Realistic Model Railroad Operations Setup
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video I show you how to set up realistic model railroad operations setup. I will help you analyze your layout for operations and set up your car cards and waybills.
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Ron,
Thanks for the Tip for MicroMark Car Cards and Waybills.
Outstanding!
This was your most significant video yet Ron. When I'm asked what's the 3 most important things in Model Railroading, my answer is: Operations, Operations, & Operations! A high detailed Model Railroad, that has no operations, is like a piece of art, an outsider can only enjoy looking at it for a limited time. But a Layout with operation, even one that has zero scenery, can retain interest of the operators for hours, and makes them look forward, to the next Operating Session.
+Rodney Kantorski So true.
Hi Ron,
Another challenge in my operations where I found the traffic analysis helpfull: single track industries. On my layout there are a few industries that are serviced by just 1 (dead end) track with 1 switch. With no shunting room, it is not possible to bring and collect cars at the same time. Solution: industry is either served on odd cycles or on even cycles (not on both). For example: an industrie on odd cycles gets cars on cycle 1 and 3. Cars are collected (to go somewhere else) on cycles 2 and 4.
When the waybills are created, just make sure the industries are served at the allowed cycles only (I greyed out the non-servicable cycles in the traffic analysis sheet).
Maybe, this odd or even cycle only pattern may help others as well.
regards,
Rob
Hey Ron JonMac from downunder here.
I'm a recent retiree from the transport sector with limited free space - isn't that a universal issue with modelers LOL?
Having limited space means of course I chose N scale mean lots of bang for my bucks. For a start I do love operations but also a bit of railfanning so I'm setting up a double track passenger service for the latter and a dedicated freight operations service for the core of my layout. It's basically a 9X6X3 L shaped layout with a solid framework holding the baseboards.
For me freight operations are about a complete service for customers so I've included road transport access for container and heavy road transport vehicles with rail access feeding them.
So I suppose a scaled down intermodal design to suit my circumstances.
Keep up the good work mate.
Thank you for all the information that you present to all of us Model Railroaders!
Hi Ron,
Great channel and presentation on some very informative topics! I've ordered, received and begun assembling Car Cards for my railroad. I used your 8160 label idea and the cards are turning out reeeal nice. Still building sections of the layout and your other videos are helping me greatly. Thank you for the time and effort you have put into your channel. Fantastic job Ron.
Very professional production as usual Ron, your station is my favorite for sure. I also see you are approaching 5000 subscribers. Pretty darn good in my book for the time you have been doing these videos. I think that says a lot about your efforts. Great info in this one for a guy like me who has a hard time understanding model railroad operations since I have never been a part of a formal operating session. Looking forward to the next installment.
+Dale Mierzwik Thanks Dale.
As info "Routing" is used by real railroads to indicate the route, which railroads and which junction points, over which the car will travel. In days gone by, most shipments went over more than one railroad and it was common for more than one railroad to serve many areas, so it was important to say which railroads were to be used. That determined how much money the railroads got. A typical route would be a list of railroad initials with the junction points in between. MP-ESTL- CR would be a shipment from someplace on the MoPac to East St Louis to Conrail. Its mostly eye candy by is useful for determining blocking and which staging yard a car goes in or out of.
Yes! More routing info can be necessary online on our own layouts, it we have junctions of routes and cars being passed from train to train en route to destinations. May need more space for that than waybill provides.
I've been building my first layout with operations in mind. This was a big help.
Glad to hear that.
I will add, I’ve designed modules and industries around rolling stock I own. Matter a fact I have an oil facility aka McGraw Oil that receives tank cars and I have a small dock for unloading box cars of petroleum products in crates, barrels, etc. it makes for interesting operation!
I also have an interchange with my narrow gauge to standard gauge transfer....quite common in the early 20th century in mountainous regions where transfer was a must. I’ve yet to simulate standard to narrow or the other way around transfer since most of my RR did that with box cars, and I’ve yet to build my narrow gauge box car fleet!
Great video!!! I love how you get creative with the intro and I love learning about model railroading from you!!
Thanks.
