Bear,
Thanks for following along and your comments.
I wanted to reflect some on this, as my goal throughout has been to make ops something people can just do. There's no need for complexity if you just need some way to direct cars to load, travel, and then return for the next load. I say that NOT to dis the more complex ideas that govern ops for many. You can start adding those into this scheme when and where you like, which is another reason why this method is useful.
There are two key things to making this work. First, the carcards, waybills, and card boxes are a bit of work, but not insurmountable. Once you've done this and you keep it up when adding new rolling stock, you're got the basis to move on to more complex systems, when you choose to do so. Second, follow this simple set of rules, which I call PUDLE.
>>>
PUDLE
What does it mean on your train order?
P ick
U p [and]
D rop
L oads [and]
E mpties
In short, PUDLE is a reminder to check your train’s car cards and the cards in the car card boxes at each location to determine if there are loads or empties that must be picked up or dropped. Unless specifically instructed otherwise, on the narrowgauge each freight train is a local and should work each station along the way. There may also be instructions on spotting or re-spotting individual cars in notes attached to the car cards. In general, return empties EAST towards the location specified on each car card’s “Empty Car Return To” field. While paying attention to tonnage ratings and maximum train length restrictions, always pick up empty cars at all locations up to the capacity of your train.
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PUDLE is designed to facilitate wayfreight ops. It works well in terms of servicing customers and keeps cars moving as they are supposed to with any ops scheme. If you want through freights, you can simply designate that those trains are exempt from PUDLE, for instance.
Beyond the carcard system, there's very little paperwork involved or needed. I am working on some add-ons, but again these are optional to your situation. The most important is a "cue" card, which summarizes what tasks the trains is to accomplish. This goes with the bright train card and black binder clip that designates each train. I have switchlists already, which are available to all train crews at their option to help organize their work, but which I can make up ahead of time for trains that inexperienced crews will handle. They could get the same info by observing PUDLE, but the switchlist is a good crib card to help them learn the system.
A key part of the system is the train sequence/schedule, of course. It doesn't need to be a timetable. You don't need a fast clock (but you can, of course.) The sequence need not be strictly observed, but is a rough guide to what's happening at any one time to help keep things for not working properly. I picked up an idea just this week when doing a pre-ops visit to another local modeler, Rick, and his layout. Rick also uses a sequence, but marks places where everyone pauses until the last train for that part of the sequence is finished or at last finishing up. That helps keep the sequence in order, without trains getting too far ahead and causing congestion while waiting for a connection, for instance.
So that's a good place to indicate what you do NOT need to use my simple card scheme:
no timetable or fast clock
works for all sizes of layout (although the especially complex ones might not be a good fit)
no need for train orders
no need for complex set-up or after-session processes
no need for dispatcher or jobs other than crew
works for any number of operators, but better for small crews or one-man ops
can jump in to run a train that is any place close to the current place in sequence
I'm sure there are more pluses and minuses, but the basic goal of making ops accessible is met -- and other ops processes can be adapted or added into the system according to one's interests or skill level. Be glad to take questions or further discuss.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Gidday Mike, "Here's #39 entering Durango Yard with its train of MTs. After the paperwork is done, it'll be time for some well-earned ."
I think You deserve the well earned .
Many thanks for your efforts.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Back at last to finish up this tale of following the concentrate loads from mine to mill to mill. When we last left the 5 boxcars of concentrates, they were sitting in Durango yard, having arrived from Silverton on yesterday's freight.
GE 44-tonner #39 is equipped with dual couplers on each end. When used with a similarly-equipped dual-gauge idler car, standard gauge and narrowgauge cars can be run together in the same train. There's no SG loads going to ASARCO, so it's just along for the ride on this part of the run as the train arrives at West Durango on the industrial running track. After talking with the dispatcher and getting authority to tie-up the main, the train moves onto the main. Out on the main, the engineer sets the brakes, then uncouples from the rest of the train. Here you can see the arrangement of the dual-couplers. Leaving the train on the main, the 44-tonner moves up the hill to grab the first car, an MT standard gauge gon. After picking up the gon, the MT tank car on the lower, River track is coupled.
GE 44-tonner #39 is equipped with dual couplers on each end. When used with a similarly-equipped dual-gauge idler car, standard gauge and narrowgauge cars can be run together in the same train. There's no SG loads going to ASARCO, so it's just along for the ride on this part of the run as the train arrives at West Durango on the industrial running track.
After talking with the dispatcher and getting authority to tie-up the main, the train moves onto the main.
Out on the main, the engineer sets the brakes, then uncouples from the rest of the train.
Here you can see the arrangement of the dual-couplers.
Leaving the train on the main, the 44-tonner moves up the hill to grab the first car, an MT standard gauge gon.
After picking up the gon, the MT tank car on the lower, River track is coupled.
The standard gauge MTs are coupled to the idler car. Pulling the SG MTs and narrowgauge loads back, the loco then shoves the NG loads into the River track and drops them. The 44-tonner only has so much oomph, so can't handle too much tonnage up the Hill track. Pulling back after dropping the loads out of the way, the loco shoves the SG MTs and idler up the Hill. The MT NG cars are inside the mill, so easiest way to keep track of things is to go around to the far end of the mill and watch for the string to move when the idler car couples to the cut of MTs. Reversing down the Hill track, #39 pulls the NG MTs. After coupling to the caboose on the main, the cut is back down the grade to clear the ASARCO switch, then the brakes are set with all the MTs, the idler and the caboose out of the way. #39 then moves back to the River track, couples to the concentrate loads, then shoves them up the Hill and into the mill. Again, it's easier to watch the far end of the Hill track where it comes out the far end of the mill to determine when cars are properly spotted. The switcher then comes back down the Hill track. After throwing the switch once back on the main, #39 couples to its train, then backs further to clear to enter the switch to the industrial running track. Here's a pic of my hill-holding brake. It looks like a bench or a stack of a few ties when sitting next to the track, but the "cleats" help it hold you train when placed behind the caboose on a grade. Once the train air is released, #39 moves forward to return to the yard. Here's #39 entering Durango Yard with its train of MTs. After the paperwork is done, it'll be time for some well-earned . It might seem to have been longer, but it was only about 48 hours between the loads being picked up in Animas Forks and Eureka and delivery to the ASARCO mill in West Durango. Not bad for a couple of little ol' narrowgauge lines.
The standard gauge MTs are coupled to the idler car.
Pulling the SG MTs and narrowgauge loads back, the loco then shoves the NG loads into the River track and drops them. The 44-tonner only has so much oomph, so can't handle too much tonnage up the Hill track. Pulling back after dropping the loads out of the way, the loco shoves the SG MTs and idler up the Hill. The MT NG cars are inside the mill, so easiest way to keep track of things is to go around to the far end of the mill and watch for the string to move when the idler car couples to the cut of MTs. Reversing down the Hill track, #39 pulls the NG MTs. After coupling to the caboose on the main, the cut is back down the grade to clear the ASARCO switch, then the brakes are set with all the MTs, the idler and the caboose out of the way. #39 then moves back to the River track, couples to the concentrate loads, then shoves them up the Hill and into the mill. Again, it's easier to watch the far end of the Hill track where it comes out the far end of the mill to determine when cars are properly spotted. The switcher then comes back down the Hill track. After throwing the switch once back on the main, #39 couples to its train, then backs further to clear to enter the switch to the industrial running track. Here's a pic of my hill-holding brake. It looks like a bench or a stack of a few ties when sitting next to the track, but the "cleats" help it hold you train when placed behind the caboose on a grade. Once the train air is released, #39 moves forward to return to the yard. Here's #39 entering Durango Yard with its train of MTs. After the paperwork is done, it'll be time for some well-earned . It might seem to have been longer, but it was only about 48 hours between the loads being picked up in Animas Forks and Eureka and delivery to the ASARCO mill in West Durango. Not bad for a couple of little ol' narrowgauge lines.
