Keeping Operating Sessions "Fresh"

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, I hope I can add some thing worthwhile every now & then. For those who inquired about my HO layout, I only have a few "slides" of it. It has been in operation for over 13 years using the cardorder form of waybilling where every frt car has a "3x5" color corded index card indicating car's reporting marks, type, load or empty, commodity, origin & destination and routing. It is operated point to point based on the real Ann Arbor RR. Occupies all of the 18x20 basement plus thru the wall (twice) into the laundry room for additional branch lines. I will expound on the operational part at a later date if anyone is interested, Fred

 

I'm interested, Fred! I'M INTERESTED! EXPOUND!!

(nuthin' like a little encouragement, huh?)

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Watash

 

Watash, Thanks for your interest, I'll try to explain the operation of my rr. Toledo, Ohio is the start of the rr. Here is the major yard (Ottawa Yard 85 car capacity), eng facilities, 20 industries plus the Toledo Terminal RR interchange track and 5 "staging" trks holding the B&O, NYC, PRR, DTSL, and DTI interchangers that deliver cars to Ottawa & take cars back. Toledo is under the supervision of the "yardmaster" who also doubles as the "humper" crew who is responsible for all the switching of the 3 inbound AA road trains, 6 inbound interchangers and the inbound industrial run plus the building up of 3 outbound road trains, p/u's for the 6 interchangers and the cars for the "City Job" which is the other yard job working Toledo's 20 odd industries which generates about 60-70 cars coming from or going to these industries. This yardmaster/humper crew is the most "dreaded" position on the rr as you are constantly busy the entire 4 hr operating session! The next town west of Toledo is Dundee, Mich which has a passing track, 3 regular industries that are switched by road trains OF-1 and FO-2 plus the local RS-100. Also in Dundee is the Dundee Cement Plant whose 4 tracks are switched by it's own crew using a GE-44T. Dundee Cement Cars are handled by a dedicated "Sand Train" which runs both east & west bound. (These 2 towns are located on the layouts bottom level) After leaving Dundee, the trains pass the DTI and the Wabash diamond & interchanges as it climbs up to the middle level where the town of Ann Arbor is located. This town is home to Ferry Yard whose capacity is about 60 cars and 4 industries plus another NYC interchange track. Just past AA is Pittsfield Jct where the Saline Branch can be found. Saline is home to the local RS-100 which handles the switching of the 3 track Ford Motor plant plus the other 6 local industries. Just past Pittsfield Jct is the small town of Chilson which has a passing track, a team track and a 3 track gravel co which generates about 13 loads a day for the "Sand Train" to handle. Once leaving Chilson, the trains cross a 2 1/2 foot trestle and start the climb up to the top level where the town of Cadillac can be found. Here the rr's longest passing track can be found (only about 18 cars) and 6 more industries. Leaving here you come to "OJ" where the mainline splits-a branch off to the right takes the trains ( FC-4 or the "Sand Train") to Yuma home of Sargente Sand Co as well as 4 more smaller industries. At "OJ" going straight takes you past Mesick, Mi whose only spur leads to a very small pulp loading facility and then into the final terminal of Frankfort/Elberta, Mi home to the car ferry docks which represent the GBW interchange. Also here is to be found 5 more small industries as well as a small 2 track yard. Frankfort is where road train FT-2 starts and TF-5 ends. Local FC-4 handles all the switching in addition to operating to Cadillac and to Yuma to handle the local switching. Like I said earlier, all cars are moved according to the waybill type index cards. Sessions are based on the old 16 hour law thus 1 real hr represents 4 scale hrs- thus sessions must end after 4 real hours- sometimes all the trains get over the road, sometimes they don't! It normally takes the road trains about 30-45 min to get over the road unless the dispr (me) sets up a bad meet and they get delayed longer than they should. The "Sand Trains" handle only the Sargente Sand Co, Mich & Ohio Gravel and Dundee Cement business and normally run with about 25-30 cars. FT-2 runs east Frankfort to Toledo picking up cars at Cadillac, Chilson and somtimes at Ann Arbor while dropping off cars at Chilson, Ann Arbor, and the Wab i/c track at Milan and the DTI i/c at Diann- he doesn't work Dundee. FO-2 runs east from Ann Arbor to Toledo picking up at Dundee. Both trains are usually 16-22 cars into Toledo. RS-100 starts at Saline,and then proceeds to Ann Arbor to do all the local switching there before contining east to Dundee working both the Milan & Diann interchanges. After completeing the switching at Dundee, he returns west toward Ann Arbor, does any more needed local switching before returning to Saline to give the Ford Plant 1 more switch. This job usually takes around 3 hours to complete but is one of the more popular assignments. TF-5 starts at Toledo westbound for Frankfort stopping at Ann Arbor to p/u cars bound for Cadillac, Yuma, Chilson and Frankfort. He also works the Chilson team track and spots any Cadillac cars in his train at the proper Cadilac industry leaving any Yuma bound cars on the Cadillac Pass for FC-4 to handle at a later date. He terminates at Frankfort where FC-4 switches out his train. TF-5 might leave Toledo with anywhere around 20 cars or so and arrive Frankfort 35 minutes later with anywhere from 8- 15 cars. OF-1 operates west from Toledo with cars for Dundee and Ann Arbor/Saline. He stops at Dundee to spot his cars but very seldom will have any p/u there as RS-100 usually beats him there. This train usually only takes about 15 min to operate but might handle around 20 cars-or more. The west bd Sand Train usually leaves Toledo with the cars destined Dundee Cement (6-7), Mich&Ohio Gravel (9-11) and Sargente Sand (also 8-12). He stops at Dundee to s/o and p/u cars the Dundee Cement job passes him, then proceeds to Ann Arbor to P/u any more gravel or sand traffic. He then stops at Chilson to place the gravel cars (13 car capacity) before going into Yuma to spot up the sand co and terminating his train- Sargente Sand also holds 13 cars. The Sand trains are popular to run also because their switching is minumum yet you might have hold of up to 30 cars at any one time. We usually draw assignments out of a hat although I am delegated as the permanent dispr. On the nights that we are short of people the guys are allowed to choose the job they want- there's only one guy (a Canadian) who looks forward to getting the Toledo hump job. Sorry I rambled on so, hope this was of some interest to you all. If you still have any other questions, I would be happy to try to answer them. Since I have to play yardmaster at 600am for Conrail in the morning, I will now say "Good night"