Great video Ron. I am currently using switch lists on my layout. Purchased the car cards last year and plan to use them as well. Since I Model the New Haven they used waybills then created their own switch lists. Trying to make it as real as possible. Additionally I found a NH freight symbol book from the fifties and it has also helped in realistic operations.
Yes, finding some of those original documents from your road and era is a gold mine.
Great stuff. Thanks Ron for the tips.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ron. I and my modular group have done car routing on our modular layout....several problems have arrived, but nothing that can’t be solved. We tried car cards but in modular layouts modules absents and placement can be a huge issue. Now we have done switch list that works better, but a problem at train shows dealing with public disruption....it’s not their fault, there’s a place for everything and organized switching operations are not for public displays. When we do private OPs sessions, it takes our guys being in the mood to use paperwork along with switching the layout! Anyway, I enjoy the paperwork involved when time permits in a relaxed atmosphere!
+sillywesties Yes, I can certainly see how car cards would not work in that situation and how that would provide some particular difficulties in organizing operations. Thanks for this comment and bringing this thought into the discussion.
Good show Ron, looking forward to seeing more on this
+Randy's Rock and Roll Railroad Mccarter Thanks
WOW! THAT is super detailed! I've never even considered the idea of waybills and shipping and whatnot. A couple of days ago I was thinking "I need to ask Ron about that" when I saw a setup that was a big switching yard in a magazine... I couldn't imagine the attraction to wanting to run a model yard. I'm more the creative type. When I was a kid, I had fun making hills and buildings and tunnels... as far as the trains go, I just like them doing a loop... preferably as big as possible. I've had visions in my head of building an N scale layout in double layers so the train goes under the visual layout, completely out of sight, and comes back as if it's been gone (albeit only for less than a minute). Visually that makes a lot more pleasant experience than a train on an oval or whatever, endlessly looping. But waybills? Wow. I'll stick to Fee Waybill.
Whatever is fun to you is what it is about. I know lots of guys who just like to run trains and watch them run--I like to do that too. But for some of us the operations end of the hobby is like a chess game with model trains, which is cool too.
Thanks Ron, a lot to think about, hope this helps a lot of gys5, I know it is helping me, & the idea of the pictures I'd a great idea as it make it a lot easier, for everyone, i.e. me, on my new layout I plan on having trains run like you say through and some operations in. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing more on 'how to' no this subject as I've never really gotten to that stage yet!
+Jack O Thanks for this comment. Gkad I could help.
Thanks for this really helpful video, Ron. I'm sure I will use it as I finally proceed to putting together a method for realistic operations on my layout. I'm eagerly looking forward to your video on switchlists. ...Roy
Thanks, Roy. That video will be a couple weeks out, but will be coming for sure.
excellent content. I have been reading up on operations lately and this is a good reaffirmation
Glad I could help.
Excellent video Ron. Great to see how you are setting up ops. Wish I was closer to join you for an ops session. I haven't decided how i. Going to do it yet. Thanks
+waltworld Hey, Walt. For me ops has been some trial and error figuring out the little things that work for me.
hi Ron.. great explanation of how you run your layout... i'm sure there are multiple ways of doing it.. thanks for sharing.. vinny
Thanks Vinny.
Really clear and interesting presentation Ron. I use 'Switchlist' for the Mac to run my little shelf layout (Greenville).. same kind of process in the planning etc. Started using it to plan operations for our 'local' Freemo group too. There's no right or wrong way of course, and if waybills and car cards were the solution for me, I'd have no hesitation using them instead :-)
+Mog You are right, there are many good ways to do it. Thanks for sharing.
I like the way you handle business Ron, Thanks for sharing.-Ed
Thanks, Ed. Appreciate it.
Love the channel photo. Love the videos too! Keep up the great work!
This is why I like Decapod Systems, they have a print out of what cars to pickup and what city and industry to drop it off at as well as what cars to pickup. Before I was picking up cars that were conviently located on a switch. Decapod will make me pick up specific cars even if they are the last car on the switch
JMRI works similarly, but those systems have their drawbacks as well. It really is a matter of preference. I have operated on layouts using a number of processes, including waybills and JMRI. This is offered as an easy operations scheme that anyone can set up quickly, as well as one that many large layouts continue to use to this day for all of their operations.
