Suggestions for operation scheme?

[Jetrock]

I am actually getting to the point where I can start thinking seriously about an operations scheme for my layout, and wanted to pick the brains of a few of you "operations types" out there.

First, a little background about the layout I'm building. It is, as I have mentioned before, an industrial belt line. The layout itself is point-to-point, with a yard at either end and a number of industries in between, mostly related to processing agricultural products, team tracks for commercial goods, and interchanges.

The line I'm modeling did some unusual things: there were, so far as I can tell, no through freights: all trains were broken up upon arrival at the yard (there was one on each end of the belt line), even though the city is located roughly in the middle of the railroad. Local switchers moved cars as needed back and forth to the other end of the belt line for through traffic, and mainline freight engines lashed up at servicing facilities at either end.

I do have quite a bit of documentation about the prototype's operation, including a list of shipping customers in town, team track and freight houses, and descriptions of the regularly scheduled locomotives that worked the line (two switchers from 8am-4pm, two switchers from 4pm-midnight, one switcher midnight-8am) and the typical tasks they performed. I also have an Excel spreadsheet listing the number of cars carried of various types of products shipped during the course of a year (1958.) I have some older schedules but don't have an employee/freight schedule yet.

So, roughly, the main tasks I'll be performing are breaking up trains at either yard, and then shifting cars to and from local industries, interchanges, and the other yard. No through freights or fast mails or anything, and no passenger service (at least for now--once I get interurban wires up the freights will have to dodge Birney trolleys) aside from the ocacsional fantrip.

I will normally be running the layout by myself, so a one-man operation scheme is what I'm looking for.

The questions, as such:

What sort of scheme should I use to dispatch and switch the cars? Car cards? Waybills? Switch lists? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

What other information should I look for to assist in planning an operations scheme? I do have some access to railroad documents via local railroad museums and historical data.

Are there any good books on the subject that I should read?

Oh, yeah--while I don't mind using a computer to whip up forms or otherwise do preparatory things, I'd rather not use a scheme that requires use of a computer during the operating session. I don't have a computer in the garage, and I think it sort of ruins the feel to use a modern PC for a 1950's era layout--and I don't have room for a Univac in the layout room! I don't mind using paper forms and kind of like the idea of making up "paper scenery" for the layout.

[n2mopac]

With all of the information you included, I think you have answered your own question. The operations you describe sound perfect to recreate on your layout. As to whether to use car cards and waybills or switch lists, that depends somewhat on how you will move the cars. Waybills work great (I use them myself), but they work best if you plan to swithch every car at every industry during a session. If you will not do so or if you want to run a lot of irregular extras, switch lists pre printed may work better.
Ron

[bcammack]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ry-ops-industrialSIG

This Yahoo group is a great place for information. There is also the Tony Koester book on Realistic Operations. I'm very happy with my copy of John Armstrong's "The Railroad. What it is. What it does." Not cheap (it's considered a textbook), but worth the money to me.

[Anonymous]

My method of operation that I have developed is faily easy to impliment and gives the impression of a tightly sceduled railroad without all the pressure,

The first thing I did was fill out some 4 Cycle car cards like those made by Old Line Graphics and now also avialable from Micro-Mark. These provide alot of flexibility and do much to enhance the hands on part of operating a model raiload.

The second part is I came up with a sequence time table. This is just simply a list of what trains are run in what order. It is used as a guied for dispatching trains on the model railroad and does not have to be adheard to all that strictly. Plus it eliminates the pressure of running against a fast clock. (I know some of you people enjoy running against a fast clock, but to much hassle and pressure for me) The sequence time table is alsl flexible and easy to set up. As if you don't like the order, you can quite easily change it.

I shared the seqence time table for my proposed model railroad a while back. if you are interested. Check it out. http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=20798&REPLY_ID=194459#194459

Feel free to use mine as a template if you like it.

