Operating night on the R&S, 2-13-04

[Coaltrain]

After months of working on the layout I had a few friends over to operate the layout. We operated the second half of the schedule. Back in Sept. we ran the first half and with all the building I have been doing we never got around to finishing the second half until last weekend. I didn't even move the trains from where we left them five month ago, I've been too busy building structures, scenery, and locomotives.

Here are some photos from the night. I was the yardmaster and my night was very busy so I didn't get a chance to take any pictures on the other side of the layout. For a while I wished I had one more track in my yard because I had it packed with cars, but I managed and by the end of the night things got more normal and I had plenty of space to work.

The night started with the Coke job leaving the yard with Dave V. at the controls. Greg K. in the background is working to clear the line through Derby for the Coke job to pass.
http://jeffkraker.australianspeedway.com/albums/R-S-Photos/P0002693.sized.jpg


After Dave passed, Greg brought the second mine run into Appalachia. His train has 10 loads of coal bound for the Midwest.
http://jeffkraker.australianspeedway.com/albums/R-S-Photos/P0002696.sized.jpg


After the second mine run was in the yard I added more westbound coal to it along with a new caboose and a heavy mike for the trip out on the mainline (and into staging). The trip was shortened when the train could not make it up the grade into the tunnel. So I had the crew from the second mine run tie onto the back and help push it out of town. Here is a photo of the second mine run crew getting ready to push.
http://jeffkraker.australianspeedway.com/albums/R-S-Photos/P0002701.sized.jpg


Here is the coal drag getting pushed out of town.
http://jeffkraker.australianspeedway.com/albums/R-S-Photos/P0002702.sized.jpg

[Coaltrain]

Our crews were very fast and switching that night and they both ended up returning to the yard at the same time. Trouble was there was a time freight that had to leave on time and there is no passing track close to the yard. I had to get creative to get a clear line for the time freight to head up the branch. The train in the lower left of the photo is the time freight and it has to travel through the crossover and up the track to the right of the tower. The trains in the background (left and right) are the third mine run (left) and fourth mine run (right). Both trains came down the branch (left of tower) but to clear the line I had the third mine run back up the mainline so the fourth mine run could come all the way in the yard. I then pulled the yard engine (0-8-0) up to clear the cross over and the time freight pulled out with only a small delay.
http://jeffkraker.australianspeedway.com/albums/R-S-Photos/P0002712.sized.jpg


Here is a photo of the crew, proud of the traffic jam the created for me.
http://jeffkraker.australianspeedway.com/albums/R-S-Photos/P0002710.sized.jpg


The last train out of town for the night was a coal drag bound for the tidewater ports in the east. This train is being pulled by another heavy mike.
http://jeffkraker.australianspeedway.com/albums/R-S-Photos/P0002713.sized.jpg

[Jon Grant]

Always a delight to see the layout, Coaltrain.

I picked up some of that Silfor last week - can't wait to use it.

Jon

[Coaltrain]

Thanks Jon

Once you learn how to use the Silflor your going to wonder how you ever got along without it.

[Colonel]

Looks like an interesting operating session. Do you have a written schedule or do you use a card system?

[Coaltrain]

I use car cards. The trains operate on a "time line" schedule, I don't have a fast clock. We start with a list of trains that have to run and in what order they must run. As we go through the secession when we finish one train we just take the next one that has to run. The time freight will some day be run as a mixed train (when Rivarossi comes out with the 60' combine) and I would like that train to be run to some kind of fast clock or something that tells me when it has to go out.