I found this a great help to me. I am totally stupid when it comes to switching setup.
I will refer back when I get that far.
Mike
Thanks for saying so, Mike.
Nice. GREAT intro... I wanted it to be longer!
Thanks for the info.
Great video Ron. Can’t wait for part 2. Very interesting. I like how you take your time and explain every little detail. I was hoping you’d keep the gloves on and pull out the funny bone without making the buzzer go off. Maybe next time. -Mark
+M&M Rails I actually wanted to use an operation game in that intro, but I couldn't find my kids old board. I thought it would be fun to "accidentally" buzz it after I pointed and jump. Oh well, maybe in a future video.
Thanks for sharing this Ron. Haven't finalized operations on my layout yet, but this helps me figure it out. Looking forward to part 2. We N-scale guys need to stick together LOL ~Steve
Yes indeed. Thanks for watching.
Great video that simplifies and explains railroading. I wish Lionel and MTH would devise a system to include this for kids as a phone app. That would stimulate interest and negate the monotonous running of a train in a perpetual loop. Thanks a bunch Ron.
+William Gratchic That would be a valuable service.
Hey Ron, nice video, I look forward on how you set up and run "your" railroad. We all do our operations differently. I'm sure even real RR's do operations differently too. Nice cliff hanger, next Tuesday can't come fast enough.. thumbs up. Skol! Ron//
Thanks for watching, Ron. Actually that video probably won't be next Tue, but it will be soon.
Thanks Ron from Australia
Hey Ron, you have a wonderful talent for instructional videos. Would you consider doing one on soldering wires and/or track? There seems to be a million ways to do it, a thousand different kinds of solder, and hundreds of different irons and guns out there.
In my case I don’t want to overspend (do I NEED the iron with the digital temp readout) or underspend on a iron, also what kind of solder? What should I do to avoid lead poisoning from solder? Etc... maybe others have the same questions as me?
Either way, thank you so much for the great videos!
+The Lowmein I am planning some videos on the topic in the near future. Thanks for the questions. They will help me make thise videos. I have always soldered with an inexpensive soldering pencil from Weller. For solder I use 60/40 rosin core made for electronics and pretty thin--I don't need it very big for N scale. I don't think there is any real chance of lead poisoning unless you were soldering 2 hours /day for a career (still very unlikely) or you eat the solder--and quite a bit of it. The most important thing about good soldering is the flux--paste ir liquid, but you MUST have it.
I do the same thing Ron, right down to the pics of the cars. I don't use the ar codes. It's mostly my wife and I running the trains. And my kids m, when their in town. The ar code is hard for some to remember.
I have tried jmri, and still use it for some things. But it fumbles the cars rather than purposely placing cars. Also I sometimes have special deliveries that jmri doesn't handle well.
Right on Ron good vid.
Great minds think alike. LOL. I have operated on layouts using JMRI and I was not overly impressed with it as a traffic management platform. I use decoder pro for programming locomotives, but that is about it for JMRI for me.
superb.
This was greatly helpful! Please continue this series I look forward to it!
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Good video, like the car card with pictures
+Mike Burton Thanks.
Hey Ron great video on operation
Thanks you.
THANK FOR VIDEO WITH DETAIL ON OPERATION BASIC ON LAYOUT
Very well explained. Very good
Thanks.
Hi Ron: You cam make video for Intermodal Operations in an model railroad layout with setup car cards and waybills. For example: containers, trailers and railcards
Good job on the video
I added it to the operation playlist/database for Modal Railroad operations that I have on my channel
I’m not going to explain how my layout operates I will tell you it on the chats
Thanks!
Great and informative video. very funny introduction! You are the wranglerstar of model railroading. lol. Wranglerstar is a modern homesteader by the way.
+Zane's Trains N Things Lol, thatnks for watching, Zane. I try to add a little humor qhen I can.