Pulling the SG MTs and narrowgauge loads back, the loco then shoves the NG loads into the River track and drops them. The 44-tonner only has so much oomph, so can't handle too much tonnage up the Hill track.
Pulling back after dropping the loads out of the way, the loco shoves the SG MTs and idler up the Hill. The MT NG cars are inside the mill, so easiest way to keep track of things is to go around to the far end of the mill and watch for the string to move when the idler car couples to the cut of MTs. Reversing down the Hill track, #39 pulls the NG MTs. After coupling to the caboose on the main, the cut is back down the grade to clear the ASARCO switch, then the brakes are set with all the MTs, the idler and the caboose out of the way. #39 then moves back to the River track, couples to the concentrate loads, then shoves them up the Hill and into the mill. Again, it's easier to watch the far end of the Hill track where it comes out the far end of the mill to determine when cars are properly spotted. The switcher then comes back down the Hill track. After throwing the switch once back on the main, #39 couples to its train, then backs further to clear to enter the switch to the industrial running track. Here's a pic of my hill-holding brake. It looks like a bench or a stack of a few ties when sitting next to the track, but the "cleats" help it hold you train when placed behind the caboose on a grade. Once the train air is released, #39 moves forward to return to the yard. Here's #39 entering Durango Yard with its train of MTs. After the paperwork is done, it'll be time for some well-earned . It might seem to have been longer, but it was only about 48 hours between the loads being picked up in Animas Forks and Eureka and delivery to the ASARCO mill in West Durango. Not bad for a couple of little ol' narrowgauge lines.
Pulling back after dropping the loads out of the way, the loco shoves the SG MTs and idler up the Hill.
The MT NG cars are inside the mill, so easiest way to keep track of things is to go around to the far end of the mill and watch for the string to move when the idler car couples to the cut of MTs.
Reversing down the Hill track, #39 pulls the NG MTs. After coupling to the caboose on the main, the cut is back down the grade to clear the ASARCO switch, then the brakes are set with all the MTs, the idler and the caboose out of the way. #39 then moves back to the River track, couples to the concentrate loads, then shoves them up the Hill and into the mill. Again, it's easier to watch the far end of the Hill track where it comes out the far end of the mill to determine when cars are properly spotted. The switcher then comes back down the Hill track.
Reversing down the Hill track, #39 pulls the NG MTs. After coupling to the caboose on the main, the cut is back down the grade to clear the ASARCO switch, then the brakes are set with all the MTs, the idler and the caboose out of the way. #39 then moves back to the River track, couples to the concentrate loads, then shoves them up the Hill and into the mill.
Reversing down the Hill track, #39 pulls the NG MTs.
After coupling to the caboose on the main, the cut is back down the grade to clear the ASARCO switch, then the brakes are set with all the MTs, the idler and the caboose out of the way. #39 then moves back to the River track, couples to the concentrate loads, then shoves them up the Hill and into the mill.
Again, it's easier to watch the far end of the Hill track where it comes out the far end of the mill to determine when cars are properly spotted. The switcher then comes back down the Hill track.
After throwing the switch once back on the main, #39 couples to its train, then backs further to clear to enter the switch to the industrial running track. Here's a pic of my hill-holding brake. It looks like a bench or a stack of a few ties when sitting next to the track, but the "cleats" help it hold you train when placed behind the caboose on a grade. Once the train air is released, #39 moves forward to return to the yard. Here's #39 entering Durango Yard with its train of MTs. After the paperwork is done, it'll be time for some well-earned . It might seem to have been longer, but it was only about 48 hours between the loads being picked up in Animas Forks and Eureka and delivery to the ASARCO mill in West Durango. Not bad for a couple of little ol' narrowgauge lines.
After throwing the switch once back on the main, #39 couples to its train, then backs further to clear to enter the switch to the industrial running track.
Here's a pic of my hill-holding brake. It looks like a bench or a stack of a few ties when sitting next to the track, but the "cleats" help it hold you train when placed behind the caboose on a grade. Once the train air is released, #39 moves forward to return to the yard. Here's #39 entering Durango Yard with its train of MTs. After the paperwork is done, it'll be time for some well-earned . It might seem to have been longer, but it was only about 48 hours between the loads being picked up in Animas Forks and Eureka and delivery to the ASARCO mill in West Durango. Not bad for a couple of little ol' narrowgauge lines.
Here's a pic of my hill-holding brake. It looks like a bench or a stack of a few ties when sitting next to the track, but the "cleats" help it hold you train when placed behind the caboose on a grade.
Once the train air is released, #39 moves forward to return to the yard.
Here's #39 entering Durango Yard with its train of MTs. After the paperwork is done, it'll be time for some well-earned .
It might seem to have been longer, but it was only about 48 hours between the loads being picked up in Animas Forks and Eureka and delivery to the ASARCO mill in West Durango. Not bad for a couple of little ol' narrowgauge lines.
Again, thanks Mike! This has been a very informative thread! I like to see these types of threads, as a person can learn so much.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
NP,
Thanks for your comments. Been feeling less the 100% the last few days and very busy writing so apologize for the delay in finishing this run.
Before we went to beans, Train #470 EAST was pulling into the arrival track in Durango. Here's an overhead shot showing the train on the arrival track, with the yard tracks between it and the back of the station. Most of this track is dual-gauge, so it can get crowded and crazy at times.
After the bit of indecision at Rockwood, Train #470 came into town with the front half MTs and the back half loads for ASARCO. The cards are set in front of the cars to illustrate the split. Building the train in Silverton was done by keeping in mind efficient car handling practices. The train's crew may not have to handle the cars any further, but they know whoever handles them next will give them an earful if they don't at least try to keep things sorted for easy handling at destination. This shot is basically in the reverse direction than the previous one. There are MT gons at the coal dealer and the coaling tower that will be headed to Hesperus. Out of sight to the left as the service track curves to the left and away from the coaling tower is an MT flat. While my Durango is different in many ways from the prototype, it also features things like relatively long industry spurs to help hold excess cars that ebb and floow in and out of this division point. After surveying their paperwork and the yard, the switch crew makes a cut behind the MT tank car, then pulls it and the flats and gons in front of it clear. Moving in reverse, the 480 backs into the turning loop and around the Oriental spur to spot the MT. Here you see the car and carcard, then the carcard is placed in the corresponding slot in the carcard boxes. 480 then spends a few minutes shuffling the gons and flats into separate cuts. The track at Webber Wholesale is OK to use for a few minutes right now, as the next cut for it won't be until later. Here's 480 shoving a cut of flats. Here 480 has all the gons assembled and is pulling them from in front of Webber's. They'll be shoved onto the service track behind the coaling tower, which will hold all 10 cars. Makes me glad once again I recently spent some time extending the service track. Here are the carcards for the flats and gons, which will now be placed in the proper box slots. This leaves only the loads for the ASARCO mill. Since there's a mix of SG and NG cars spotted at the mill, the switch crew knows it needs to do a few things to get set up right and avoid wasted time and effort. Get GE 44-tonner #39 for motive power, which is dual-coupler equipped, and place it on the East end of the cars. Place the caboose and idler car on the West and East ends of the loads going to ASARCO. Use the turning loop track to switchback through the yard and get to West Durango to ask permission to use the main to switch ASARCO.
