If I wanted to start operating sessions how do I do it? I know of some local model railroaders who would probably like to take part but how do I get it started? I mean I can keep 4 people besides myself buisy but it would take some training of how my layout operates. Do I get them one at a time to learn the layout or everyone at once? It is pretty simple to operate but still there is a learning curve.
Les
Invite a few over and discuss it with them. Suggest the way you’d like the layout to be operated, see what they think. Maybe have them run a few trains, get the feel of their interest and enthusiasm. Don’t be too regimental, too bossy! If there is enough interest, invite some or all back again and start slow.
I’ve been operating on a friend’s very large layout for about 20 years now, we’re usually there once a month or so. He’s extremely organised and has everything operating first class. Newcomers drop in regularly and operate with experience operators without many problems.
Remember it’s supposed to be fun operating, don’t make it like a job! Have a break part way through a session to get feedback on how things are going.
Good luck!
Bob Boudreau
There are a couple interesting threads from the last few months on this subject – one was about operations on a 4x8, although it expanded to larger layouts too, this was hosted by Byron Henderson, and the other was about layout planning for operations, a clinic hosted by Joe Fugate. Both of these contain lots of useful information.
I’d suggest you also look at Tony Koester’s book Realistic Model RR Operations and at the Gateway NMRA site’s articles. There is one in particular, “Essence of Operations”, which you can find in the Article Library at www.gatewaynmra.org. The Operations SIG at www.opsig.org has lots of links with good information.
I am developing the following as I move my own layout in the direction of operation sessions:
- Transportation plan (what your railroad is, will do and how)
- Job descriptions (what each train will do, and other support jobs – mine are on 3x5 cards, so nothing too fancy)
- “Schedule” (this can be just the order that the trains will run in, most of these commentaries suggest that you not have a precise timetable when beginning ops, I’m just going to put the 3x5 cards in order for starters)
- Car movement system (most of the above have extensive discussions of these!)
- Book of Rules (Blair Kooistra has a neat one at www.wwvrailway.com, it’s in the section about operations).
I am pretty much at step 4 of this, and hoping to begin solo shakedown operations before the first of the year if all goes OK. Haven’t really finished the Book of Rules, and I’m not convinced that it’s necessary. Hope all goes well for you in your effort.
Best wishes
Peter
conford
Fundy and conford have given some great advice and ideas. Now, I’m not an operation type person per say but my idea would be to invite a couple at a time to come over and run some trains and let them get the feel for your layout and then get into the operations scenerio. This way they would get acquainted with your railroad and you and you with them. Also you could be kicking around some ideas with each other, some things may pop up you didn’t think of. Like Fundy stated, it’s supposed to be fun. Ken
lesterperry
I have gave several clinics at our local NMRA Div 11 Jamboree on setting up a layout form the start.
Now I use the Modified Pin system of car movement and this is what the paperwork is based on. But the set up method is just about the same for any Ops system. You just have to substitute Car Cards/Waybills or Switching Lists for the Pin System.
The Industries lists (what they ship & receive) would be the same as well as the types of cars that would be switched to each industry also.
I can provide some of the sheets but they are in a spreadsheet format.
BOB H – Clarion, PA
[#ditto]
I will second that. I am in the same process with my layout. If you have a good group of guys who will be coming over, then all the better to get it going with them. Everyone will be more comfortable and you will work a scheme thats right for your group. I recommened keeping it smaller, one or two at a time. Too big and it can be hard to work through ideas cause you will be getting too many. Or, go that route, have an open house night, out come the cookies milk, or pizza and beer, and have everyone check it out, and have a big round robin to start working out the plans and ideas. Either wasy, it cant be said enough, its supposed to be fun!
I have car cards now. I also have train order sheets. I run it as a one man operation now. All of my trains have printed orders as to what cars are dropped and or spotted. Some are just dropped at a business to be spotted later when another car is moved out of the way, sometimes you have to move a car out of the way and spot yours, sometimes you will not drop a car at a business but will move one out and spot another which is already there. You may also pick up a car to take to your destination or to another business along the way. I don’t have a timetable as I am the only operator. But I have developed a way of running things rather smoothly. My cards stay at a central location where the dispatcher (me) makes up train orders for the main line and switch lists for the yard. When a train leaves a yard be it on the layout or hidden yard it gets a train order sheet.
I just ran my fourth session since starting 1.5 years ago. I have bit of a combination of ways, but judging by the joy factor of the people that have participated, I think something is working right.