Great hint to take a photo of each car. This also can be useful for maintaining a car inventory. As someone pointed out, handling car cards can become cumbersome but is avoided when there is both an engineer and a conductor. This arrangement also allows a newcomer to fill the engineer function while a more experienced operator takes care of the cards and manages train movements. Car card operation is simple to set up and use. I do have one concern, however, that over time the cycle of 4 movements with the same car may become obvious to a frequent operator. This may be especially so on a small layout with a limited number of cars and destinations. Operating systems using dice or computerized switch lists can generate random car movements.
+Jerry Smith one answer to that is to have some Rolling Stock that is always off the layout. When cars go into staging in cycle 3 or 4, some of them can be switched with cars that are stored off the layout and the way bills swapped. This keeps things from becoming too repetitive. This was just more information than I can include in this video
Even a small layout can have a large fleet just as you describe by having storage off layout. I was thinking more of a modeler without an extensive fleet.
This is a good point Jerry. As I plan my layout, I was thinking of assigning car cards to....cars. And waybills to industries. The industries generate the waybills, and this could vary based on the orders they receive. And in some cases, they would be ordering empties. This kind of general approach should also give me a reason to use the "IF EMPTY, RETURN TO" feature on the car cards themselves.
AWSOME !! I have a few questions. Can you explain the difference between a Local train and a Turn train. Thanks
Sure. A local delivers cars to industries along the line--it is a (usually) shorter, slow moving, working train. A turn is a local that goes from a terminal or yard, works its way out to a particular location, then turns or comes back to its original starting point.
Useful videos Ron. Thanks. I like the idea of attaching images of rolling stock to car cards. I am not having much luck figuring out how to get my photos into an inventory of rolling stock and then print out on Avery labels. What software are you using? Can I get some more information on the process -- Douglas M.
I'm out of town til next week. Send me an email and I will help as much as I can when I get back.
Ron, I stumbled upon your channel and am really enjoying the content. I do have a question. I am just getting interested in model railroading and haven't actually bought or built anything yet. Is there a suggested order for watching your videos? Like watch this before watching that sort of thing? I will say that you have opened my eyes to many possibilities.
Hi, Eric. Welcome to the channel. I don't know if there is a specific order I would suggest, but here is a like to a video I might suggest first at this point for you: th-cam.com/video/sGug6AspxYk/w-d-xo.html
Said you showed the "Traffic Pattern Analysis" sheet earlier in the video, but it is not there. I was able to figure out what it was and its use however.
Ok thanks.
Ron , Your this operation setup and operation switch list have been very helpful. Have You made a video showing a operating session?
I am having problem's with using the Main Yard. How do I make switch lists for a Yard Master. When a Thru or Unit train departs from staging. Then drops off or picks its goods and returns to staging (no yard needed). Now local runs? Yard? Example: The train #40, 10 cars, leaves eastbound from staging to each waybill location. With all 10 cars dropped off and 10 new cars picked up, train #40 goes back to staging. I have been told car card with waybills are hard to work with, and use switch lists instead. I made a switch list, from your example. I still want to use each car card with switch list.
I would like to your opinion for setting up the Yard, from the local runs.
Thanks,
Anthony
It sounds like you are in the right track, but I'm not sure exactly what you are asking.
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the clear instructions in this video. I'm busy for a while setting up operations on my small (European) layout using pre-filled 4-cycle waybills, but i ran into 'clogging' of certain areas or too long / too short freight trains. The missing part is the traffic analysis! Thanks for that.
One question: how do you define a 'cycle', i.e. when do you turn the waybill to the next cycle?
regards, Rob
I turn or cycle the waybill after it arrives at the destination on the current cycle. Then the next operating cycle it is ready to be routed to the next destination.
Ah, I see. But having 4 cycle waybills, it would mean that after 4 cycles the same routine is repeated again (presuming all waybills cylces back from 4 to 1). Or do you use other waybills for the 5th through 8th cycle? One of my objectives is to have a little bit of diversity in operations and not running the same routine over and over again. So trains follow a schedule, but the composition of the freight cars differs every time.