After the bit of indecision at Rockwood, Train #470 came into town with the front half MTs and the back half loads for ASARCO. The cards are set in front of the cars to illustrate the split. Building the train in Silverton was done by keeping in mind efficient car handling practices. The train's crew may not have to handle the cars any further, but they know whoever handles them next will give them an earful if they don't at least try to keep things sorted for easy handling at destination.
This shot is basically in the reverse direction than the previous one. There are MT gons at the coal dealer and the coaling tower that will be headed to Hesperus. Out of sight to the left as the service track curves to the left and away from the coaling tower is an MT flat. While my Durango is different in many ways from the prototype, it also features things like relatively long industry spurs to help hold excess cars that ebb and floow in and out of this division point.
After surveying their paperwork and the yard, the switch crew makes a cut behind the MT tank car, then pulls it and the flats and gons in front of it clear.
Moving in reverse, the 480 backs into the turning loop and around the Oriental spur to spot the MT. Here you see the car and carcard, then the carcard is placed in the corresponding slot in the carcard boxes.
480 then spends a few minutes shuffling the gons and flats into separate cuts. The track at Webber Wholesale is OK to use for a few minutes right now, as the next cut for it won't be until later. Here's 480 shoving a cut of flats. Here 480 has all the gons assembled and is pulling them from in front of Webber's. They'll be shoved onto the service track behind the coaling tower, which will hold all 10 cars. Makes me glad once again I recently spent some time extending the service track. Here are the carcards for the flats and gons, which will now be placed in the proper box slots. This leaves only the loads for the ASARCO mill. Since there's a mix of SG and NG cars spotted at the mill, the switch crew knows it needs to do a few things to get set up right and avoid wasted time and effort. Get GE 44-tonner #39 for motive power, which is dual-coupler equipped, and place it on the East end of the cars. Place the caboose and idler car on the West and East ends of the loads going to ASARCO. Use the turning loop track to switchback through the yard and get to West Durango to ask permission to use the main to switch ASARCO.
480 then spends a few minutes shuffling the gons and flats into separate cuts.
The track at Webber Wholesale is OK to use for a few minutes right now, as the next cut for it won't be until later. Here's 480 shoving a cut of flats. Here 480 has all the gons assembled and is pulling them from in front of Webber's. They'll be shoved onto the service track behind the coaling tower, which will hold all 10 cars. Makes me glad once again I recently spent some time extending the service track. Here are the carcards for the flats and gons, which will now be placed in the proper box slots. This leaves only the loads for the ASARCO mill. Since there's a mix of SG and NG cars spotted at the mill, the switch crew knows it needs to do a few things to get set up right and avoid wasted time and effort. Get GE 44-tonner #39 for motive power, which is dual-coupler equipped, and place it on the East end of the cars. Place the caboose and idler car on the West and East ends of the loads going to ASARCO. Use the turning loop track to switchback through the yard and get to West Durango to ask permission to use the main to switch ASARCO.
The track at Webber Wholesale is OK to use for a few minutes right now, as the next cut for it won't be until later.
Here's 480 shoving a cut of flats.
Here 480 has all the gons assembled and is pulling them from in front of Webber's. They'll be shoved onto the service track behind the coaling tower, which will hold all 10 cars. Makes me glad once again I recently spent some time extending the service track.
Here are the carcards for the flats and gons, which will now be placed in the proper box slots.
This leaves only the loads for the ASARCO mill. Since there's a mix of SG and NG cars spotted at the mill, the switch crew knows it needs to do a few things to get set up right and avoid wasted time and effort. Get GE 44-tonner #39 for motive power, which is dual-coupler equipped, and place it on the East end of the cars. Place the caboose and idler car on the West and East ends of the loads going to ASARCO. Use the turning loop track to switchback through the yard and get to West Durango to ask permission to use the main to switch ASARCO.
This leaves only the loads for the ASARCO mill. Since there's a mix of SG and NG cars spotted at the mill, the switch crew knows it needs to do a few things to get set up right and avoid wasted time and effort.
Get GE 44-tonner #39 for motive power, which is dual-coupler equipped, and place it on the East end of the cars.
Place the caboose and idler car on the West and East ends of the loads going to ASARCO.
Use the turning loop track to switchback through the yard and get to West Durango to ask permission to use the main to switch ASARCO.
I am in total agreement with Jeff, Mike, thanks for all your hard work and effort!
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for your comments. I don't have a website right now, but if you click-through on any of the above pics and it will take you to my ImageShack account. There are lots more pics of the layout here, many which have appeared in WPF here on the forum.
Here's the trackplan, which mainly covers the narrowgauge lines.
Durango ended up changed considerably in detail from the last one I had on paper. Essentially, the standard gauge line is a giant folded dogbone, part under the Silverton area and part that is staging on the opposite side of the room and in the room next to it. Durango is dual-gauge; the third rail extends narrowgauge service to Hesperus and the coal mines there. This line represents an extension from Moab, Utah to Grants, New Mexico.
I have found this to be very informative. Thanks for all your time and pictures. I will be using the Sheandoah software to create my cards. Your layout is awesome. Do you have a overall track plan you could post or a website? Again thanks for this thread!
OK, we're going to follow along with the crew of #470 EAST, the daily freight from Silverton to Durango. We'll keep an eye on tha valuable ore, as well as learn some ops stuff as I apply it -- or ignore it
Here's #469, the westbound counterpart to our train, as it comes into town behind K-36 #480.
480 drops its train on the east yard lead in Silverton. There is trackage shared with the Silverton Union around the depot. The Rio Grande has a few customers, but generally the Rio Grande drops its cars on the east lead, the SURR crews have cuts for #470 ready.
After dropping the train, the crew takes 480 to the wye to turn it for the return trip. The conductor tells the engine crew there are 11 cars for today's train. Here's an overhead shot showing the cars. Generally, it's bad ops etiquette to spread your carcards around on the scenery like in these pics sometimes. I do it to help illustrate things, but be aware you should use the brown plastic card holder on the fascia in my shots or other means, such as a nail/ops apron, to hold carcards. After stopping for water at the column by the depot, the crew plucks a flat out of Yard Track 2, moves to Track 1 to couple the flat to some other MTs. This puts some cars up front that may get swapped out at Rockwood, as well as locate a MOW materials boxcars so it can be spotted at Tefft. After pulling the cars from Track 1, #480 backs to couple to the ore loads making up the second half of the train. Fortunately, I have enough room on the layout to keep trains in the same town as where they are switching. Here the engineer is preparing to back up and couple to the caboose.. After coupling to the caboose, the pin is pulled on the remains of Train #369. Paperwork in order, Train #470 EAST, led by engine #480, prepares to leave Silverton. The train rocks along, first crossing the Animas River, then follwing along it until arriving at the junction "town" of Tefft. One of Otto Mears's original sawmills was here, but has since moved several times and is now located in Rockwood, further east (compass south). Logging continues up the Cascade Branch, with logs still a product of the Mears family. Here we see the carcard and waybill for the MOW materials car 03057, which will be spotted in the siding for unloading. Note that it was not place on the siding on the far side of the tracks. This allows runaround moves for the loggers and any other freight needing it. The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward. Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
After dropping the train, the crew takes 480 to the wye to turn it for the return trip.