Pre-session, I had around five friends that would come over and run the railraod. They would bring their own motive power, or passenger train, set up, and run away. I put a lot of receivers into locomotives for friends so that they could operate on my DCC railroad. We did this for about four years, during which time I doubled the size of the railroad with two additional towns (one still under tracklaying), and an eight track reverse loop staging yard to allow for point to point operations.
Session one consisted of running trains on a 24 hour clock from a train sheet. There was very little yard operations occuring at my division point (the focal point of my railroad), as I was just taking in trains, and sending out trains without any regard for what was getting shipped. This session verified that I had enough staging yard capacity. The locals consisted of sending trains out with the instruction of “switch some cars around at the town industries”. This session was run on a Friday night, and only ran for four actual hours (16 fast hours).
People had fun, it was relaxed, and I started to feel good about seeing my railroad operated in the way it was designed.
The second session added a couple of people, and introduced car cards, and ran on a Friday. I had a heck of a time trying to get all the cards done, so I only had cards for the locals. The rest ran like session one. Kinda fun, but I was disappointed with myself for not having my act together for this session.
With the help of friend Warren Bjornson from the Alberta Pacific, who was in Chicago on business for two weeks, we were able to run session three with full car cards. The session was scheduled to run on a Saturday afternoon, for a full 24 hour day. A few new people were added to t
The advice that others have given to take thinsg at your own pace is good. I’ve been making car cards for every piece of freight rolling stock on my layout. Eventually, I’ll add in some passenger ops, but these tend to be a bit more regular, except for express and mail ops.
I was going to jump into doing waybills, but recently I’ve been thinking that I may just operate by indicating whether cars are loaded or MT by turning the incomplete waybill one way or the other to indicate this status. This lets me pull cars at my leisure and try different schemes to generate car movements before comitting to writing the waybills.
I am not planning on any fast clock work at this time. My next step will be to generate train lineups with job descriptions, then I’ll just run the schedule in order. As the kinks get worked out, I’ll return to deciding how to add the waybill factor into the mix. Eventually, I want to have a system that takes minimum set-up time and gives a relatively random, yet credible mix of operations.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Car cards: When I started writing the car cards, I wanted to fill in all the details. That quickly became overwhelming, and I now only fill in the essentials, plus anything else I feel like adding. I have been trying to follow a pattern that is realistic in terms of car use rules and sensible routings, but it is part fiction. Last week I was writing up a waybill when I said to myself “that’s not logical”. Suddenly I realized that it doesn’t really matter – the cars only make one move at a time, and nobody is even going to notice. Perhaps I should try to puch the boundaries of illogical car routings.
The layout: Preparing for operations has made me want to complete more staging and the connections to the other railroads in my plan. Am making progress with that. I figured why should I set this up only to have to change it as I add track that’s already planned.
I enjoy hearing about folks experiences stating operations, as it’s a lot more complicated than building a car kit, yet an enjoyable part of the hobby. Thanks for the ideas.
Regards
Peter
conford
Has anyone tried running a model railroad using FRA regulations and union rules? I am an employee of a short line and used to be an employee CSX and NS and both of these play heavily on the real railroads operate. I guess I am wondering…
Do modellers model the 12 hour rule? (or 16 hour if you are modelling pre 197?)
How about keeping locals and yard jobs within a certain limit of track. Yard jobs are often paid a whole day’s pay for going outside the yard limit, on top of the pay they would get for the hours they work.
How about modelling a 1st in 1st out extraboard at the away terminal?
To me this would add alot of interest and more puzzles to running a railroad but, that’s just where I am coming from.
Hmmmmmmmmmm…maybe one day when I understand more about the operations side of trains, I’ll try it…but I really don’t know how you guys do it. It seems so complicated…or I’m just really confused.
Doesn’t need to be complicated, you can start simply and add complexity and challenge (and fun) along the way. Someone mentioned this web clinic earlier, you may find it helpful.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=46614
Cuyama…thanks for the link to the thread…and hopefully I’ll get the hang of this.
On my operating sessions, we live for this, or rather, the opportunity to give somebody grief when they break the rules.
One of my engineers, “Hotwater” was bringing in a 30 car train into my division point yard. The manifest had one car that needed to be set out at the Worley freight terminal, which is accessed off of a mainline siding on a spur across the main line from the yard.
The siding diverges left off of the main, and the yard diverges to the right. So Hotwater asks me if he should set off the car at the freight house (he is a railroader, so fully understands union rules), since the yardmaster and his assistant were quite busy.
I said, why don’t you ask him. If he lets you do it, I’ll give him grief now that I’ll have to pay you terminal time". Off he goes like a cat about to swallow the canary.
He asks, my yardmaster tells him “No, that is our work”.
My yardmaster knows the rulebook too [;)]
regards,
Jerry Zeman