If you want more variety that 4 cycles there are a couple things you can do. 1) As you say, you can cycle in a new waybill, essentially creating 8 cycles, or 2) if your cars end the 4th cycle in staging, you can rotate that car off the layout into a storage box and replace it with another car for 4 cycles, then swap them again, creating more variety of rolling stock on your layout.
now THIS GUY is cool
As always very nice presentation... Question Where do you put the spot location for the incoming car? I made the card cards in Excel where I can print them out ...I found at walmart thicker paper like the Micro mark car card. Do you use a Loco card ? Looking forward to your next Op video.
I do not use loco cards simply because I don't see the usefulness. If the car needs to be at a specific spot at an industry I simply put that spot # after the industry name on the waybill. For those industries that need specified spots I include a diagram of the tracks and spots on the fascia in front of the industry.
Ron I use the loco card so that new operators know the DCC # for the loco I also put on the card my CV setting in case I have to do a factory rest. and if the unit is MU with another that info is on there too.
Great Video Ron i plan to use EMRI that is a free Program
+INOHKY Awesome.
Ok thnks
How to set up way bills for yard to yard
First off I got to say great info in your videos. I don't do model railroading as I am building 1:8 scale ride on trains. I would also like to incorporate OPS into my layout. I get making the carcards and the weybills. I get the part of making the switching list upto the pickups. From what I gather the dropoffs are from in the train you start off with. So the pickups should be in the bin at the industry correct?
Hi, Henry. Yes, the car cards for pickups should be at the industry where the pickup is being made.
I figured out about switchlist already. There is a great program to make car cards, waybills and switch list. Its free from pdc.ca/rr/freebies/
It is called easy model railroad inventory. Let me know what you think of it.
There has to be an easy way to computerize your traffic patterns. In the real world they have computer codes for each station, track, and spot. In the yards, the program could have block codes. An example is on my Boston and Maine Fitchburg Div. A car coming from the west might have come from CSX, NS, or D&H/CP. Depending on the agreements between roads, those companies may have cars preblocked for B&M locations, while B&M might block for places on the other roads. Other times they are junked. The receiving road then switches the cars into blocks. At local yards, the through train might set out the block. These cars are then switched for each customer or interchange.
JMRI will do this for you, but on a medium to small layout the computer system is overkill and takes a job away--just like the real world. Lol.
I think that most of the staged trains could have paperwork done before the session. The only paperwork needed would be for trains made during the session. Even cars in the yard could have the switch lists, and outbound documents made up.
Nice getting started in operations video, Ron. Down the road it will be good to change over to this type of system and shut up that imaginary friend in my head who calls me derogatory names telling me..Hey*^&* we need an apple car here... ok.. and I find one and send it for loading..then a few days later..the friend again..Hey..when are you going to pick these up they are perishable you know!!! yeah, yeah, yeah ok.. and it gets picked up.. then when I ask him, "do you need another MT?"...No *&^ we picked all the apples..they don't grow again till next year!!!.. So, yeah..It will be good to get it going on a routine. Looking forward to the follow up installment. Tom
LOL. That cracked me up.
What do you do if you add new industries to your layout after setting up car cards?
Hey Ron,
How would you set up car cards/waybills if u have no industries on your layout, Only a small town and 1 interchange?
- Dave
I can only assume you are running staging to staging, so thew would be written to indicate the locations represented in staging,but honestly if that is how you are running you probably don't need car cards at all.
What sources do you use to get info like this? Let’s say I have an industry that I want to set up operations for on a prototype layout, how do I find out that it receives “x” chemical from “y” location. For example how did you learn that atterbury grain gets soy beans from California?
Well, it isn't always easy. Internet research can usually find what you need if you look hard enough. For example, I model Victory Blue on my layout, a division of Victory Fuels that makes diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). I can tell from Google Earth that tank cars, covered hoppers, and box cars are spotted there at different times. Then I Googled "what is DEF made from" and learned that it is made from deionized water, and pelleted urea primarily (thus the tanks and covered hoppers). Looking at Victory Blue's web site I learned that they ship the stuff in bulk (more tank cars) but mostly ship in pallets of gallon jugs and 55 gallon drums (thus the box cars). From there I researched pelleted urea supplies and found numerous ones across the country. Same with deionized water. I assumed the boxcars would be shipped out to distribution warehouses for truck stops, auto part stores and the like. Using this info I chose destinations that made sense to me. If you can't get exact info for destinations of shipped or received goods, make up something that makes sense (supplier and city). Some information can be gained through a piece of software (it used to be free, I hope it still is) called Shipit from Albion Software (Google Shipit model railroad software). It can make waybills for you, but I don't like its results. It has some good info, but much of it is dated--50's and earlier--although not all. Long answer, sorry. Hope that helps.
