OK, I know this sort of question has a large amount of personal taste involved, so answers can be quite varied, but... I would like to solicit the opinions and discussion of those of you who have experience operating on various layouts, as to what sort of elements go into a "good design" for operations. I know there are certain "best practices" for this sort of layout ... solid trackwork and wiring, adequate space for operators to work and move, clear plans / orders for each train, good lighting, and so on. What I'm wondering about is more of the intangible things about either the layout design (track plan/schematic) or industry selection, or whatever that makes one layout a joy to operate, and makes another layout so-so, boring, or even annoying. What are those things that make you count the days till the next session at Andy's layout, and count the minutes waiting till the END of the session at Bob's? I would say to leave out the "social" things... as clearly part of the fun is the dynamic of the people being together, but I suppose if there are "design elements" like having snacks/drinks, providing space and time for bull sessions, or whatever that can be designed into the room or session, that would be good, too. And before you ask, I already own a copy of Koester's "Realistic Model Railroad Operation". I want to hear what YOU think... what YOU've seen from the layouts you've operated on... Thanks!!
For reference, the plan I have in mind is a round-the-walls shelf with a peninsula, around 55 linear feet, in N scale... probably with staging on a lower shelf. It will be a relatively small design, suitable for "a few friends for a couple hours" ...
Great question! For my part, I always enjoy a sense of accomplishment. As though I have completed a good days work on the railroad. Perhaps that means the owner has done well, planning then creating an atmosphere of realism? Guess this will take a little more thought. Meanwhile, I'll look forward to reading responses along with you.
Thanks, Boxcab... that's a good emotional thing to capture. It reminds me of one visit I made to a fellow's layout. The dispatcher gave me a passenger train that had a number of stops along the way. The good news was that the run would give me a tour of the whole layout. The bad news was that almost none of the stations I was supposed to stop at were marked on the layout, so as a visitor, I had no idea where to stop. Very frustrating. A later run on the same layout was a way freight with several stops to switch industries. These were much more clearly marked and I knew what to do and where. Much more satisfying.
I would think some sense of getting something done and going somewhere goes a long ways. Forget switching puzzles, unless "your" prototype line had something similar. I would imagine that these were few and far apart.
Id say, first and foremost is to have flawlessly laid track; track that nearly never causes a stallout or derailment..This means all dead frogs powered and near every fish plate soldered ( though a few I believe should float to allow expansion/contraction, but kept conductive by sliding them every so often )and rail heads all shiny..Secondly, great running locos, lubed and with clean tires..Have all rolling stock freely rolling ( ones which just keep coasting on level track with a small push off)..All couplers in working order...removal of all bad/archaic equipment...Then, to have a good amount of industry trackage to spot and retrieve cars at, and/or stations and depots..These movements done slowly and safely like the REALroaders do ...All this accomplished by a well installed state of the art throttle/s..Analog or digital is less important than the guality of acceleration and braking ability of the unit and its user ( though once you've gone into DCC you'll probably never look back ) ....Signals are very nice, but a small branch could get away without it...if only 1 or 2 trains performing all the commerce on the road, such as mine does. Add to this E50's statment above about "completing a good day's work on the RR". To me, that's the ticket... ...Scenery and detailing can wait until the above is accomplished..BTW, I am not claiming to have accomplished all this yet ,myself. But I'm tryin' to ....
trackwork is also a very good starting point. One of my favorite layouts to operate on is the La Mesa Model Railroad Club in San Diego. They hold tracklaying and equipment standards to the highest mark. Its the only place I've ever seen where you can have almost 30 people operate for 15 hours straight with no derailments due to trackwork or equipment. However getting the layout to these standards took time, and there is a waiting list for the car department to get through all the cars needing to be bought up for standards. Operating sessions are fun with all the operators being well off with good running equipment and pretty good trackwork.
