My first operating session

I use an old car card system for car forwarding that I found in an old “Model Trains” year book of 1964. It comprises of 3 x 5 index cards with the car info at the top (road name, car number, car type and maybe a short list of acceptable car loads). In the main body of the card is a list of all the industries that that car will be assigned to. I use a page marker that slides up and down on one side of the card that indicates which industry the card is to be set out at …under the marker is the next industry to which the car will go to. There is no separate card attached for “empty for load”, etc. or any other details. Its very intuitive.

This system is only a means for moving traffic around the layout, either online, or offline…very simple. I have had some operating sessions and the guys that have taken part have had a great time. No rules, except to obey the dispatcher (usually me!) when it comes to clearing the mainline for passenger/priority freights. It is all very informal…I want everyone to enjoy themselves and have fun. We usually have a lot of laughs and don’t take each other or the op session too seriously.

Also, I usually have a more experienced person work with a “newbie” until they get the hang of it, usually as a two man crew on a local. If it’s enjoyable to the newbie, they usually want to come back again for the fun!

That should be the key…have fun!

-Al

When I get a NUBE at any of my OPs Sessions - I personally take them around the layout for a tour!

This usually gives them an overview of the layout in general (as it is a bit overwhelming when they came down the stairs and the layout stretches out 103 feet before them)!

Once the tour is over I usually take out a train and have them be the Engineer and do the running.

I will then run through a complete train run showing them the various towns and explaining how each towns switching is done.

While we use the Modified Pin System - it is easy for them to catch on to the switching of cars as all they have to do is match colors.

While some will say this isn’t prototypical it sure is easier on the NUBE and once we get them hooked they get invited to the many I-80 OPs Sessions we have during the year.

There they are exposed to the other types of Operating Systems and they don’t feel so helpless as they have already gotten their feet wet and have a couple of OPs Sessions under their belt.

If they are still unsure of themselves one of our Regular Operators will assist them as we are not always totally familiar with the Layout we are visiting anyway - so the two of us will work out the problems we run into as a Crew!

BOB H - Clarion, PA - Member of the I-80 Group

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… :slight_smile:

On the layout where I’m a regular crew member, we have the “Employee Of The Month” award. In order to get such a “prestigious” award, you have to do something so incredibly dumb that people would get killed if it happened in real life. The last guy who won ran down one of those DCC Brakeman sent out to flag the rear of train in front of him. http://www.flickr.com/photos/plocher/7892004318/

Dave, the layout owner was really pleased when the above happened. It meant he could pass his own “EOM” title to a new generation of screw-up since he was the second one to “win” the title. Hopefully, it will be quite a while before I’m the recipient of such a highly regarded award. In reality, it will probably be sooner rather than later.

Andre

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

The real screw-up was made by the layout owner in not taking the time to show you around the layout and maybe even assigning a “mentor” for your first time out. In any case, a complete newbie shouldn’t be razzed. The razzing should only be done to people who have enough experience to know better, but still manage to screw things up in a fashion that sometimes simultaneously approaches the artistic in its creativity and slapstick comedy in its execution.

Andre

Whenever I get someone new that wants to try an operating session, I try to get them to come over on an off day before the session and we just run some trains and talk about the layout and industries. That does a couple of things. It gets them used to the layout and the throttles, along with the way the trains act on grades etc.

Right now I don’t have signs on all my buildings with the names of the industries, so I made up little cards and put them on the roofs for identification. I also have some tags (I am temporarily using blue tape) with the names of the towns on the fascia so operators know where they are.

I have found from experience that these things make guests feel more comfortable running trains on the layout during an operating session.

ONR: Congratulations and welcome to the fun!

I was a lone wolf modeler for most of my MRR history, with only rudementary knowledge of Ops when I was lucky enough to meet a crew of serious (in a fun way) ops guys and was invited to operate on a terrific N Scale layout (I’m in N). I was nervous, but excited. That afternoon, I had fun trying to use what I thought was RR lingo when talking to the dispatcher, and only put the train on the ground (ran over a turnout) three times. The wrecker crew were going nuts. :slight_smile: The next session I ran an entire train the wrong way around the layout! Ooops! (No Ops!)

Lucky for me, the host didn’t ban me for life. That was 3 years ago. The crew turned out to be a great group. The whole crew helped me improve my layout so that I’m now hosting op sessions at my place regularly, and going to other layouts as often as possible.

Operations has energized me and my MRR efforts.

Joel

nice, OP. I’d love to do ops, unfortunately I don’t know any near by N scalers who have a big layout. maybe 3’ x 6’ would be enough for 2-3 people to operate. I’m sure grandpa wouldn’t mind running trains, he’d have dibs on my GN alco F’s

Fortunately, that’s extremely rare. Sam’s post is only about the second time I’ve heard of that happening for real – and I’ve heard stories of many sessions on a hundred or more layouts. (The urban myth of meanie operators is quite widespread, however)

Here in the Bay Area, we have hosted dozens and dozens of sessions to help introduce newcomers to operation (and do so every January). Generally, folks who are new get a mentor to help them with the process Newbies leave all smiles and eager for more. We’ve introduced hundreds of people to ops over the last 15 or so years.

For those who continue to bemoan the fact that they don’t know if there are operating layouts nearby, I’ll repeat myself yet again and suggest the Operations SIG. Just $7.00 per year for on-line delivery of the fine quarterly ops-focused magazine. Members have access to the OpSIG’s CallBoard program that can put folks wishing to operate in touch with layouts that welcome visitors. It also provides information on Operating Weekends put on by groups all over the country.

If you’re interested in Ops and haven’t yet invested the 7 bucks, I can’t understand why. [?]

because I’

That wasn’t me moaning but I am interested in Ops and, yet, I haven’t invested the 7 bucks because, Byron, I keep hoping you will step up and pop for the 7 bucks for me. [(-D]

Please?

Rich

Darn it, you kids know I’m not made of money …

Don’t limit yourself to “n scalers”. Operations is independent of scale. I model HO but have operated on O, S, HO and N scale layouts. Its all good.

well I was planning on grabbing some HO stuff, something I’m notorious for.

You don’t have to own or share any equipment to operate on someone else’s personal layout, so it doesn’t matter what scale you personally model or what equipment you have. Typically, they provide the trains.

Clubs are a different story.

oh, I thought everyone provided their own equipment. hmmmmm, well still I’d like to get some HO stuff so I can run trains with my Uncle.

On an operating session at a home layout, generally nobody brings their own equipment (unless invited). The layout owner provides all the equipment (cars, engines, paperwork, throttles, etc. etc.) The only thing the layout owner needs is warm bodies. For example, even if we were in the same scale, your BN equipment would be totally out of place on my SE Pennsylvania 1900 era layout.

that would be a little weird SD40 standing next to a 4-6-0 or 4-4-0, I see. good thing to have more than one engine I suppose.

Since I model SE Pennsylvania I could model the Strasburg RR and then that would be a normal occurance. :sunglasses:

[:D]

I got invited back for another session on Monday, I can’t wait. I had a strange conversation with Dave last night, I guess he won’t be part of the forum anymore. [:(]