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online switching "layouts"

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  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: The Villages, Fl
  • 59 posts
Posted by bavrail on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 10:39 AM

Search the Apple App Store for "john allen's timesaver". 

There is a free "LITE" version and a paid version. 

WS

  • Member since
    February 2018
  • From: Danbury Freight Yard
  • 459 posts
Posted by OldEngineman on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 10:10 PM

Brakie wrote: "I know of only one prototype switching problem and that was solved by having the engine in the middle of the urban local with a cabin car on both ends for the shove movements. Today there would be a engine on each end of the local.  Why did PRR use this unusual setup? The industrial lead lacked a runaround.. The runaround was located beyond an embargoed bridge. There was no active customers beyond the bridge."

Back in the early-mid 1980's, that's how we switched the two customers in Wassaic (NY) on Conrail WNDA-1 out of Danbury (CT).

One customer was a box factory with a southward facing point switch. The other was a feed mill with a northward facing point switch.

There had been a runaround there, but it was out of service. So... the train was made up in Danbury yard with a caboose on each end. We took it out with a single engine, and ran to Dover Plains, about 5 miles south of Wassaic, where Metro-North ownership ended (and Conrail remained). We'd split the train and set it up with a caboose on each end with the engine in the middle, then shove north to Wassaic, switch the customers, return to Dover, and put the engine on the head end for the run back south.

An interesting job. In time, CR put the runaround back into service, and made it a lot easier until they sold the Danbury business to the Housatonic RR (which couldn't go to Wassaic, crews not certified on MN), and that was that for freight service to the north end of the line...

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 9:55 PM

John Busby
Real railways look to minimize shunting as much as possible which is why a train is set up before it leaves and that is done with the minimum moves as well and no puzzles.

Indeed.. A lot of the major railroads are closing hump yards along with several once major yards that is no longer needed and going to flat switching in other areas.

I know of only one prototype switching problem and that was solved by having the engine in the middle of the urban local with a cabin car on both ends for the shove movements. Today there would be a engine on each end of the local. 

Why did PRR use this unusual setup?

The industrial lead lacked a runaround.. The runaround was located beyond  a embargoed bridge. There was no active customers beyond the bridge.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 11:27 AM

A little bit off-topic but about fifteen years when I was returning to the hobby there was a Model RR club at a University in Germany I believe that had HO and N scale layouts in a room with a camera set on them. You could click the mouse to make the trains start and stop. I am not sure whether it was tech or engineering students involved or maybe both.

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: West Australia
  • 2,217 posts
Posted by John Busby on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 10:00 AM

Hi all

I like to be able to do some shunting on a layout but it should be an operational thing performing a drop off or pick up not a puzzle the real railways don't do shunting for fun it has a purpose that I like to reflect in model form.

I hate computer games to me they are time wasters that take time away from the model railway and associated activities.

Real railways look to minimize shunting as much as possible which is why a train is set up before it leaves and that is done with the minimum moves as well and no puzzles.

regards John

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Monday, March 9, 2020 7:22 AM

SeeYou190

With the number of addictive puzzle games on line, I would think a railroad switching puzzle would be easier to find.

-Kevin

 

Kevin, A lot of modelers are turn off to any type of switching including switching puzzles. As you may recall I would rather switch cars in a yard or a well thougt out ISL then just watch trains run endless loops.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, March 9, 2020 12:08 AM

With the number of addictive puzzle games on line, I would think a railroad switching puzzle would be easier to find.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 2:42 PM

 Here are some I found:

https://www.transum.org/Software/Shunting/Puzzles.asp

https://www.railserve.com/Computers/swf/switchman_train_game.html

 

I know there were others, including a couple of Timesavers.

 

                     --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Louisville
  • 588 posts
online switching "layouts"
Posted by dbduck on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 2:24 PM

does anyone know of any interactive switching  layout site that you can "operate"? Game

Years ago there was one that i knew of & visited sometimes when things got  slow at work. I can't remember the site name. Like any other video game each level got progressively harder as you moved thru the game

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