1. Deliberately identify every block, station, industry, and signature RR location (like junctions or RR crossings) to prevent confusion: In addition to having every station and industry clearly marked on the fascia or modeled structure, it helps to have an indication of where one block ends and another one begins...so operators don't inadvertently run out of the last block the dispatcher has permitted them to use. Ends of blocks could be shown on the fascia or modeled with signs or signals in the scenery. 2. Within an industry, there is often more than one siding and more than one spotting option on each siding. For every industry that might be served by rail, it helps for the operator to have information about what types of cars might be spotted where within each industry. Spotting information about each industry could be offered in: a) a CLIP Manual (Car Locator and Industry Profile Manual), or b) on a 3x5 card or schematic posted on the shelf fascia in front of the industry or lighting valance above the industry. Spotting information in a CLIP Manual or on a 3x5 card might include: what types of cars get spotted where, differences in how loads, empties, and holds are usually handled, where to put extra cars that won't fit on their appropriate siding, and info about how the RR loco can (or cannot) move on any industry tracks. 3. For layouts with complex track configurations or multiple ways of getting from point A to Point B, it is helpful to pair new operators with someone who has worked the job before. 4. Sometimes there is a big difference between what the visiting operator wants out of the session and what the trainmaster/layout superintendent wants out of the session. Some operators prefer jobs with little or no switching (unit trains, transfer jobs) and others prefer jobs that require lots of switching. Some operators enjoy solving switching puzzles (e.g., Ingelnook or Time Saver), and others deliberately avoid them. When operators are given some latitude in picking the types of jobs they will run, they are a little more likely to enjoy the operating session. Some trainmasters/layout superintendents prefer their operating sessions to be very casual/low stress/simple to learn, and others prefer sessions that are more structured; some prefer simple/casual car movements, others use car cards and waybills or computerized switchlists or car forwarding software; some have casual schedules, while others have prescribed train orders or even scheduled trains that must follow a specific time table. Assuming the operating session has good mechanics (reliable trackwork, good electrical connections, well-maintained locos/rolling stock; reliable coupling/uncoupling, and the operator is comfortable with a particular throttle system), then there is probably a better chance that a visitor will have a good time in an operating session when the trainmaster/layout superintendent is offering the types of jobs that the operator prefers to run, and the degree of simplicity or complexity the trainmaster has designed into his operating session matches the level of simplicity or complexity the operator prefers.
1. I'd say that, as a general rule, your better ops-oriented layout is going to sacrifice what many would consider a good scenery-to-track ratio. (unless you have some inordinate amount of space...you indicated that you don't) This doesn't necessarily imply spaghetti either, but you might have to squeeze a few more things in to get the right amount of "spots per square foot" to keep an operator busy for x number of hours. (and related yard space or staging) 2. Make it simple and fun. Especially in N-scale this is true. The N layout I operate on most uses RailOps and the "Like Cars" concept, (spot/pickup the same type of car from your train) yet it still is fun. I would think Car Cards with photos of the cars would be equally simple for N. I've never operated with a timetable, although one layout owner does clock the jobs in-and-out. If you take too long you will be harassed by your peers but that's about it. ;-) About as serious as our session get is...if you derail, pick a switch, or leave a turnout without returning it to the mainline the you will be suspended for 29 days. (or whatever amount of days ends right before the next month's session...so it's just all in fun.) I have seen more serious ops sessions and that's fine...just not my cup of tea. I will defend any layout owner's right to run his layout however serious (or not) that he wants to. 3. This might incite a riot but....DCC. If you are gonna operate you need it. Make sure your wireless works with a crowd and throttle has batteries. Make sure you have plenty of plug-ins for throttles at strategic locations. 4. Do not overlook "creature comforts". Especially aisle space and AIR CONDITIONING. When you pack a lot of bodies into a small room it can (WILL) go from comfortable to hot in a hurry. Make sure you start on the cold side before the session starts. 5. Run a tight ship. Keep scheduling tight. Have clearly defined start and end times. Start on time and make sure you have a good way to end things early if needed for the respective operators. It's ok if you choose to allow operators to start early/late or leave early/late, just make sure it doesn't affect those that are still arriving and leaving on-time. Expect RSVP's from operators and set the expectation that they may not be able to participate if they don't respond and/or just show up. I'm not saying be a jerk and get too anal about all of this stuff, but just set expectations so that people know what is going on. Life happens and people are gonna be late or need to leave early. That's fine just don't let it stop down the entire session....try to make it seamless. Most of the layouts I've operated on do a good job of this, but it's because they prepare and I appreciate that. It's all about common courtesy and not letting one bad apple spoil the bunch. 6. If you have a bad loco or car, pull it. Don't sit there and screw around with it for half an hour cursing at it. Just replace it and keep the session moving along. 7. Know your operators. Don't put a newbie at Yardmaster. Keep an eye on first-timers and help them along if they act like they need it.
First thing you need is a good desgin. Armstrong's "Track planning for realistic operation". Thats a gimme. Second thing is a reapeat of the above, reliable reliable reliable. Third thing is a good bunch of guys to operate it with so you enjoy it!
Byron Henderson has posted some thoughts on designing for operations that might be useful to read through. He focuses on three factors he thinks necessary for a good operating experience : - Personality - Interaction and - Balance Personality involves giving your railroad, your industries and your trains a purpose, instead of everything just being generic. Interaction (between trains, between operators, between layout and staging) makes it more interesting than having a large play pen where four people are playing individually in separate corners. And balance refers to things like staging capacity, number of trains, train lengths vs siding lengths, time for yard work vs time for running across the road and so on and so forth. A presentation of this 2004 clinic can be found here: http://www.layoutvision.com/id25.html Smile, Stein, who can't speak from personal experience about operating layouts with multiple operators
Great thread, in my experience there needs to be a purpose for the layout, one of my failings of my first layout was it had no particular reason, therefore it was mainly a long dogbone loop with limited switching operations. You soon get bored with watching a train doing a long circuit hence why me next layout will be point to point with good switching opportunities and lots of industries