Thats great , for freight but what about passenger service mixed in the freight . How would you do that.
Passenger cars can be done similarly with emphasis on point of origin for the train and destination with station stops between. There are car cards made for passenger cars, but I don't think Micro Mark carrys any. Personally, I only have one passenger train that runs on my layout and I run it with just a train order. Perhaps I can find someone who is an expert on this subject to do a video as a guest on RTNT in the future.
Ron's Trains N Things , keep me informed.
Ron: I have been trying to figure the height of thevdilos at Aterbury Grain, and today I see its about 2 hopper lengths high. Is that about right? I'm going to build my own elevator complex soon. Eldon L.
My silos are 120' scale or 9" actual tall. That is a pretty normal height for modern elevators. They can reach 140', which is how tall that background elevator I'm working on is.
Doesn't Victory Blue have a subsidiary that makes blinker fluid?
+TimShred Headlight grease.
Ron's Trains N Things ‘Ol Tim may not realize that DEF is a real thing! No DEF? No modern semi trucks running around...
I enjoyed learning about your operations setup. But you do need to be aware that because the moon is in it's third-quarter phase, the camera should have been set up on the OTHER side of the room. And you should have been speaking over your left shoulder. But, other than that, it was pretty good.
LOL, I don't know what to do with that. 😅
I want to do an 11-1/2" x 5' in N but I'm afraid of the fiddly bits. Do you find that it's not to bad? I want to use the Atlas code 55 track. I used to have N scale many years ago when I was a lot younger. I'm almost 55 and my eyes aren't as sharp. I do like HO but I could make this space a lot more in N and that is what's appealing. Any advice?
I'm close to your age, and I don't find N bad to work with. I have been working with it for over 20 years though. I would advise good glasses and perhaps an optivisor and I think you'l do fine.
@@RonsTrainsNThings Well good, because it would be awesome in N scale. Thanks.
I tried jmir and it don't do anything like this you only know where the car is going, it doesn't tell you what it is caring, plus it doesn't tell you if the car is a loaded or empty.
I'm not looking to do realistic operations. Just a plain old layout where I can watch the trains go around oval tracks, and maybe later on add a yard in the middle to fill it out.
Ron can you send me a copy of your switch list document and a copy of your picture set up for labels. Thanks Willie
The label template is available online. Buy your chosen labels, look at the associated Avery number on the packaging, and look for "label template" and that number. As for the switch list, I can send that to you. Please send an email request to ronstrainsnthingh@gmail.com
Diesel exhaust fluids??
Yes. It is an emissions control fluid used to help reduce carbon emissions in diesel engines. It has only been around less than 20 years I believe.
Ron's Trains N Things
Ahh , thanks
Ron, I have an issue.
How would YOU do a Traffic Pattern Analysis on a layout that spans the entire Earth and includes road, air, and sea travel along with trains?
Basically, I'm trying to do operations on a "what if" Hi-Rail layout that spans the entire globe.
The "What if" part of the concept is simple: "What if steam railroading never died, and diesels never took over?"
"What if steam power, in all forms, still ruled the rails in modern times, despite the automobile and airplane coming into existence?"
(By all forms, I mean directly [steam locomotives] and indirectly [steam-electric turbine locomotives and electric trains getting their power from a steam turbine at a power plant.])
All continents will be represented, and so will all modes of transport.
The reason I picked Hi-Rail is because despite the third rail and oversized couplers, there are advantages in having accessories that actually load and unload your cars.
Another reason is that I don't want operators to be seen by visitors. Wireless command-control, like Lionel's LEGACY or MTH's DCS systems are crucial for this.
