Rules for meeting opposing trains

Comments MRR
1

Join the discussion on the following article:

Rules for meeting opposing trains

2

Good reminder.

3

I have an old book from Kalmbach that gives the entire breadth of operating rules as used on the CNW in the early to mid 1930’s. There are not that many changes, but I do note the rules being shared by Mr. Sperandeo are not exactly the same as those I use. I can only assume the rules changes were made for safety reasons. I thoroughly enjoy The Operators conducted by Mr. Sperandeo in MR, but as noted, he is using more recently published rules than I use. The rules I use are right for me; my railroad is as it would have existed during September, 1939.

4

Andy,
Enjoy your retirement, but I sure hope you can keep the “Operators” segment going in future MR.

Thanks for being you.

5

I have enjoyed every article in this series. Keep up the good work.

6

Thanks for the excellent information.

7

Enjoy your retirement! Hope you get your layout operating soon.

8

The Operators has become my favorite page in each month’s magazine. Thanks for continuing this series in your retirement.

9

If you’re modelling a prototype, you might want to adopt the prototype road’s rule book from the era you’re modelling as your own. While most are similar, they do differ, particularly in the area of signal aspects and indications, adoption of DTC or Track Warrants, operation by signal without timetable authority, and other related subjects.

10

As a newbie to modelling US railways of several eras, I find Mr Sperandeo’s article very helpful and I will certainly now be looking back on the previous articles in the series. May I wish you a very happy retirement and more informative articles, of course.

11

Mr. Paulsen is exactly right. There are variations between rulebooks of different roads and at different times on the same road, and I’m all for using the rule that’s correct for your railroad in the period you model. My own railroad, set in 1947, will use the Santa Fe’s “Rules and Regulations of the Operating Department, 1927,” because no more recent rulebook had been issued by that time.

There were, however, modifications to that rulebook spelled out in later employee timetables. The 1927 book, for example, shows a purple light as the stop aspect for dwarf signals, but 1947 employee timetables change that to a red light.

And my thanks to all of you who’ve wished me well in retirement.

So long,

Andy

12

As a former 1:1 ‘operator’, I read these articles with a critical eye but haven’t been able to pick any nits yet. I have also picked up a lot of information that I never needed to know on NYC/PC. We didn’t ice a whole lot of reefers. :wink:

Timetable and train order operation is more current than many modern modelers may realize. Although all major routes and many not-so-major routes on NYC and PC were fully signaled and operated under CTC rules, the rule book still included TTO rules as a fall-back in the event of massive signal failure. I expect they still do.

13

Like another user, I read The Operators page in MR first. As a British modeller of US railroads in the 1960s, I rely on Andy Sperandeo’s excellent column to keep me right in operating our 1/29 garden railroad correctly.
Keep up the good work!

14

Andy,
Hope to continue your excellent writing even in retirement.

15

I allways wondered about that. Now I know thanks for great Info.

16

I’m sure going to miss Andy’s knowledge of this hobby.
Enjoy your retirement, you deserve it.

17

Thanks for the memories. I have a copy of the Uniform Code of Operating Rules (don’t know what issue date), and the language used in the article about the train meets is quite similar if not exact as I recall.

18

I would love to get a collection of all of The Operators articles and related material. How about it, MR? Not all of us can find a prototype book of rules, much less one from our specific road and era.