 

Gee Whiz Fred, I think I got a broken knuckle at Ann Arbor! You ran off and left me. Tell it all over again, I wasn't listening!!

It would be a thrill just to watch one of your sessions. With all that going on at once, when do you have time for coffee? Ha!!

Thanks, now get some sleep! Run safe!

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Watash

 

Fred,let me add my welcome to the list I am a fan of the Tisbee.That's the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay RR for the uninformed.I am planning to do some of their GP-35s in N scale as soon as I get the decals.A friend of mine in Cedar Springs is doing the Tisbee from Owasso north to Cadillac in HO.Nice to see another Michiganian on here.

Hey Robin, another road to interchange with

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Catt!#118 - Moderator and
A freelancer to the end

 

E-8

Thanks for the interest in PEI. PEI is Canada'a smallest province on the east coast.

Although there are no trains running here now - the last one left in 1988 or 89 - railroading has a rich history on PEI. For many years before the car ferries started moving automobiles to and from the Island, trains were the only means to travel to the mainland. Even after automobiles became numerous, they were loaded on flat cars and carried onto the ferry for the 13 mi/ trip across the Northumberland Strait where they were unloaded from the flat cars.

One of my great Uncles was a station master at various stations on the Island. The stations masters used to have competitions to see who could outsend (morse) the other. I'm told my great uncle was the champion.

A few books have been written about PEI's railroading history. There have been many interesting wrecks (train caught in snow drift couldn't be seen by approaching train due to white out conditions - smuck!). My father used to help shovel snow on the rail lines when he was a kid for $0.25 a day.

I chose not to model PEI railway because PEI is relatively flat - only rolling hills. However, my freelance railway - Summer Valley (I live in Summerside) - has some resemblance. The rich greens of the grasses and trees and the redish soil are indicators or the Island's influence.

If you are interested and would like to learn more about PEI and it's scenery, visit http://www.gov.pe.ca



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Scott Jay
member of:
Half Nuts Model Railroaders

 

Sajay, your island is beautiful! My wife was born at Blaine, Maine, not too far from you. In going through the photos, it reminded me of an N gauge layout.

Why is the long Confederation bridge bent?

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Watash

[This message has been edited by watash (edited 18 November 2000).]