Starting Ops on an HO 4X8: WEB CLINIC

[Dontgothre]

Thankyou for this forum, your websit " Starting Ops on a 4X8" and the download "clinic handout".

 This is all very encougaging for me.  I've built and am running an ATLAS Snap-Track Layout No. 102 "The Trunk Line" so it would work.  I have read articles that say you could have a 8X12 in the same space but I'm not sure it would work.  I'd like to operate the Trunk Line as a modern day short line, one locomotive moveing a few of cars along to about 5 industries every day and also have a steam tourist railway operation with 3 passenger cars.

Thanks for the suggestion about MicroMark it looks like a good pace to start. 

[spidge]

I am not sure where I downloaded it from but I am glad I did. I have a program called Railroad Inventory where you input all your cars and destinations and you can print car cards from it and create waybills to print. I went to Office Depot and purchased some 65 lb paper for the card and use plain paper for the waybills. This system was free and I think I know why. Many of the terms on the input screen do not match what ends up printing but I figured it out and the results are nice looking readable cards and waybills. I can go in and change as neaded and simply print new waybills. Also I can create train order cards and make up loco and caboose cards. There is a screen to build consists and unit trains(multiple cars one destination).

It looks kind of like Ship It according to some but I am not sure.

I hope you can zoom in and read the cards. I am in the middle of setting up my layout for the car cards and will have one individual over this week to see how it goes. I did not name off layout industries for now instead I simply named a city destination for staging.

[cuyama]

I have a program called Railroad Inventory where you input all your cars and destinations and you can print car cards from it and create waybills to print.
<snip>
This system was free and I think I know why.

A much better system for printing car cards and waybills that is pretty inexpensive is Waybills by Shenware. There's a free trial.
http://members.aol.com/Shenware/waybills.html

I wrote an aricle about using a variety of waybill styles in the July 2007 issue of Dispatcher's Office, the quarterly magazine of the Operations SIG.

Most of the folks I talk with find that handwriting is a good way to start for the first batch of waybills, then you have a better idea what you want when you start using the computer. That way you're not trying to learn both car routing and a new computer program at the same time.

Anyway you decide to start, my advice to start small and simply and then add complexity and challenge over time is the same. 

Byron
Model RR Blog

[spidge]

Thanks Byron, but this was free. Even with its shortcomings it works fairly well. I like the looks of the card and waybills also. There is the ability to print two sided train orders where a train that goes into staging has the train order card turned and becomes a different train from the other end. I only have a three track hidden yard( never again hidden and many more next time) So I will have to hold trains in there for a spell so its not too obveous. When I get a couple of cameras installed in staging I will be able to park two 7 car trains per track or one larger train.

Thanks again.

Signed anxeous to operate.

[BRAKIE]

Spidge,On my past Industrial Switching layouts I use a one side way bill like this.

When the car is empty I pull the waybill and have these simple instructions on my car cards,.

As a example.

 

For out bound loads I have the usual loaded waybill with the routing and as a example:

Route:

HR,CSX,BNSF.

 

I find for me that is a simple method that works quite well and one that closely matchs the prototype..