A virtual train op session of a different kind?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

While the title may make you think of simulation video games online or software programs, I’m talking about a different type of virtual operations with model trains on your layout.

A couple years ago, a fellow model railroader told me about the virtual train operations that take place between himself and another guy. He’s in the south and his friend is in the Midwest. Both model the same railroad in the same time period. Both guys have the same freights with matching numbers as well as engines. So what do they do? They make up trains on their layout, with specific cars and send them to each other via their blogs. For example, one guy has an auto plant on his railroad and he receives auto parts from the other guy. The cars go to and from with loads or sent back empties. Same applies to grain facilities, coal plants, warehouses and more. Trains are shown leaving one layout and arriving on another. They make the moves with switch lists, rail traffic management forms. All moves are documented on the blogs as well.

I was asked to participate in these virtual operating moves. Despite my railroad being modern, I do have the fleet of engines and freight cars to participate. It has now grown to 5 railroads across the US when we’re all around. Creative photography is key to this, especially on my layout where I have both the roads that existed back in the day and the new ones that came out of the old ones.

It’s different and fun. All moves are photographed as well as some videos to show trains moving. No five finger cranes allowed, unless you have a derailment of the catastrophic kind. Setting up these moves can take, at least for me, over an hour. I get to run my trains, and tell my story about how my railroad makes the moves with the bigger Class 1 railroad.

Has anyone else tried this type of op session?

Neal

2

One of the first ops sessions I went to had the dispatcher out of state on his computer controlling the line remotely. Not the same idea as what you said in your post, but the closest I have seen to long distance virtual tech being combined with physical model railroads.

3

That’s actually a pretty cool idea, I will be suggesting this at the next MSMRC meeting, we have a member that’s our official liaison to the Crescent City Model RR Club (and vice versa) he might be able to get something like this going between us and them.

4

Sounds great, if you have a layout, that is. I am struck as I read these forums, some of the members are very fortunate to actually have a mostly completed layout which they can post photo’s of and related things.

It reminds me of some people who play pencil and paper dungeons and dragons remotely with fellow gamers - they do it long distance over the internet.

5

One of the guys has a diorama and sets pics of the cars that are going to or from a destination. He’s participating in his own way, and that makes it fun for all of us…

6

I know of a few instances. Probably the best-documented is when Allen McClelland, Steve King, and Tony Koester did this many years ago with railroads in different eras (and different scales). Koester and McClelland actually had their op sessions on the same nights for a time and the dispatchers would phone each other to arrange for the movement of the staged traffic of the foreign line.