The conductor tells the engine crew there are 11 cars for today's train. Here's an overhead shot showing the cars. Generally, it's bad ops etiquette to spread your carcards around on the scenery like in these pics sometimes. I do it to help illustrate things, but be aware you should use the brown plastic card holder on the fascia in my shots or other means, such as a nail/ops apron, to hold carcards. After stopping for water at the column by the depot, the crew plucks a flat out of Yard Track 2, moves to Track 1 to couple the flat to some other MTs. This puts some cars up front that may get swapped out at Rockwood, as well as locate a MOW materials boxcars so it can be spotted at Tefft. After pulling the cars from Track 1, #480 backs to couple to the ore loads making up the second half of the train. Fortunately, I have enough room on the layout to keep trains in the same town as where they are switching. Here the engineer is preparing to back up and couple to the caboose.. After coupling to the caboose, the pin is pulled on the remains of Train #369. Paperwork in order, Train #470 EAST, led by engine #480, prepares to leave Silverton. The train rocks along, first crossing the Animas River, then follwing along it until arriving at the junction "town" of Tefft. One of Otto Mears's original sawmills was here, but has since moved several times and is now located in Rockwood, further east (compass south). Logging continues up the Cascade Branch, with logs still a product of the Mears family. Here we see the carcard and waybill for the MOW materials car 03057, which will be spotted in the siding for unloading. Note that it was not place on the siding on the far side of the tracks. This allows runaround moves for the loggers and any other freight needing it. The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward. Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
The conductor tells the engine crew there are 11 cars for today's train. Here's an overhead shot showing the cars. Generally, it's bad ops etiquette to spread your carcards around on the scenery like in these pics sometimes. I do it to help illustrate things, but be aware you should use the brown plastic card holder on the fascia in my shots or other means, such as a nail/ops apron, to hold carcards.
After stopping for water at the column by the depot, the crew plucks a flat out of Yard Track 2, moves to Track 1 to couple the flat to some other MTs. This puts some cars up front that may get swapped out at Rockwood, as well as locate a MOW materials boxcars so it can be spotted at Tefft.
After pulling the cars from Track 1, #480 backs to couple to the ore loads making up the second half of the train. Fortunately, I have enough room on the layout to keep trains in the same town as where they are switching. Here the engineer is preparing to back up and couple to the caboose.. After coupling to the caboose, the pin is pulled on the remains of Train #369. Paperwork in order, Train #470 EAST, led by engine #480, prepares to leave Silverton. The train rocks along, first crossing the Animas River, then follwing along it until arriving at the junction "town" of Tefft. One of Otto Mears's original sawmills was here, but has since moved several times and is now located in Rockwood, further east (compass south). Logging continues up the Cascade Branch, with logs still a product of the Mears family. Here we see the carcard and waybill for the MOW materials car 03057, which will be spotted in the siding for unloading. Note that it was not place on the siding on the far side of the tracks. This allows runaround moves for the loggers and any other freight needing it. The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward. Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
After pulling the cars from Track 1, #480 backs to couple to the ore loads making up the second half of the train.
Fortunately, I have enough room on the layout to keep trains in the same town as where they are switching. Here the engineer is preparing to back up and couple to the caboose..
After coupling to the caboose, the pin is pulled on the remains of Train #369. Paperwork in order, Train #470 EAST, led by engine #480, prepares to leave Silverton. The train rocks along, first crossing the Animas River, then follwing along it until arriving at the junction "town" of Tefft. One of Otto Mears's original sawmills was here, but has since moved several times and is now located in Rockwood, further east (compass south). Logging continues up the Cascade Branch, with logs still a product of the Mears family. Here we see the carcard and waybill for the MOW materials car 03057, which will be spotted in the siding for unloading. Note that it was not place on the siding on the far side of the tracks. This allows runaround moves for the loggers and any other freight needing it. The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward. Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
After coupling to the caboose, the pin is pulled on the remains of Train #369.
Paperwork in order, Train #470 EAST, led by engine #480, prepares to leave Silverton. The train rocks along, first crossing the Animas River, then follwing along it until arriving at the junction "town" of Tefft. One of Otto Mears's original sawmills was here, but has since moved several times and is now located in Rockwood, further east (compass south). Logging continues up the Cascade Branch, with logs still a product of the Mears family. Here we see the carcard and waybill for the MOW materials car 03057, which will be spotted in the siding for unloading. Note that it was not place on the siding on the far side of the tracks. This allows runaround moves for the loggers and any other freight needing it. The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward. Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
Paperwork in order, Train #470 EAST, led by engine #480, prepares to leave Silverton.
The train rocks along, first crossing the Animas River, then follwing along it until arriving at the junction "town" of Tefft. One of Otto Mears's original sawmills was here, but has since moved several times and is now located in Rockwood, further east (compass south). Logging continues up the Cascade Branch, with logs still a product of the Mears family. Here we see the carcard and waybill for the MOW materials car 03057, which will be spotted in the siding for unloading. Note that it was not place on the siding on the far side of the tracks. This allows runaround moves for the loggers and any other freight needing it. The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward. Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
The train rocks along, first crossing the Animas River, then follwing along it until arriving at the junction "town" of Tefft. One of Otto Mears's original sawmills was here, but has since moved several times and is now located in Rockwood, further east (compass south). Logging continues up the Cascade Branch, with logs still a product of the Mears family. Here we see the carcard and waybill for the MOW materials car 03057, which will be spotted in the siding for unloading. Note that it was not place on the siding on the far side of the tracks. This allows runaround moves for the loggers and any other freight needing it.
The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward. Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
The brakeman pulled the pin and #480 pulls forward.
Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage. Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
Note the standard fascia-mounted station signage.
Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it. We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box. With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa. After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem. There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
Pulling forward, then backing the boxcar into the siding, the engine crew makes quick work of it.
We leave 03057's car card in the correct slot in Tefft's carcard box.
With the work done, #470 East is coupled and the air test completed. Running ahead of this freight is #116 The New Mexico Express. It runs between Silverton and Santa Fe and complements the service provide by The San Juan, which runs between Silverton and Alamosa.
After leaving Tefft, #470 continues timetable East/compass south, eventually arriving in Rockwod, site of the Mears Mill to a problem.
There are 3 cars in the train that are to be set out for loading at the mill, but there's no room for all those cars -- or need according to the mill foreman. He says he has the car he needs; the two drop bottom gons for company tie loading plus a couple of flats that arrived a day ago. Well, no one's perfect
The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way. In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed. Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus. This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
The flats came with the Return To Rockwood. The 3rd DB gon was waybilled, as it normally assigned for loading at Hesperus. However, that waybill will satisfy the need for a waybill for the 2nd DB gon already here. They're even both out of the way.
In the end, Train #470 EAST departed with all the empty cars it originally planned to drop at Rockwood, as they were not needed and had no room to store at Rockwood. They will instead continue tpo Durango, where the gon will be forwarded to Hesperus and the flats stored until needed.
Drifting down the grade, #470 passes through West Durango, where the dual gauge also diverges to take RGS trains to connect to Telluride and beyond and the 3rd rail follows the main to the coal-mining town of Hesperus.
