General Discussion (Model Railroader)

jfugate wrote:

Larry: The other thing I notice with your club's method is it assumes all the locos in the lashup are 4 or 6 axle units, which may not be realistic. On the Siskiyou Line, all loco consists are made up before the session starts. Seems like your club's method could be a problem with premade lashups like I use ... what if you have a lashup that's an SD40, SD45, and a GP40? How many cars can that lashup pull with your club's method? That's not clear. Bottom line is your club's method also ignores certain realities, just like mine does. We all pick our poison, as the saying goes.

Sorry,I did not see your second reply..

The unit consist that I used is a guide line for given train lenghts..However..The holster is free to mix and match as he pleases as long as the units run close in speed..However the ground rule is to keep like brands together especially the P2K units and older brass and Hobbytown units and that seems to work quite well...I have ran unit consist of RS3 and RSD4s,RS11s and RSD12s,SD40-2s and GP40-2s.RSD15s and SD40-2s.So again its up to the hostler and his whims.

n2mopac wrote:

Hey everyone. I've been gone a while and I just wondered if this clinic died. Joe, is there still more to come, or have we all moved on now? Just wondering. I've appreciated greatly this and all of the clinics Joe has led here. Let us know what's happening. Ron

Its' not dead, no, not at all. Just been really busy working on how-to video volume 4, plus hosting an op session on my layout last weekend. Once I get the current op session report done on my web site (I prefer to post those while they're still fresh in my mind), then I'll get back to this clinic.

So just too many  irons in the fire at the moment. That should change in another week or so ... and then back to posting on this clinic. We've got another 6 or so topic posts to go to finish this one off.

Thanks for asking!

Perfectly understandable, Joe. As I mentioned, this time of year is crazy for me every year. I hadn't even had time to check for about 2 weeks. I appreciate all of the effort you put into hosting these clinics. I look forward to the next installment whenever it comes. By the way, I'm putting your DCC wiring tips and techniques from the DCC clinic to use now as I am wiring the main line for the new layout. Thanks again.

Ron

dehusman wrote:

Giving a "work between" to a following train if they are really both going in the same direction is very dependent on the railroad and their individual rules.  Some railroads frown on this type of operation (especially if its for any distance). Also some railroads give every train regardless of where they operate a "track warrant", but in CTC they would get a "track warrant for bulletins" which is similar to a clearance in TT&TO days, it doesn't convey any authority, just lists the bulletins the train gets (bulletins being informational messages such a slow orders, gangs working and other information affectin ght eoperation of the trains. Dave H.

We would get the Work Betweens with line 11 -- Between X and Y make all movements at restriced speed limits occupied by train.  That way, you have to not crash into the other guy.  At 10 mph, it is not that hard.  Lately, we have gotten line 2 with line 11.

On the CTC I go over, we get the TGBO, which is pretty much like a warrant for bulletins.  The TGBO lists any condition that is not in the timetable for the territory you will cover.  When going over the UP, we get the warrant for bulletins.

My power chart would look a little different.

SD40/45 -- 8 cars level-7 grade
GP40/SD9 -- 7 level-6 grade
GP9 -- 6 level - 5 grade

That would be pretty prototypical.  Wheelslip control is better in the newer units.  The older units are just plain worn out.  I'm sure the models will pull more than rated.

October 06 Railway Age showed the results of a test on the Pacific Harbor Lines.  They took a 6000+ ton train behind a SD18 and the new 2-Genset 1400 hp NRE/UP engine built from a MP15.   They found that on a nice day the Genset job would pull the train over the ruling  grade (1.3%) at 3.2 mph, while the SD18 did it at 5 mph.  The newer engine had much better wheelslip control.  It also polluted much less, which is why they built it. 

Okay, well it's not the next installment in this forum clinic, per se, but I have just finished my October Op Session Report (with photos), and it shows a real live op session applying the principles discussed in this forum clinic.

Here's the link:
http://siskiyou-railfan.net/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2801

I try to give enough detail that you get some sense of what it's like to run trains using 1980's style track warrants and wireless DCC on a larger basement layout.

NEW CLINIC POST!

TOPIC THIS POST: Yard Operations

Read this forum clinic post by clicking here.

