I am looking for ways to simulate having a Dispatcher and a Yardmaster for track permission. I model a Shortline that interchanged with Conrail in the mid 80's. Two things I am looking at simulating. 1) The Shortline would need permission from the Conrail Yardmaster to enter the yard to pick up cars that Conrail had set out for them and drop off out going cars. The connection between the two was within Yard limits. 2) The Shortline had trackage rights on Conrail to reach another branch of the Shortline. I want to simulate getting permission from the Conrail Dispatcher for what I assume would be a Track Warrant. Normal operating crew is only one or two people, a engineer and a conductor, but more often just me. The only thing I have come up with would be to roll a dice and assign situations to each number. For instance if I roll a 6 I get permission, a 5 I don't and have to wait a set amount of time, 4 enter the yard but clear the main until a Conrail train comes through (I have one Conrail train staged in each direction on a loop), a 3 wait a longer time. etc. Of course, I don't want to wait too long, after all, the idea is to get operating. Just trying to make operations more prototypical on a small layout with limited number of people. Is anyone else having this issue or doing something on your layout that may work?
Cheers!
Maurice
I think what you have suggested is a very valid way of replicating operations as you have suggested. The saying here in Australia has been that the schedule is only to let you know how late you are running.
On the prototype, visible operations are only a result of the circumstances and random events leading up to that which we see.
For example, I have ridden "express" freights where the chance event was a hotbox which required switching out at the next station. A cross with another train was delayed by the loco developing a fault which was corrected by the crew but time was lost meaning the cross was at the next station loop on the line and a delayed at a arrival destination.
A roll of the dice is just as valid a means of engineering such circumstances so I suggest go for it... in fact you have tempted me to play with it myself... might even be able to entice a few interested parties with a game sideline in the hobby!
Cheers from Australia
Trevor
PS Forgot to mention... it is YOUR railroad!
MauriceOf course, I don't want to wait too long, after all, the idea is to get operating. Just trying to make operations more prototypical on a small layout with limited number of people.
Maurice, Railroading can be a hurry up and wait game.. A local or even a short line crew can wait a hour before getting a clear aspect and track time if the dispatcher has several trains to run. We would use this time to have a cup of coffee from our thermos bottle and maybe a snack cake from our grip.
To emulate this you could wait three minutes before rolling the dice again. While the engineer/conductor is waiting he could look through his waybills or switch list and plan his work.
Of course there was times when it was smooth sailing with very little or no wait.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
On a short line or regional, it could be the DS is the one off taking a break. I got the full experience on one of my cab rides. The opposing train was quite obviously completely in the clear, but we couldn't proceed without a track warrant to occupy the next part of the railroad. Repeated calls to the DS went unanswered. Checked witht he crew of the other train - our radio was transmitting just fine. They tried calling the DS as well. Nothing to do but wait for a response, two trainloads of passengers, us heading in to town, the other on the siding waiting for us to pass and then follow us back in. Eventually the DS replied. I guess they hadn't provided any relief in case he had to step away for any reason, I think we were the only two trains running that day. At least, I heard no others on our radio channel the whole time. I wonder what happened - seeing as we had the CEO and guests in his private car as part of our train being held up.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
If I recall correctly, Bill Darnaby on is Maumee Route layout has many interchanges and crossings with other railroads, but while they are modeled crossings there are no trains on them. Nonetheless he has timing circuits so that Maumee Route trains get "stabbed" by more or less imaginary trains that were given priority for the crossing (either by a dispatcher or an electronic circuit). It only takes a minute or two of delay to get the point across (and in fast clock time that might be about the correct amount of time as a rule).
Before they upgraded the signal system at Rochelle IL (the Trains magazine websigte's webcam location) you'd sometimes see UP trains stop at the signal and a crewman go to a locked box on the signal bridge and start a timer that would in some manner give them the crossing versus the BNSF. There was always a short delay, One could model that with something that needs a key to turn to start a preset electronic timer. I believe Circuitron sells timer circuits. It could be triggered by a button or perhaps turning a key but one could also have a "script" requiring a phone call or radio call to the DS.
One additional thought - at some point even a mid sized layout can have sophisticated enough operations that you could have someone act as dispatcher and let them actually do the tasks that a DS would.
Dave Nelson
rrinker --
sometimes, the DS has to set out a hazmat...
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
That is what I figured, along with the engineer and conductor of the train I was riding.
Thanks for the replies. Having a timer to countdown the wait period seems like a good idea. Radio Shack has a kit for an electronic die that I am going to try my hand at. If I mount that and a timer together it should work for me. If I get really crazy, I could fill out a track warrant for permision to use the track as if a Dispatcher had given me one over the radio.