This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it. That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
This overhead shot shows the track arrangement. The track going down the hill just above the gon that;s the thrid car in the train is part of the return loop at Durango. The track towards the lower right is the main line and the track serving the big ASARCO Mill. It's the ultimate destination for the ore, but will be taken there later by the day switch crew if the night crew doesn't get to it.
That's all for now, as Train #470 enters the yard lead, headed for the arrival track. The crew is done, but the loco still has a few more hours of switching before it rests.
Yeah, I agree with NP2626.
I bought the Tony Koester book and read it, cover to cover. I read and re-read the November 2012 MRR article. I watched the four videos. Useful information, to be sure, but you can only gain so much knowledge from reading until you just gotta get down to the layout and do it.
What the books, magazine articles, and videos do best is to raise more questions than they answer, and that is good. It all really gets you to thinking how you built your layout, for better or worse, and how conducive it is, or isn't, for conducting realistic operations. I just posted a separate thread on that very point.
Rich
Alton Junction
Oakhurst Railroad Engineer Rich, I would recommend looking at the article "How to set up a layout for operation" in the October 2012 issue of Model Railroader. It might help illustrate steps to go through, starting with car cards and defining the industries on the layout and loads in and out of each industry. It also shows how to take a loop to loop track plan and turn it into point-to-point operations. (Yes, I must disclose, I wrote that article!) The book "Realistic Model Railroading Operation" by Tony Koester is a good resource, as is the Model Railroader special issue "How to Operate Your Model Railroad". Thanks, Marty
Rich,
I would recommend looking at the article "How to set up a layout for operation" in the October 2012 issue of Model Railroader. It might help illustrate steps to go through, starting with car cards and defining the industries on the layout and loads in and out of each industry. It also shows how to take a loop to loop track plan and turn it into point-to-point operations. (Yes, I must disclose, I wrote that article!)
The book "Realistic Model Railroading Operation" by Tony Koester is a good resource, as is the Model Railroader special issue "How to Operate Your Model Railroad".
Thanks,
Marty
Read that article, have both books referenced, plus, had Bruce Chubb's book, and a few others, referencing operations in them.
I think that most of the people involved in "Operations" learn how from finding/being in groups that operate, not from reading about it. I have attempted to find other operators in my area and am still attempting to do so. Until, and if I ever do find other operators, I have to learn how to do this as a loner.
As a "Loner" which is how Rich and I will be operating, is how Mike is attempting to show us how he does it.
Yes, the turn-outs seem to be spring loaded and "snap" when used.
I really like the videos! The videos are very well done and provide good information and I would love to see more! Many of the videos I've seen online of model railroading, have music blaring away, people talking and moving around in the background and camera work that is so jerky and moving around far to quickly! Some I've seen, the camera work is so erratic that I have actually started feeling "Sea Sick" watching the video and this is saying a lot, as I'm a sailor, have been out in some choppy weather, with nary a churn of the stomach!
Let's move on up the old Silverton Northern RR, where our first stop is at Eureka.
The tracks that serve the Sunnyside Mill and Mine look like this. You can see two cars out in the open to pickup, with one more hidden out of sight in the covered shipping track. There's one car for the coal dealer on the station side of the siding and an MT to be spotted in the covered dock at the mill. We'll leave them here, but need to take the coach with us when we leave. #456 pulled the rest of the train ahead after uncoupling from these cars, then after the switch was thrown, backed the consist up. #456 then moved forward into the mill, picking up all three cars there (one load, 2 MTs). After some shuffling around, the pickups are left at the east end of the siding, the cars still needing spotted next, and the coach at the west end of the siding. #456's engineer backed to couple the coach, then pulled forward a few feet for an air test. The steepest grade on the line is ahead on the way to Animas Forks. On the way, the train passes through a snowshed and you get some idea of how steep the grade is. Arrival in Animas Forks. The engineer has pulled the consist forward so the coach on the rear clears the turnout for the Haymarket Tram spur and so there not too far to the station for passengers to walk. The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango. #456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
The tracks that serve the Sunnyside Mill and Mine look like this. You can see two cars out in the open to pickup, with one more hidden out of sight in the covered shipping track.
There's one car for the coal dealer on the station side of the siding and an MT to be spotted in the covered dock at the mill. We'll leave them here, but need to take the coach with us when we leave. #456 pulled the rest of the train ahead after uncoupling from these cars, then after the switch was thrown, backed the consist up. #456 then moved forward into the mill, picking up all three cars there (one load, 2 MTs). After some shuffling around, the pickups are left at the east end of the siding, the cars still needing spotted next, and the coach at the west end of the siding. #456's engineer backed to couple the coach, then pulled forward a few feet for an air test. The steepest grade on the line is ahead on the way to Animas Forks. On the way, the train passes through a snowshed and you get some idea of how steep the grade is. Arrival in Animas Forks. The engineer has pulled the consist forward so the coach on the rear clears the turnout for the Haymarket Tram spur and so there not too far to the station for passengers to walk. The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango. #456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
There's one car for the coal dealer on the station side of the siding and an MT to be spotted in the covered dock at the mill. We'll leave them here, but need to take the coach with us when we leave. #456 pulled the rest of the train ahead after uncoupling from these cars, then after the switch was thrown, backed the consist up.
#456 then moved forward into the mill, picking up all three cars there (one load, 2 MTs). After some shuffling around, the pickups are left at the east end of the siding, the cars still needing spotted next, and the coach at the west end of the siding. #456's engineer backed to couple the coach, then pulled forward a few feet for an air test. The steepest grade on the line is ahead on the way to Animas Forks. On the way, the train passes through a snowshed and you get some idea of how steep the grade is. Arrival in Animas Forks. The engineer has pulled the consist forward so the coach on the rear clears the turnout for the Haymarket Tram spur and so there not too far to the station for passengers to walk. The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango. #456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
#456 then moved forward into the mill, picking up all three cars there (one load, 2 MTs).
After some shuffling around, the pickups are left at the east end of the siding, the cars still needing spotted next, and the coach at the west end of the siding. #456's engineer backed to couple the coach, then pulled forward a few feet for an air test. The steepest grade on the line is ahead on the way to Animas Forks. On the way, the train passes through a snowshed and you get some idea of how steep the grade is. Arrival in Animas Forks. The engineer has pulled the consist forward so the coach on the rear clears the turnout for the Haymarket Tram spur and so there not too far to the station for passengers to walk. The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango. #456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
After some shuffling around, the pickups are left at the east end of the siding, the cars still needing spotted next, and the coach at the west end of the siding. #456's engineer backed to couple the coach, then pulled forward a few feet for an air test. The steepest grade on the line is ahead on the way to Animas Forks.
On the way, the train passes through a snowshed and you get some idea of how steep the grade is. Arrival in Animas Forks. The engineer has pulled the consist forward so the coach on the rear clears the turnout for the Haymarket Tram spur and so there not too far to the station for passengers to walk. The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango. #456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
On the way, the train passes through a snowshed and you get some idea of how steep the grade is.
Arrival in Animas Forks. The engineer has pulled the consist forward so the coach on the rear clears the turnout for the Haymarket Tram spur and so there not too far to the station for passengers to walk. The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango. #456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
Arrival in Animas Forks. The engineer has pulled the consist forward so the coach on the rear clears the turnout for the Haymarket Tram spur and so there not too far to the station for passengers to walk.
