Can anyone point me toward some articales about basic operations? It's kind of hard to choose a layout without having an idea how the trains will operate.
Eventually I'm looking to build an N scale layout on a door.
John Armstrong's book https://www.amazon.com/Track-Planning-Realistic-Operation-Railroader/dp/0890242275
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
An excellent article written by Joel Morse discussing things to consider when planning operations was just published in the April 2021 issue of "The Dispatcher's Office" which is the "Official Journal of the Operations Special Interest Group." Joel is an avid operator and regularly hosts operating sessions on his N scale New York, Ontario & Western (NYO&W or "Old and Weary") around-the-walls layout. The article not only discusses different ways to conduct operations but also discusses designing a layout so that your planned operations make sense to those running the layout. Joel has constantly worked to create more realistic operations on his layout and continues to add improvements and procedures. His most recent (pre-COVID) operating sessions ran around 24 trains in about 3 hours using a sequential schedule and mainly verbal warrants. Joel's layout is centered around the town of Walton with trains arriving and departing Walton from three different directions. Lots of through trains, locals and interchange traffic to keep people entertained. One of my favorite sessions on Joel's layout occurred when Joel scheduled an Open House viewing. However, instead of just letting people come in to look at the trains, Joel also scheduled a full operating session so guests could see just what we do with our trains. Most guests were offered train orders and a throttle and those that accepted had a blast! Lots of good ideas in Joel's article so check it out.
Another article written by Marty Bradley regarding how to set up a layout for operations appeared in the October, 2012 issue of Model Railroader. This article focuses more on the nuts and bolts of setting up car card operations on an HO scale layout built by Bob Grech and featured in the same issue. Lots of good information here, too. Marty hosts regular operating sessions on his double-deck HO scale logging layout (see the July, 2016 issue of Model Railroader). Marty's layout is entertaining to novices and experts alike as the layout operations have purpose and the physical layout makes sense, too. Trains of empty logging cars leave the town of Oakhurst on the lower deck and head up the "mountain" (a helix) to return the empty log cars to the various logging camps. Upon setting out the empty cars, these trains pick up loaded logging cars and return back down the "mountain." Just outside the town of Oakhurst, these trains drop of the logs at the saw mill, then return to the yard in Oakhurst to clear the main for other trains. In addition to the logging trains, supply trains are run out to a couple of mining operations as well as passenger trains to and from a mountain hotel and the logging camps. There is also one train connecting the logging railroad to a Class 1 railroad (SP). Marty's HO scale layout is compact and cannot support more than 3 or 4 operators at a time. The very slow Climax, Shay and Heisler locos means that it takes a lot of real time for trains to travel the length of the layout. This usually means less than 10 trains per session. The operations are run using a casual TT&TO format. Marty acts mainly as chief troubleshooter and his dispatching duties involve assigning trains to operators. The proof that operators enjoy Marty's operating format is the fact that Marty's operating sessions are usually "sell-outs," often requiring Marty to add an afternoon, or even a second day's worth of operating sessions. A recent twist was the addition of a G scale garden layout in the adjacent yard. Instead of designing it as a stand-alone layout, Marty designed the garden layout to be an extension of the HO scale layout. An operator with a train arriving in logging Camp 3 now leaves the HO train in Camp 3 but takes the car cards for that train outside to the garden layout. A G scale train matching the car cards of the HO scale train in Camp 3 is found waiting to continue on to Camps 4, 5 & 6. Upon completion of all train orders, the G scale train returns to Camp 3 where the car cards are taken back inside to the HO scale layout and the HO scale train waiting in Camp 3 begins its return back down the mountain.
I have had the priviledge of operating on several layouts, large and small, and have discovered first hand that it is most important that your operators understand your layout's operating scheme without having to read pages of rules and regulations, or study complicated maps and timetables. Yes, lots of paperwork can be fun IF the layout is large enough to require two-man crews and there is time for the conductor to organize such paperwork while the train traverses the layout. On the other hand, a single operator having to juggle stacks of car cards, timetables, train orders, track warrants and a throttle while his train travels a few feet between destinations on a small layout will quickly become frustrated. If you see your operators using the layout as a desk to organize their paperwork and car cards, your system is probably too complicated for the size of your layout. Less is often more! Good luck.
Hornblower
Back in the 70s... 1972 I think... Model Railroader had an article by Bruce Chubb called "Brakeman on the Yellow Extra."
I highly recommend it.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
Bruce Chubb's book "How to Operate Your Model Railroad" is still a great resource, as are the books Tony Koester has written in recent years. Our friends at MR / Kalmbach have produced a number of books, articles and even DVDs on model railroad operations.
https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/
wjstix Bruce Chubb's book "How to Operate Your Model Railroad" is still a great resource, as are the books Tony Koester has written in recent years. Our friends at MR / Kalmbach have produced a number of books, articles and even DVDs on model railroad operations. https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/
I agree on Bruce and Tony's books on operation. They're both great resources for the different ways to add operations to your layout. The great thing about operation is that you can get as simple and as complex as you want. The main thing is to look at the options and do what's right for you and your layout.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
That approach is quite sound with operations and layouts, too. Why over-complicate things?