I finally had the chance to experience my first operating session tonight. I was invited to TA462’s house yesterday for a session tonight and couldn’t pass it up. It was like I was in the inner circle of Model Railroaders. Dave and his operators take it very seriously, that is until you make a mistake. Then they just razz you to no end, lol. I was lucky, I only drove one locomotive through a switch turned the wrong way. I never realized that this is what you do with layouts. Thanks to the guys for letting a stranger in and thanks for opening my eyes on how operations are done.
Some modelers aren’t into operation (some modelers are retarded).
I’M JUST KIDDING!! [:o)]
It isn’t for everyone, but I think a lot more folks would like it if they had a chance to operate as you did, with an experienced crew on an operations-oriented layout. I have a friend whose idea of operations is watching the trains go around and around on his layout (a classic roundy-rounder), and that’s absolutely fine. For me, planning and executing switching moves, getting from point A to point B on the layout, blocking my trains and all that is the real payoff.
Welcome to the world of model railroad operations!
And then there is a whole group of modelers somewhere in between the roundy-rounders and the experienced crew on an operations-oriented layout.
I envy the OP - - - I think.
If that had been me, I would feel so intimidated that I would be sweating. [(-D]
Rich
Your lucky to be close, I don’t know if I have anyone within 200 miles who operates.
Our I-80 Group does this (operate on other layouts in Western PA - Southern NY and Eastern PA) usually once a month.
We have about 20 to 30 signed up for our I-80 Newsletter which comes out each month - showcasing the next OPs session for the month and reviewing the past months OPs Session.
We also have occasional updates from the layout owners progress/changes to their layouts.
It is interesting running these different layouts using many different Operating systems.
Learning the many different layouts and operating schemes (CC/WB Sw Lists PIN System) gives the operators a good overall introduction into OPs and the members are not afraid to grab a Throttle and Train and run around an unfamiliar layout !
It can’t get much better than this!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
=“ONR FAN”]
I finally had the chance to experience my first operating session tonight. I was invited to TA462’s house yesterday for a session tonight and couldn’t pass it up. It was like I was in the inner circle of Model Railroaders. Dave and his operators take it very seriously, that is until you make a mistake. Then they just razz you to no end, lol. I was lucky, I only drove one locomotive through a switch turned the wrong way. I never realized that this is what you do with layouts. Thanks to the guys for letting a stranger in and thanks for opening my eyes on how operations are done.
[/quote About 2 years ago, I was invited to an operating session, which was my very first one also.I had no clue about operations what so ever. I told the host I have no idea of what to do, I don’t understand the car card system, and he gave me a throttle anyway and said you’ll figure it out. Well I didn’t figure it out at all.The train I was operating was heading into a tunnel, and I lost track of it,because I didn’t know where it was going to come out. I was waiting & waiting for it to come out of the tunnel I thought was where it was going to show up, but never did. My train crashed into the station at the other end of the layout. Talk about razzing, I just felt very uncomfortable, and some of the razzing was down right cruel.which left a bad taste in my mouth as far as operations go. I have been ask to return a few times at the same place, but I always made up some kind of an excuse of why I can’t make it. By the way. I still have no clue about operations.
Sam
Sam,
Interesting to hear about your experience with first time Operations…and with an experienced crew at that.
I really believe that experienced Operations guys do a disservice to an Operations Newbie if they just leave him hanging out there. It would have been better for one of the experienced guys to partner up with you.
The learning curve seems overwhelming when you are starting from scratch.
Rich
I got to say I was very nervous going in. I was very worried about breaking something or knocking a train onto the floor and making a fool out of myself. Gerald, one of the guys there took me under his wing and helped me out with some of the moves I had to make. Dave let me run one of his Rapido Canadians when we were finished for the night. That was kind of scary knowing how much it cost but I was told to have fun with it. Gerald told me that if Dave was worried about stuff getting broken then he wouldn’t have invited us to his layout. I hope I get invite
ONR Fan, how much, or how little, did you know about operations before attending that session?
Rich
I went to an operating session once, never again i was bored out of my mind.
Thats too bad your first time was a bad experience. TA462 and his friends had fun with my mistake. Dave dispatched a wreck train and Frankie did the investigation into what happened. Gerald told me that it was all part of the operation and more times then not someone drives through a switch the wrong way at least once a night. The guys made me feel like one of them and after the investigation was over I felt very comfortable.
Rich,
Your right, it was very overwhelming for me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never get into operations. Some day when my layout, and I is somewhat ready, I will give it another try, but it will be on my own turf. At least I’ll know the track configuration, and where all the industries and stations are.
Sam
All I knew was that locomotives dropped off and picked up cars. I didn’t understand how they did it and I didn’t understand TA462’s card system until it was explained to me. I am very green you could say.