The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango. #456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
The headend brakeman uncouples #456 and it pulls forward, reverses through the switches, then moves in to couple to the cars being picked up at the Gold Prince Mill. Both are loads of ore bound for the ASARCO smelter in West Durango.
#456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO. Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
#456 backs around the cars left in the station track with the pickups from the GP. After backing past the siding switch, #456 moved forward into the Haymarket Tram spur, picking up two loads there, also bound for ASARCO.
Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop. After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
Pushing the loads forward and coupling with the other two from the GP, the #456 drops them on the other track, then couples to the Haymarket's cars (a MT to load ore, plus two loads of coal) and shoves them into the Haymarket spur to drop.
After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is. After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
After dropping the HT cars, the #456 couples the remainder of the cars together, plus coach, with the drop cars for the GP on the west end and a car for the coal dealer farthest west, then pushes them all the way around to the end of the line at McKelvey's to drop a gon of coal there. It's a good thing the conductor figured the moves out and made sure the train was made up in proper order this morning at Silverton or it could have been an even longer day than it already is.
After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load. Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
After backing down to the east switch of the siding, #456 pushes the 4 loads and the GP drops onto the spur at the GP, then backs up once again with the cars leaving town, drops them on the siding there while taking the coach and spotting it in front of the station for passengers to load.
Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned. Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
Backing up yet again, the loco goes to the covered turntable to be turned.
Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST. After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
Coupling to the loads, #456 pulls them forward, then backs onto the coach for the mandatory air test before heading back down the steep grade to Eureka.While the loco is pumping air, the conductor checks his paperwork to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind for what is now Train #326 EAST.
After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there. Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
After easing down the grade back to Eureka without incident, Train #326 stops in Eureka to quickly finish business there.
Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside. With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
Shoving an MT into the loading dock at the Sunnyside.
With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers. After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
With the work at Eureka done, the coach is coupled for the last time today, air test done and ready to head for beans in Silverton, along with a dozen passengers.
After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main. As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
After arriving at SN Junction and getting permission for the Rio Grande dispatcher, #326 pulls onto the main.
As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks. #456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
As the train backs into Silverton, the conductor has the SN coach spotted on the south house track at the station. The passengers alight and the conductor hands the mail pouches and express to their respective clerks.
#456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south). No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
#456 then shunts the cars into several yard tracks, where they'll be easy for tomorrow's Rio Grande freight will pick them up and go East with them (compass south).
No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in. Any questions?
No job is truly done until the paperwork is finished. But that's easy, as all the conductor has to do is drop the carcards in the card box slots corresponding to the yard tracks they were dropped in.
Any questions?
www.oakhurstrailroad.com
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I could only afford 7-Track Staging, so moving up to Cassettes is a little out of my lifestyle budget
I tend to write long and roundy round, but did address the 4-turn waybills earlier by noting how I randomize them by pulling them from the car cards as needed. Most cars end up interchanged or "Return To" and get a new card then. One point I didn't make was that I never let a waybill dictate to me where a car is going next. I can just pull it and let Return To take over, which I do to balance traffic if I end up with too few MTs for loads, say up at the mines.
I thought someone might.
I think too many people get overwhelmed with the mechanics of ops that they don't stop and think about what they're trying to simulate, which is some portion of the transporttion of goods from origin to destination. Granted, it can get complicated (try figuring out how many of what car type you need to simulate the rail activity at a steel mill or paper mill).
I actually think it's a good idea to study various industries to gain info on what are the inputs and outputs. There's a closed cement plant about 10 miles north of Santa Cruz, CA, whose kilns were coal fired, requiring coal deliveries (loads in, empties out). The limestone was quarried on site. Cement was shipped out in covered hoppers. I don't know what other minerals might have been used, if they were shipped in or obtained locally, but at least I know that two car types were used in considerable quantities. Thanks to the Internet, I could probably learn everything I ever wanted to learn about cement production but was afraid to ask,.
Andre
Andre,
Or I can slap a new waybill in the car card with between 1 and 4 new stops on it, maybe even writing a new one on the spot. This is especially the case as I added new industries over the last couple of years. I generally hate switching a flat piece of plywood, but we're beyond that now. In any case, I write new waybills as I get the notion to or as a way to direct traffic to a newly built industry. This is another way of overcoming the "I've got to write a 1,000 waybills just to get started in ops" sticker shock that some let put them off to ops.
I guess my opinion on waybills and car cards is they are a necessary evil unless one want to do it all on computer and work from printouts. But I tend to keep them pretty informal and let them serve me, rather than vice versa.
Since Rich already has a station with a number of tracks, it could serve as visible staging in addition to 4-Track Yard, at least so far as passenger trains are concerned. Count those into the formula and the overall result sounds better, too. Especially if a couple of more staging tracks can be squeezed in (6-Track Yard? unless you've got room to go all the way up to the fabulous sounding 8-Track Yard ), that'll help even more.
That's a groaner. Have another.
Wasn't the eight-track staging yard superceded by cassette staging? http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/104826/1515560.aspx
I'm lost.
I went back to re-read this entire thread, and I immediately got hung up on 4-turn waybills. I still cannot figure out what they are.
But, that aside, I wonder if we could get back to - - - LOL - - -basics. And, I do mean basics.
I have never run an ops session in my life.
Let me describe my layout. It is pretty good size, and a significant portion of it is devoted to passenger operations including a 10-track passenger station, a 9-track coach yard, an engine servicing facility with turntable, round house, coaling tower, etc. Both steamers and diesels are on the layout.
I have a 9-track freight yard with 100 freight cars of all types.
The layout is large but, essentially, a continuous loop with four significant sidings - - - a farm, an electric gas works, an oil terminal, and a manufaxcturing district. The layout is flat, no grades, and no towns or villages so no names of destinations.
If you were to visit my layout and you had one or two hours to tutor me on operations, how and where would you start? From the beginning with a rank newbie to operations in mind.
Be gentle !
Rich, I'm answering a 2 day old question, so someone else may have covered this. I apologize if this is redundant.
Forget car cards, waybills and all the associated paperwork for a moment and we'll ignore passengers for the time being. A railroad is designed to transport goods from their point of origin to a consuming destination (which might just be a freight house where things are transloaded to trucks for transport to non-rail served sites). Understanding the what and why needs to precede understanding the how.
Let me use the the op session I attended this last weekend as an example. In a nutshell, my job was to get 24 empty hoppers to 3 coal mines (in quantities specified by a "coal manager" who presumably has orders from 1 or more coal using customers) and pick up a like amount of loaded hoppers which would eventually end up at points of consumption that are actually off the modeled area of the layout. The empties are being sent to the mine to be loaded for later transportation to end users. The picked up loads are going to 1 or more customers who have a current need for coal before their stockpiles run out (we'll forget for the moment that there are multiple grades and sizes of coal since that would muddy the water).
When we (my engineer and I) picked up our train, it had been brought out of staging and was sitting in a yard. Before the session started, everyone had been handed a copy of the timetable. We picked up our paperwork (orders for coal specified by how many from which mine and what grade), and received our train orders and clearance card from the yardmaster/MY tower operator (he wore multiple hats) and set off for Thomas, where the work was to take place. When we got there, we set about fulfilling the orders for coal and leaving empties for refill, after which we notiifed the dispatcher that we were ready to return and were given an order a clearance that allowed us to move.