Oh, and NO WAYBILLS OR CAR CARDS. They scream "Unreal" to just about anyone. I want the trains to look like perfect replicas of the real thing, so having a car card taped to the car will ruin that.
I want people to feel like they've suddenly stepped into my world and are seeing it from either eye level or above, but I want immersion as well.
You don't see big cards on the outside of trains IRL, so that's not how we're going to operate here.
I want your advice on this, since you're the expert.
+Kerry Freeman First, car cards aren't attached to the cars. They are gandled by the conductor/operator of the train. That said, what you describe is intreeaguing, but I don't think I have enough understanding of what you are trying to do to give you an adequate answer.
Ok, first off, you have to understand I'm doing a layout that models not a specific region, but GLOBAL TRANSPORT OPERATIONS.
Not just trains, but air, sea, and automobile traffic as well, even extending into OUTER SPACE (Low Earth Orbit, specifically.)
Also, this will be a "What if" layout.
It's a mixed-era layout where it's 2017, BUT steam is still king of the rails as if it were still the 1940s (the golden era of steam).
In short, on the rails, diesel-electric traction is ABSOLUTELY MINIMAL, whereas steam power and turbine locomotives rule.
On the roads, out at sea and in the air, it's modern.
Basically it's "What if the steam era of railroading never ended, though the rest of the world moved on?"
Also, it's a three-rail, O-Scale layout, AKA "Hi-Rail" which is easiest to operate for beginners. Most people who call themselves "model railroaders" laugh at those who use three-rail equipment like those from Lionel and MTH and call these things "toy trains" but they can be used realistically.
Plus there's another couple of benefits to Hi-Rail: Real loads, and real industries. (Lionel's Operating Accessories, which load and unload commodities like minerals [coal] and metal [culverts] and logs, even barrels and boxes just like a real railroad.) This eliminates much of the unrealistic stuff like having to park beneath a mine chute (real mines have a moving load at 5 MPH or less) as well as having a visible load for some cars without having to put a lid on them or declare them "loaded" when they're really not. It also eliminates having to stop your trains and WAIT for the next operating session to "fake-load" your cars.
Finally, it's designed to look realistic for visitors. That means NO VISIBLE OPERATORS, so they're located behind the scenes, running the trains via wireless remote control and you, the visitor, are given the impression that the trains and other vehicles are being controlled by living, invisible, miniature people, on-layout.
The planes, ships and cars are not piloted, but instead run fixed courses and schedules. Ships sail and maneuver, dock and undock, and even fight the World Wars, right on the layout, and all via AI.
I'm sorry, but what you are describing is just WAY outside my area.
Nonsense, it's your expertise.
All I'm having you do is do a TPA (Traffic Pattern Analysis) for the globe.
Freight AND passenger operations, "Mr. Expert" --- see what you can find.
I'm not trying to ridicule you, just get your help.
I'm a beginner, you're the expert.
So do your thing, dude.
he he! I note you forgot to provide commuter service to bring workers to those industries and back home :-)
For the lazy, here's a car codes list: www.opsig.org/pdf/AARFreightCarCodes.pdf
+Pierre-Luc Gagnon Thanks for posting this.
I model CSX and my layout uses direct copies of real life CSX forms.
+John Alexander That is cool.
The one thing alot of people don't realize is the "home road" part of how railroads work. For example, your layout is Bnsf. Your def facility can't load CSX box cars, or NS, or any other railroads car. You can only load BNSF and associated type cars (ie; a BN car or predecessor than hasn't been restincled) other than that you can load anything that ends with an X, like RBOX, TBOX, FBOX, or even GATX box cars. Industries can receive a loaded car from any railroad, but they can't reload it, it has to go empty back to home rails.
Then we come to unit trains.... This is were I get bugged watching videos. I see modelers running unit grain trains with cars from every railroad in the country on it, that is not prototypical in any fashion, period. A BNSF grain train is going to be loaded somewhere on BNSF territory and is going to be only BNSF and associated cars. A grain shipper can load all the privately owned cars they want on whatever territory they're on, as long as they end with X.
