I am going to start to use Car Cards and I would like to also use Switch lists and I was wondering how to start using the car cards and switch lists ?
A quick search on this site for “switch lists” will turn up some blanks for download in .PDF form, as well as a lot of info on operations using them and car cards. I don’t use either, so someone with more experience can hopefully point you to better information. [:P]
There are two basic types of switch lists.
One is the switchlist that is used in a yard to classify cars. If you search for switch lits on the internet you will see a lot of forms that are about 4" wide and 11" tall and have several columns(car initial, number, type destination commodity, etc). There are typically about 30 lines to a page.
The switchlist is used by listing the cars in a track in standing order (the same order they are in the track). The foreman/conductor/yardmaster then marks which track he wants the cars to go next in the yard.
You would put the car cards in the standing order for the track, then use the car cars to write down the cars, in order, on the list. A shortcut is to write the car initials, or the first letter of the initials and the last 3 digits of the car number. You might add a car type. Then use the waybill in the car card to determine what track the cars go in. If I am switching track 3 and I am putting all my ars for the local in track 5, then any car for the local in track 3 would get a “5” in the destination column.
I take the switch list and the track and then go down the list, swtching every car in order, putting them in the track they belong. When I am done I would “switch” the car cards and put the car cards for track 3 in the track boxes for the tracks I put them in. All the cars for the local in track 3 would nw be in track 5 and I would move all the car cards for the local cars into the track box for track 5.
The second type of switch list is for industry work. Modern railroads call it a work order. It typicallylists each industry, and shows the cars that are to be pulled and the cars to be spotted. The order doesn’t matter as much, and the spots will have any detail information, such as which door or spot the car goes to.
For want of a better definition, I’ll proffer my own here.
A switch list is printout of cars in a train (usually a local or a dedicated switch job) that is given to that train’s conductor as to where each car or cars are to go; what industry, on what track and at what spot (loading door number, building, etc.). Additionally, there will be instructions as to what cars are ready for pickup at those industries. This form is likely disseminated by a yard master from which those cars originated, as he gets the information from individual shippers as to which cars are ready for pickup as well as their need for cars to be dropped off. The switch list will include: each car’s reporting marks and number, the type of car (abreviated, such as XM for general merchandise boxcar, LO for covered hopper, etc. You’ll have to look these abreviations up, just do a search engine search to get them all), whether that car is loaded or empty and if loaded, what that load is.
How do I know all this? Well, about 15 years ago, when back in Ohio, I was walking near the CSX main line out of Cincinnati and ran across a discarded switch list, I kept that printout and I have used a modified version of it for my switching layout. these switch lists can also be called a Work Order Form.
This is just another way of adding interest to your railroad and prototype-like operations.
BTW, if you’re an NMRA member you may remember a couple of years back or so, NMRA magazine had an article on abreviations for car types in an issue of the NMRA Magazine.
car cards + switchlists
I like the way Dave describes his way of dealing with this.
Originally, I was about the car cards. On my own, that worked fine. With my operators, they just couldn’t go through the boxes holding the car cards to make things out consistently. They were often forgotten or misplaced.
So I added swicthlists to guide them towards the car cards and what to do with them. They were happier, but more car cards than ever got left behind, etc.
Recently, I took to using only switchlists and telling them to ignore the car cards. The plan is to then collect the switchlists, check them against the car card and car locations, then move the car cards and “process” them for the next move. This allows me to verify a car was moved properly by following up to confirm it is in the right place by rejoining the car card with it.
Only catch? Making sure they leave the switchlist, because I don’t do carbon copies.
BTW, that brings up the question…Is there anyone who offers a switchlist in tablet form that is either carbon copies or the more modern carbonless copy format?
There are several web sites that you can download free software to generate the Car Cards and Waybills. The same for Switch Lists. You can also buy very comprehensive software to generate this stuff. Micro-Mark has a pretty complete pre-printed Car Card & Waybill system available. You might want to start with their ‘starter’ pack.
I have been using variations of the Car Card & Waybill system for many years. It will generate loads for your freight cars, and is ‘self healing’ if you make a mistake and miss-route a car. One of the prolbems with this system is that the Car Cards tend to get placed all over the layout - Because the conductor has no place to organize things. A small shelf under the fascia by the town is a big help!
Switch Lists are used by the Conductor or Foreman to organize his work for the industry or town he is going to be working.
On one layout I visited, the conductors had to copy the waybill info from the Waybill to a Switch List. That is what they used to do their work. The layout owner did the actual update of the CAR Cards after the operating session.
Jim
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