Basically what we were doing is being part of the transportation of coal from mine to final user. In order to get coal to an end user, you have to be able to provide the means to transport itl (thus the empty hoppers going to the mines). Once loaded, you have to get the hoppers to the end user. In this case the end user(s) are off stage and we assume that they actually consume the coal we just picked up. Next session, another crew will do the same thing. In a way, it's kind of a stage play, where the interesting stuff (switching at the mines) is on stage and the boring stuff (the actual burning of that coal) is off stage because watching coal burn is about as interesting as watching grass grow or paint dry to your average audience.
Card cards and waybills (or coal orders in our case) provide the supporting framework for what you do as far as attempting a simulation of actual transportation. Coal orders are for blocks of cars, so you don't need card cards/waybills to keep track of individual cars, their contents and destination. Car cards are a modeler's answer to the question of how to keep track of individual cars and the 4 cyce waybill provides some variance as to whether the car is loaded or not, with what, and what the destination is in the curent cycle (the waybill generally gets turned between sessions). The drawback of 4 cycle waybills is that sooner or later the same car shows up at the same destination unless you do something to make sure that car routings aren't repetitive (perhaps by swapping waybills between cars of similar type in staging).
The best way to learn ops is to do ops and the best way to start doing ops is to do it on someone's layout who has already set it up and be paired up with a "seasoned" veteran (assuming two man crews are used). You should start to get the hang of it after a couple of sessions and some of the reasoning beihind what's going on should start to sink in.
Dave's comment about the formula, 2n(n=trains) plus 1, for staging tracks is a good one if you're designing a new layout. As someone who started with far too little staging, I certainly endorse it. But I would caution to not use it as the standard by which to judge whether your layout can support realistic operations. It's certainly good to have all those tracks, but it's still possible to do a lot with what you have already, even if it falls short in sheer quantity. I was real happy to see that Rich had 4-Track Yard already in place.
Here's a few thought on staging for passenger trains...
Passenger trains are often shorter. An RDC and short local passenger may very well fit into a staging track with room to spare, giving you a 2 for 1 use of a track. Don't be afraid of short passenger locals, especially if you can get two in a single track.
Like with freight trains, 4-Track Yard can serve as a place where whole consists can be fiddled on and off the layout. This feature is especially good when you want to run special trains that there's not enough room or logic to have it on the layout all the time. For instance, I have a slightly before my era US military MAIN troop train, stock trains (SG and NG), MOW trains (light wrecking train and ballast/rip-rap), plus the usual collection of cars and/or equipment that can be used for special moves.
Rich's layout sounds a little big time for these, but a mixed train can kill two birds with one stone.
Looks like Rich does have some passing sidings, not sure how many crossovers on his two-track main. This means he could have one train left in Suburban station temporarily, which can be runaround by others on the opposite main. It would make sense to have a laid over train at the end of the suburban passenger district, waiting for the rush hour to start in the morning.
That's all for now. I hope to get more of the pics from #325 WEST local run posted here tonight.
Capt. Grimek youtube video. It looks like Mike Hamer might be hand throwing a sprung turnout with his finger like a Peco style t.o. but maybe someone else has other ideas...? Jim
youtube video. It looks like Mike Hamer might be hand throwing a sprung turnout with his finger like a Peco style t.o. but maybe someone else has other ideas...?
Jim
So it seems, Jim.
It does not seem to be a flip of a throwbar on a manual ground throw. It seems as if he is pushing, or sometimes pulling, on the turnout itself. A Peco turnout is a logical assumption.
Hi Rich,
Just got back into the dock for a sec and looked at the 4th video again. I apparently am remembering someone elses'
youtube video. It looks like Mike Hamer might be hand throwing a sprung turnout with his finer like a Peco
style t.o. but maybe someone else has other ideas...?
By the way, Joe Fugate sells several Ops sessions DVDs but although I like a lot of his scenicking and other DVDs a lot, I found as a beginner his Ops DVDs to be very layout specific and the background vocal noise was very distracting. I hope Mike and his buddy put out some more as they are very clear, step by step and more "informal"/relaxed. Joe Fugate's Ops DVDs would probably suit a more experienced to past beginner better than Hamers.
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
The 4 track yard is the natural place for a staging yard. As far as how much staging you need the old saw is figure out how many tracks you need, then double it and add 1.
I am a big fan of operations discussions. I am lukewarm on separate "operations" forums. In my experience belonging several forums, only the Op Sig forum on Yahoo Groups generates enough traffic to keep a separate forum going. If you visit most other fourms and look at their dedicated operations sections there is really very little traffic on operations. An average of a couple posts a day would be good. for them. Its not uncommon for the MR forum to go a week or two without a reall operations oreinted discussion. There is one forum where the ops section might get a half dozen post flurry every couple months. On many forums "operations" threads are more like photo reports of the last operating session, sort of an extended "Weekend Photo Fun" post, than actual discussions on operating methods. Having an operating section will make it easier to find operating threads and keep them separate, but don't be suprised if its the lowest traffic section on the forum.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Capt. Grimek Rich, I'm out on a workboat at the moment so can't look at the videos, but I THINK I remember him throwing caboose ground throws that were largely on the aisle-via push/pull piano wire... Jim
Rich, I'm out on a workboat at the moment so can't look at the videos, but I THINK I remember him throwing caboose ground throws that were largely on the aisle-via push/pull piano wire...
Jim's reference is to a question that I raised about the method of throwing the point rails in the video.
The operator seems to be snapping the turnout, or manual ground throw, to move the point rails.
I was curious if anyone knows what method the operator is using to throw the point rails on the turnouts.
Thank you Rich for the live link. Not sure why my links don't always show up "live" here. I think beginners
(like myself) will find these videos well worth watching. I hope they do more and explore "stationary" yard masters, etc.
In the videos they call "pick ups" "lifts". They also use (if I remember correctly) "drops" which are sometimes called "set outs" but you'll get the drift even if you don't yet know a single thing about Ops.
Hope you guys n' gals find it helpful and thanks again richhotrain
mlehman And we haven't even discussed passenger trains and staging. Even with less switching, staging really helps with that too. Back later...
And we haven't even discussed passenger trains and staging. Even with less switching, staging really helps with that too. Back later...
Mike, I will be anxious to hear your comments and suggestions regarding passenger operations. With a 10-track station and an 8-track coach yard, passenger trains occupy a significant place on my layout.
Incidentally, as this thread goes on, I more and more see the wisdom of a separate forum for discussing Operations.
mlehman I didn't quite go there in my first comments, because I wanted to understand more about how you think of 4-Track Yard. yes, it can be storage. But it can also be the 2 places -- actually in completely opposite directions from the rest of the layout -- where your trains connect with other lines. You can then consider using 4-Track Yard as a fiddle yard. In effect, it's your connection to the rest of the North American rail network. This is probably a good place to stop for now. I think you were brilliant in putting in a staging yard, even before you knew you maybe needed it for that. You may want to start thinking about where those cars sitting in 4-Track Yard are going onward from there. It's also the case you may want to think about off-layout storage of cars. That will free up space in 4-Track Yard to build and breakdown trains. I have a couple of cabinets I made that hold cars and make it easy to swap in "new blood." You can also assign two tracks to East and two tracks to west. If those tracks are in addition to your two-track main, that's a big plus. If you have the requisite crossovers, etc, you could even use one of the mains as a yard track, leaving the second main as the through track.
