (prior to the 1980's) or the rule book of the class 1 with which they connect (post 1980's) or with the rule book used by their parent company.  There are shortlines on the east coast that use GCOR because their parent companies use GCOR.

The basic concepts haven't changed since the 1800's and there are a few rules in an 1800's rule book that read almost the same word for word in a 2014 rule book (for example, the blue flag rule is very similar).  Its just how they go about it varys from road to road.  It can be things such as the definition of restricted speed (some put an actual max speed, e.g. 20 mph, some don't) or which trains you have to clear in yard limits (some have 1st class, others 1st and 2nd class), there are variations in the yard limit rules (several eastern roads required permission of the yardmaster, the vast majority of roads do not) or whether you had to clear trains in the same direction (some you did, some only the higher class, 1st and 2nd, trains).  As railroads operated over each other more in the 1950-1970 era, there were more consolidated rule books that were adopted by multiple railroads (UCOR, CCOR, etc).  Finally by the 1980's there were so many railroads operating over each other that two large camps arose, NORAC and GCOR.  Probably the next big thing is consolidation of the legacy signal systems.  NS is retiring the ex-PRR position signals in favor of color signals.  Most if not all the semaphore signals are gone on class 1's and searchlight signals are on their way out.

 

 

[Big Boy Forever]

dehusman

Only in the most general sense.  For the vast majority of details, there are significant differences in terminology and operation.

Both NORAC and GCOR are post 1980's rule books.  For rule books prior to the 1980's you pretty much have to go railroad by railroad.  There were several shared rule books that railroads operating in the same general area used (UCOR Canada, UCOR US, CCOR) but other than that each railroad (or section of a railroad) had its own rule book.  Most of the pre-1985 rule books followed the same basic pattern but there were common differences on certain topics.  Some of the railroads were more unique than others.  The SP and the PRR had a lot of their own ideas on rules and so their rule books had the most deviations compared to "typical" other rule books.  That's one reason why the NORAC is different from the GCOR, is the NORAC inherited a lot of the PRR rules.

Another place you have to check railroad by railroad, even today, are signal rules.  Signal indications and aspects can vary widely depending on the predecessor railroads and their signal systems.

 

It would seem that there would have to be some universal rules shared by all railroads, otherwise, there would be anarchy on the rails.

Howabout shortlines? Just guessing, I would think that they would use some of the same rules to operate their trains, but maybe common sense is not relevant there?? Just thinking out loud.

[dehusman]

Only in the most general sense.  For the vast majority of details, there are significant differences in terminology and operation.

Both NORAC and GCOR are post 1980's rule books.  For rule books prior to the 1980's you pretty much have to go railroad by railroad.  There were several shared rule books that railroads operating in the same general area used (UCOR Canada, UCOR US, CCOR) but other than that each railroad (or section of a railroad) had its own rule book.  Most of the pre-1985 rule books followed the same basic pattern but there were common differences on certain topics.  Some of the railroads were more unique than others.  The SP and the PRR had a lot of their own ideas on rules and so their rule books had the most deviations compared to "typical" other rule books.  That's one reason why the NORAC is different from the GCOR, is the NORAC inherited a lot of the PRR rules.

Another place you have to check railroad by railroad, even today, are signal rules.  Signal indications and aspects can vary widely depending on the predecessor railroads and their signal systems.

[Big Boy Forever]

dehusman

 

Big Boy Forever

  

Do these rules pertain to Western Railroads also?

I didn't see any listed, mainly Eastern RRs.

 

 

 

 

NORAC is primarily a rule book used by eastern roads, GCOR (General Code of Operating Rules) is used by the many of the western roads.

 

The rule books will tell you how the trains get across the main track with respect to each other.  The timetable is the "road map" and gives the rules exceptions and the territorial exceptions.  Neither will tell you how the business is conducted, what trains operate, where they go, what they carry or why they are run.

 

Rule books often have to be understod in context.  If you don't undrestand the context  they often don't make much sense.

 

Are the rules the same or similar for East and West?

[dehusman]

Big Boy Forever

  

Do these rules pertain to Western Railroads also?

I didn't see any listed, mainly Eastern RRs.

 

 

NORAC is primarily a rule book used by eastern roads, GCOR (General Code of Operating Rules) is used by the many of the western roads.

 

The rule books will tell you how the trains get across the main track with respect to each other.  The timetable is the "road map" and gives the rules exceptions and the territorial exceptions.  Neither will tell you how the business is conducted, what trains operate, where they go, what they carry or why they are run.

 

Rule books often have to be understod in context.  If you don't undrestand the context  they often don't make much sense.

[Big Boy Forever]

BRAKIE

 

Big Boy Forever

For me, it's just trying to understand the real world of Railroad operation and applying it to model railroading.

 

 

Ok..Forget any model railroad books on operation.

Start shopping for a ETT(Employees Time Table) and the rule book for the railroad you model.

Now grab your favorite beverage and enjoy..

http://thebecketts.com/images/NORAC%208th%20Edition%20NJT.pdf

http://www.blet57.org/NORAC.pdf

 

 

 

Do these rules pertain to Western Railroads also?