Yay, the next offical installment in this clinic series! Let's hope it's not so long until the next installment on car forwarding.

Just in case you missed this the first time ... there's a NEW CLINIC POST that's just been made -- see the previous message for the link.

Be sure to check it out!

Joe,

  I read the LD-SIG web page on curves in yard and mine are in spec(sometimes I plan right).  One thing I noticed about your yard lead is that it swings to the left when working the lead.  Do you have the switch engine facing 'away' from the train so that the engineer's side window is on the inside of the curve?  On the prototype, the crews will try to get the engine turned so they can 'see' better on a curve.  I am not getting on your case here(My yard lead also curves to the left).  One night I was operating the lead and a friend mentioned it(professional railroader).

  Looking at your yard, is there much of a lead on the left end?  I have a 3 car lead on that end so an engine and a car can be pulled of of a yard track from that end without fouling the main.  Even though yard limits extend out past the bridge, knocking down signals just before scheduled trains arrive can cause problems.  Since you model the 70's, I suppose the days of scheduled trains may be over.

  I will be looking forward to the car forwarding topic....

Jim Bernier

Jim:

Some great points! The prototype yard also has a lead of sorts on the same end, and it swings the same direction mine does, so I guess they put up with it.

By the way, I finally got the yard limits signs installed as my operating crews requested. It's a small detail, but a kinda cool one. We used them in the latest op session. Here's a photo of the east yard limits at Roseburg Yard on my layout (you can see it just to the right of the fuel tank on the loco, at about walkway level):


(Click to enlarge)

Always more fun little details to add ...

Joe,First great topic!.Ok from a former railroad man..First the YM has NO say over the inbound/outbound tracks thats was a local towermans job now controlled by a DS.As far as reverse moves no permission is need to make those moves after all a yard crew will make several dozens in performing their work..Permission is not needed to remove a classified train by the trim crew since the humpmaster gave the instructions to remove the cars.These cars are taken to the outbound tracks where a caboose would be added in days past or Fred is added today by carmen who also inspects the train and connects the air hoses.This can be simulated by have a delay between train make up and the adding of the road power.Recall this train would be under blue flag protection and therefore couldn't be coupled on to until the blue flag is removed..

BRAKIE wrote:

Joe,First great topic!.Ok from a former railroad man..First the YM has NO say over the inbound/outbound tracks thats was a local towermans job now controlled by a DS.As far as reverse moves no permission is need to make those moves after all a yard crew will make several dozens in performing their work..Permission is not needed to remove a classified train by the trim crew since the humpmaster gave the instructions to remove the cars.These cars are taken to the outbound tracks where a caboose would be added in days past or Fred is added today by carmen who also inspects the train and connects the air hoses.This can be simulated by have a delay between train make up and the adding of the road power.Recall this train would be under blue flag protection and therefore couldn't be coupled on to until the blue flag is removed..

 

When a train pulls into the inbound tracks, at what point would the caboose be removed?

Thanks, Bob

The caboose would be removed as soon as possible so the caboose can be cleaned and service before being assigned to its next run and the inbound cars reclassified into trains.You see the inbound conductor and rear brakeman had already swung off the train near the crew pickup point or in some cases near the yard office but,usually we would swing off and then be taken to the yard office turn in the reports and waybills sign out and head for the RR YMCA.The headend crew would run the engine to the locomotive inbound service tracks..Then the headend crew would turn in the engineer's locomotive reports and sign out and then head to the RR YMCA..

Now if this train was a run through there would be nothing more then a crew change..Now on the PRR the cabin would be removed and replace with a region cabin. Like a say a Eastern(Panhandle) region would be removed and a Buckeye region cabin would be added.This ended in 1968.The crew would simply turn in the engine report and other paper work and sign out and be taken to the YMCA or local contract hotel.

Thanks, Larry.... that was all excellent information, and Joe....  thank you for another great clinic.

Bob

 

Joe

 

Great clinic on operation. Really learning a lot. Would you consider discussing track cleaning. Some may say this is not operation. The trains don't run long without it. Do you just clean the main line or do all tracks get cleaned?

You mentioned using the clean machine. What cleaning solvent do you use?

 

Ralph Hougesen