James

[darth9x9]

I would ease into it. There will be no way to do it all at once.

BC

[Jetrock]

Student of Big Sky: I'll have to check out those 4-cycle car cards--they looked intriguing but had not yet seen much in terms of feedback about them.

A sequence timetable sounds very interesting indeed--I don't like the idea of fast-clock pressure, and since I'll be basing operations around eight-hour shifts, operation will be fairly leisurely in terms of timing. The sequence would be pretty simple, based around the three switcher shifts with two locos each (in addition to the single "night shift" engine, a switching local from another railroad with trackage rights also operated a midnight-8 AM run) plus occasional "ringers" thrown in--such as extra cattle cars for the State Fair, sugar beet cars during the harvest, and other seasonal traffic.

n2mopac: I have given a lot of thought to basic operating scheme, I suppose (now that I think about it), now I'm looking for the best way to carry it out.

About switch lists vs. waybills: It seems like, lacking a computer to create randomly-generated switch lists, like one would need to have a waybill system to use switch lists anyhow, to create the initial traffic flows, and then transcribe them to the switch list. What makes switch lists better suited to irregular/extra trains?

darth9x9: Good point--but how would one ease into it? I assume that one is either using waybills or not. If there are some simpler intermediate steps to try I'd definitely be interested in learning more about them. Currently, since my layout is sectional and I'm building it a bit at a time, my plan is to make up car cards for my current rolling stock, and waybills to/from the industries I already have built, then as I finish each new section of layout I can add new waybills to reflect those industries.

[jfugate]

The whole secret to knowing what to do for realistic operation on your layout is to get some experience operating on other layouts. That way you will learn how it all works, what you like, dislike, and so on.

In fact, before you even design your dream layout, get experience operating on other layouts. Find layouts nearby that do realistic operation and ask if you can come to a session as a newbie. And don't ask if you can "just watch". That's the chicken-hearted approach. If you go, go with the intention of participating, making mistakes, and learning. That's the whole idea!

If you can't find any layouts into serious operation in your local area, then join the NMRA Operations Special Interest Group. (See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ry-ops-industrialSIG/ ) They host operating events periodically, and you can also ask if there are any good operating layouts within a day's driving distance of where you live.

And of course, you are welcome to attend an operating session on my HO Siskiyou Line. I'm in the Portland, Oregon area ...

I recommend starting operation as soon as you have a few feet of track down with a runaround track and a couple of industry spurs to switch. Build yourself a "flat top" staging yard on a board with some turnouts and flex track and then put it at the end of your track you have down so you can "feed" trains to the layout. As you add more track, move the flat top to the end of the line. And so on.

Start with trying to run trains in some sort of preplanned sequence with your friends. Forget trying to use a fast clock or car cards/switch list at first. Just get familiar with the layout and debug your track work. If you start like this with your friends, you will build a cadre of operators who know your layout almost as good as you do.

Then try adding a fast clock. Finally, try adding a car routing technique ... I prefer car cards but a switch list works too. Hold regular operating sessions. It will spur you on to keep working on the layout!

Do this and before you know it, you will be on here explaining to others how it works from your own experiences!

[Jetrock]

Well, I have a runaround track/industry spurs section (X Street) and a "flat top" staging yard (Haggin Yard), now I just need to build a right-angled piece to connect one to the other! The other industrial areas I have in mind will fit right in between those two sections...I was tempted to join the local club-layout group, but dues are $20 a month and club night is a night when I work. I'll just have to keep my eyes & ears open for local modelers who use operating schemes...

[StillGrande]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bcammack

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ry-ops-industrialSIG

This Yahoo group is a great place for information. There is also the Tony Koester book on Realistic Operations. I'm very happy with my copy of John Armstrong's "The Railroad. What it is. What it does." Not cheap (it's considered a textbook), but worth the money to me.

If you can convince Amazon.com it is a textbook, you can get 20-25% off their price under their current offer on textbooks!