I didn't quite go there in my first comments, because I wanted to understand more about how you think of 4-Track Yard. yes, it can be storage. But it can also be the 2 places -- actually in completely opposite directions from the rest of the layout -- where your trains connect with other lines.
You can then consider using 4-Track Yard as a fiddle yard. In effect, it's your connection to the rest of the North American rail network.
This is probably a good place to stop for now. I think you were brilliant in putting in a staging yard, even before you knew you maybe needed it for that.
You may want to start thinking about where those cars sitting in 4-Track Yard are going onward from there. It's also the case you may want to think about off-layout storage of cars. That will free up space in 4-Track Yard to build and breakdown trains. I have a couple of cabinets I made that hold cars and make it easy to swap in "new blood." You can also assign two tracks to East and two tracks to west. If those tracks are in addition to your two-track main, that's a big plus. If you have the requisite crossovers, etc, you could even use one of the mains as a yard track, leaving the second main as the through track.
Mike, I am getting worried because I think that I am starting to feel a bit smarter, thanks to you.
I really like the idea of using the 4-track siding for staging in the manner that you describe it. Two tracks east and two tracks west as a "connection to the rest of the North American rail network". At one time, i had actually thought of placing two tracks on either side of the double main line tracks. I may revive that idea as part of a staging effort.
richhotrainThat said, I can easily dismiss this arrangement for purposes of conducting Operations, and I see why that would be important for that pupose. For Operations sake, all trains moving counter clockwise on the outer main could be considered traveling West. All trains moving clock wise on the inner main could be considered traveling East. Would that make sense?
I think you've figured this out here. East vs West is all about direction, not location. Each train -- the engineer, conductor or just "Hey, you in charge!" -- needs to know whether it and the trains around it are getting closer to each other or farther away. Now, no one is getting killed in a head-on, "cornfield" meet on our layouts. But it helps to avoid confusion in what's happening.
richhotrainRegarding staging, I understand what staging is, but i guess that I don't see the need for it here. I am not opposed to it. I just don't understand the need for it. Couldn't I accomplish all of that in the freight yard with the arrival-departure track. I need help here.
I didn't quite go there in my first comments, because I wanted to understand more about how you think of 4-Track Yard. yes, it can be storage. But it can also be the 2 places -- actually in completely opposite directions from the rest of the layout -- where your trains connect with other lines. On my own layout, my standard gauge staging is Albuquerque/EAST and Helper/WEST at the same time. Like most of us, I don't have the space for separate staging yards, so one will have to do.
Unless I break up or somehow turn the train, if a train goes into staging as a westbound, it will emerge from staging as another westbound when you decide to send it off again. You can then consider using 4-Track Yard as a fiddle yard. In effect, it's your connection to the rest of the North American rail network.
As an example, you could send those hoppers as a unit train to the West Coast. Your local picks 'em all up, as we discussed previously, and takes them back to the Freight Yard, where it originated, assuming it's what's called a "turn." A turn is a local that goes out one way, then eventually returns back to it's origin. It could go both ways in one day. Or make an overnight stop outbound, then returns the opposite direction.
For your layout, it could go just as far as Farm Siding, switching the industries along the way. Or it could go as far as the Suburban Station, then return.
However, since it's a local and you want to get some cool ops action, your Local takes the cut of hoppers and drops it in the Freight Yard. A switcher will then make them up into the next westbound train that originates there. Another option would be that the through train comes West out of staging, proceeds to the Freight Yard, drops whatever cars are routed there for delivery, then picks up the string of hoppers and any other cars headed to destinations to the west, and proceeds WEST once clearance is given from the dispatcher.
The hoppers go to 4-Track Yard, treating it as the west end of the line, either at the post (call it Los Angeles?) or interchanges it to another line (say maybe at Albuquerque?) to forward the car to the coast.
So if you did do that single waybill for the 12 hoppers as a unit train, you got all this action:
Local picks up hoppers and delivers these loads to yard
Switcher at yard makes up train including the 12 hoppers or tacks them on the end of your Through train
Through train picks up cut of hoppers, disappears into staging.
But that's only the half of it. After a decent interval, since those car are in assigned service to Farm Siding's industry (maybe it's an elevator company or some farmer who's richer than Croseus?) they have to return. Eventually, a East through train hauls the MT hoppers onto the layout from staging, the opposite direction from when they were loads!
EAST Through freight drops cut of hoppers when it pauses at Freight Yard
Switcher makes up next EAST Local Turn, including cut of hoppers
EAST Local Turn takes string of hoppers and other cars, gets to Farm Siding, drops hoppers into it, then returns as WEST Local Turn to Freight Yard.
This is probably a good place to stop for now. I think you were brilliant in putting in a staging yard, even before you knew you maybe needed it for that. I hope I've cleared up how timetable direction works and why you have either East/West OR North/South but not both, as least so far as ops is concerned.
You may want to start thinking about where those cars sitting in 4-Track Yard are going onward from there. You can use either my simple method described above, or you can go to trouble of coming up with more detailed destinations. Remember that roughly half of them will be going in the opposite direction of the others, since the staging yard is doing double duty be represented unseen destinations in two opposite directions.
It's also the case you may want to think about off-layout storage of cars. That will free up space in 4-Track Yard to build and breakdown trains. I have a couple of cabinets I made that hold cars and make it easy to swap in "new blood." You can also assign two tracks to East and two tracks to west. If those tracks are in addition to your two-track main, that's a big plus. If you have the requisite crossovers, etc, you could even use one of the mains as a yard track, leaving the second main as the through track.
mlehman Rich, First, take another look at West and East, as you have them both going in the same direction. I'd suggest that the "4-track siding" might also double as staging. The freight yard is noted and sounds like a good destination for originating and terminating local trains. This is probably a good place to stop now and get feedback on these suggestions from you. Does it sound viable? Confusing? Or you'd rather that we not use 4-Track siding as staging and put it somewhere else?
First, take another look at West and East, as you have them both going in the same direction.
I'd suggest that the "4-track siding" might also double as staging.
The freight yard is noted and sounds like a good destination for originating and terminating local trains.
This is probably a good place to stop now and get feedback on these suggestions from you. Does it sound viable? Confusing? Or you'd rather that we not use 4-Track siding as staging and put it somewhere else?
Mike,
Regarding the geographic designations on the diagram, that is my dilemma with a continuous loop. To orient myself and others, I selected the downtown train station as north and the farm as south. Using north and south as locators, I then divided the loop in half so that trains headed up the layout from the north would be headed west and once they passed the farm (south), they would be headed east.
That said, I can easily dismiss this arrangement for purposes of conducting Operations, and I see why that would be important for that pupose. For Operations sake, all trains moving counter clockwise on the outer main could be considered traveling West. All trains moving clock wise on the inner main could be considered traveling East. Would that make sense?
Regarding staging, I understand what staging is, but i guess that I don't see the need for it here. I am not opposed to it. I just don't understand the need for it. Couldn't I accomplish all of that in the freight yard with the arrival-departure track. I need help here.
If the 4-track siding needs to be used for staging, I have no problem with it.. When I first developed the track plan for my current layout, without a clear vision in this regard, I drew up the 4-track siding as a convenient place on the layout for storage, given the number of locos and rolling stock that I had at the time. So, storage was my main objective regarding the 4-track siding.