I didn't see any listed, mainly Eastern RRs.

[BRAKIE]

Big Boy Forever

For me, it's just trying to understand the real world of Railroad operation and applying it to model railroading.

Ok..Forget any model railroad books on operation.

Start shopping for a ETT(Employees Time Table) and the rule book for the railroad you model.

Now grab your favorite beverage and enjoy..

http://thebecketts.com/images/NORAC%208th%20Edition%20NJT.pdf

http://www.blet57.org/NORAC.pdf

 

 

[Big Boy Forever]

Great replies from everyone giving sources to learn about the "Vast" world of railroad operations.

You could make a "Hobby" just out of the research alone, without ever laying any scale track or buying any model locomotive or building any scenery.

For me, it's just trying to understand the real world of Railroad operation and applying it to model railroading.

Maybe others don't care, but I do. To each his own !

 

 

[jeffhergert]

dehusman

Look around at www.transalert.com, that's the Simmons-Boardman Co. that publishes a lot of railroad manuals. There are lots of different books on lots of different aspects of operations.

Since there is a 3 volume set on modern train dispatching alone, finding one book that tells you "everything" is pretty well impossible, but there are some good overviews.

 

The transalert site has available two books mentioned in other posts.  "The Railroad: What it is, What it does" fifth edition and "The Rights of Trains."  Both are published by Simmons-Boardman.

Jeff 

[JOHN BRUCE III]

Don't neglect Bruce Chubb's How to Operate Your Model Railorad, published by Kalmbach in the 1970s and apparently never republished, but available on Amazon used books very reasonably. I would say this is still the single best source on rail operations from a modeler's perspective. A later book from Kalmbach by Tony Koester is simply no comparison.

[dehusman]

Look around at www.transalert.com, that's the Simmons-Boardman Co. that publishes a lot of railroad manuals. There are lots of different books on lots of different aspects of operations.

Since there is a 3 volume set on modern train dispatching alone, finding one book that tells you "everything" is pretty well impossible, but there are some good overviews.

[tomikawaTT]

Just looking at the length, breadth and depth of rail operations indicates that you don't need a book - you need a library!  Just compiling a complete bibliography would probably qualify you for a master's degree in transportation history.

There are railroads that were built in the heart of nowhere to move a single product and aren't connected to any other railroad.  (Black Mesa and Lake Powell)

There were railroads built in the heart of nowhere that moved only raw material and finished product for a single construction effort, which were abandoned and lifted when the project was done.  (Six Companies Railroad, Boulder - now Hoover - Dam.  Most of the former right of way is submerged in Lake Mead.)

There were railroads built from a developed end point through the heart of nowhere to another developed end point.  When intermediate points became traffic sources that was an unexpected bonus.  (UP-CP.)

There were railroads developed to capture traffic from parallel waterways. (NYC&HR - the Hudson River and Erie Canal)

Each called for a different operating strategy/philosophy.  I don't doubt that almost every rail line and facility that has ever been had some special situation attached to its operation.  (The Powhatan Arrow thundering along, pulling a hopper or two of coal needed at tidewater RIGHT NOW to fill out the cargo of a ship being loaded.)  Any general operating plan would be full of exceptions and special addenda.

The same thing is seen in the 'Bible' of TTTO rules, Peter Josserand's Rights of Trains.  Almost without exception, the description of a rule and how it applies is amended to the effect that there are local variations, so the student should always consult the specific railroad's rulebook.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[jrbernier]

  A complete book might be a little hard to put together:

• Different Era's
• Different Railroad's
• Different Government Regulations

  Just asking and doing the research is the way to go.  I feel that the list of books you have been given is a great start.  Railroads are in the business of moving product - They are limited to the routes(track) they can use and government regulations.  All of this has changed through the years.

JIm

[cuyama]

Big Boy Forever

Anyone know if there is one complete reference book on railroad operation from A to Z for the layman or railfan?

It would probably be titled like "How Railroads Operate" or "A to Z of Railroad Operations", or howabout

"Railroad Operations for Dummies".

This book would be invaluble for model railroaders or railfans as a handy reference.

John Armstrong gives some information in "Track Planning for Realistic Operation", but it's very brief,  limited and sketchy.

As recommended to you before, John Armstrong wrote a more-detailed book called The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does. This book was apparently even used as training material for real-life railroad employees (not trainmen, but others). Out of print now, but used copies are reasonable.

It still won't answer the more arcane questions some folks come up with, but it’s a good next step beyond Track Planning for Realistic Operation.

Beyond that are more specialized books and websites on particular areas such as signaling, dispatching, etc. Folks on this forum can probably point you to specific resources based on a particular question. Era matters, as does the type of railroad in question, Class 1 versus regional versus shortline.

[Big Boy Forever]

Anyone know if there is one complete reference book on railroad operation from A to Z for the layman or railfan?

It would probably be titled like "How Railroads Operate" or "A to Z of Railroad Operations", or howabout

"Railroad Operations for Dummies".

This book would be invaluble for model railroaders or railfans as a handy reference.

John Armstrong gives some information in "Track Planning for Realistic Operation", but it's very brief,  limited and sketchy.