Now, on the territory I work, there is an industry called Bay State Milling in Mooresville, NC and they get loaded hoppers from all kinds of railroads, and receive 10 or more cars a day. 20 is about the norm. But you may see BNSF, UP, DME, CN, CP, INTX, UELX, and many many more. These cars didnt come from one shipper of course. They were funneled through a network of humpyards, block swaps, and flatswitching along the way to the hump yard in Linwood, NC where I'm based, humped into the class yard out of various trains, all compiled into a Barber, NC block, set out by a train enroute to Hickory, nc and switched out by the local in Barber and put in their train, before they head to Mooresville.
If a unit train doesn't belong to a railroad, it is owned/leased by a shipper/receiver and all cars end with X
Another example... Lol. Here I go.. Corn Products International or Ingredion as they are called now, has a facility a few miles from my house here in Winston Salem, NC. They receive 3 unit grain trains a week. They are NS trains, but they also have a couple of their own unit trains, that they send away empty to a shipper of corn somewhere out in the midwest. They are all CCLX hoppers, with a few ACFX, CEFX, and such hoppers that they are leasing to fill the block. As well I run alot of unit grain trains to Selma, NC to a massive facility called Bailey feeds. Its also a monstrosity of a transload facility, but they get lots of our unit trains, and about every couple weeks a 100 car train of leased hoppers come through made up of INTX, ACFX, UELX, CGOX, PTLX, and many more. I believe that train is a bunch of hoppers that Bailey feeds has acquired a lease to themselves, or they may be leased to the shipper that needs all the hoppers it can get to fill the order.
We also used to have a Cargill facility that loaded only their own hoppers of soybeans (CARX/CAGX)
Before someone challenges my knowledge imma put my credentials here lololol. I worked as a conductor on the Danville district of the piedmont division for 14 years. I spent all my years as a conductor on locals switching these places and have been an engineer on this district since 2015. I love switching and miss being on the ground kicking cars around, and breaking all the rules, but these days I'm focused on clean tapes.
I've spent alot of time on the phone with what we call OSS, formely known as clerks, and spent lots of time in the industries talking to the employess while waiting on a brakeman to do as I may have previously instructed:)
This is a good point that you explained well. There are exceptions, of course, but you described the rule well. Local smaller grain elevators my make up unit grain trains by loading empty LOs and storing them on site until they have enough to comprise a unit train. I'm sure this is treated differently by the railroad, but I have seen these with a mixture of roads represented. Thanks for this comment.
Ron's Trains N Things. I hit post accidentally before I was finished lol. I had to edit it, and it took a bit. I added alot to it
+tenobles Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience here. Yes, it looks like you were about to say exactly what I was saying. We appreciate your Insight.
Ron's Trains N Things glad to give what I do know, but overall in the real world, it is a mind boggling, and very complex process, and there are even more variables that I dont know, but a railroader learns something every day. I enjoy your videos very much, along with Mike Pfifers. You have both simplified alot of the benchwork, trackwork, and scenery processes for me, and each day I'm more and more eager to find a new home with the space I need, to do what I want to do, so that one day within the next couple years I will be on the list of the best n scale channels along with you guys
+tenobles I look forward to that.
No 2 cents to give you today, But I'm sure you will get a lot of people telling you how it should be done or should not be done. The railroad does not do this or that etc. etc.
+IMRROcom I did ask people to tell me how they are doing their operations. Unfortunately some can't distinguish between "this is how I do my operations" and "you have to do it this way." Sometimes they don't hear words like "this is optional" or "you can do as much or as little as you want."
I only fill in FROM: locations if it has a commodity. If the Car is an MTY going to be loaded or leaving the layout, no need for a FROM: Looking at the way bill the car trully does looks MTY as the only thing on its waybill is MTY or blank and the TO: Location. I'm also a fan of filling in the commodity, Yes operators mostly do not care or look at it, but for traffic and logistics to come up with a believable operating system you needed to know what is in the car. It is just not one box car one covered hopper and 2 tank cars.
Dr Ron train surgery lol
NS grant Dad CN and uncle dann union pacific
Preparing for operations? Or just living in 2020? Lol
This opening is such a dad/pastor joke.
CON-sin-ee not Con-SIGN-ee. FYI