Sam, Putting you into the operating session ‘blind’ wasn’t fair. Either the layout owner or some other very knowledgeable person should have given you a walk around tour pointing out the various industries, passing sidings etc. Running trains on an unfamiliar layout can be a bit intimidating much less trying to keep up with car card/waybills, switchlist etc. On my layout we pair up a new person with someone that will be his or her conductor which frees the new person up to simply run the train at the conductors directions.
We do a little razzing also but only in good taste. In one session an experienced member twisted the throttle control knob the wrong way when backing into a spur for a drop off. He took out a pile of cross ties laying across the end of the spur, kept going across a highway through a fence and killed a couple of my HO cows before he managed to get it stopped. He got razzed big time… 
If you can’t laugh a little at mistakes and have some fun… I don’t want to do it. That doesn’t mean we don’t get serious but you don’t want to get SO serious it becomes a JOB.
Before each session I still place a small printed sign beside each industry for identification purposes just in case a new person is operating a train. I walk the person around showing them the routes the various trains will take, where they start from and where they will end up. Each train has a 2 person crew, engineer and conductor. Conductor is by far the harder job, making most decisions about how the train will operate. The conductor also keeps up with the paper work.
No, never put a new person in the conductors job UNLESS they have been doing ops for a while on other layouts.
Jarrell
Jarrel,
When I got there that night, I told the host I had no idea about operations, and if I can just watch for a while. He said, Sam, the best way to learn is to just jump in and do it. I guess that didn’t work.
Sam
I’d first like to say that people come in all sorts. I don’t think we can generalize that all operators are a bunch of jerks, even though it sounds like that’s who you had the luck of the draw to find yourself in with over your head. I’d hope that crew doesn’t represent most of us. There’s no need to exploit a person’s natural confusion by poking fun at a new crew member.
Yes, it can be intimidating to operate for the first time or any time on a new layout. Breaking in as a rookie, too, should be considered part of operation. A real RR would never turn an engineer loose before qualifying them on the line they’ll be operating over. Even an experienced engineer on one division or RR may have to qualify on another line with one or more road trips under supervision. You have to know and understand a line before you’re really qualified to operate on your own [for the ops rivet counters, please, a vast oversimpliification I know, but that’s my point here…]
Many operators place a lot of emphasis on the rules governing operations right from the start. The problem for most rookie operators is they can’t find the switch that controls the next turnout they need.
One solution for this is to simply keep in mind how complex an endeavor operation is for someone unfamiliar with your layout, let alone that arcane Rule 38.15 on hanging markers, for instance. A better solution is to let a rookie be part of the crew with an experienced – and gracious – engineer or conductor.
Unfortunately, like with some discussions on internet forums, operating
Jarrell, I was given a half hour tour of the layout before we got started by someone, I forget his name and Dave gave me a quick run down on how his Digitrax system works. I was given the easy switching list but it was still difficult for me. Gerald told me about the stop button on the throttle and I was told to push it if I get over my head because it will shut down the layout. I did notice some of the industries had cardboard name tags on them and that helped me out a lot when trying to identify them. The Beer store was my last drop off for the night and for the operating session and once that was done Gerald headed over to the bar and grabbed some beers for everyone to celebrate.
There is a lot that a layout owner can do to make it easier for a newbie, which also makes it easier for the regular operator too. Good signage, clear controls, simple, intuitive systems. Help a lot.
Absolute minimum is to have the new guy make a student trip with another operator or give them a walk around to see where the locations are. Any “traps” or special requirements should be mentioned up front. Putting maps on the fascia that say what the track names are helps a lot. Having a car forwarding system with blocking codes can make switching easier. Giving the yardmaster detailed lists of what trains to build, when to build them and how they should be blocked, helps a lot.
People can get wound up at operating sessions, but the thing to remember is its a hobby. I work on a railroad. An op session is not a railroad. Its a bunch of people standing in a basement playing with trains. Nobody gets hurt, nobody gets killed, no money is made or lost. Other than somebody dropping a piece of equipment on the floor or somebody whacking something with their arm reaching in to uncouple or something like that, there isn’t really anything anybody can screw up that can’t be fixed . Its all fun (I have been known to break out in a chorus of “My Flagman Got Run Over by a Freight Train” sung to the tune of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”).
Sometimes its best to get the newbie involved in the operation. Its the host’s job to get all the people involved in the operation. Its also the host’s job to make sure everybody is successful. Ironically the best job for a newbie is the hottest train on the railroad. They tend to do little work, run over the railroad and everybody else has to stay out of that train’s way. The worst thing I can do is give a newbie a mission critical job when I know they don’t have the experienc
I would have to watch the ways I do things since the host would have his operation ideas.
My railroad experience would kick in and that may clash with the way the host wants things done.
Thankfully the majority of the layouts I’ve operated on the host allowed me to do things the way I did as a brakeman.
Most embarrassing thing that happen to me was to turn around and seen 5 guys watching me.I was so engross in my work I didn’t even know they was standing there watching.
LOL
Love that !