is anyone using waybills out there for your switching also dispatcher reports. if so did you do them yourself or were they on a program somewhere. i used waybills for switching and train/car handling the other night for the first time and i found out that it is not the pain i thought it would be. our club will begin operations at shows sometime in the next few months and they are in for a shocker when they find out that they couldn't switch a boxcar of roses around a gondola full of s@@t. they think that it only consists of grabbing a handfull of cars and running around the layout dropping them of in different positions and picking them back up the next time, so i am going to rock the boat a little and propose waybills and other items, also these are going to be used on my home layout. thanks mitch.
There are several software programs out there that will generate waybills/switchlists. One I am working with right now is called Interchange. It is available for free download at http://www.mcswiz.com/MCSMRCDS/MainPage.asp. Be aware that this program is still in development and it does have some problems, but once all the problems are all found and fixed it promises to be a great program. A lot of the program was specifically designed for use by large clubs. The program is currently being tested by the Toronto O Scale club for which there is an article in the recent MRR.
Several years ago, Model Railroader ran a series on building a 4x6-foot HO layout, including switching with switch lists. The form they used was available to readers to photocopy & use for their own layouts (and MR did say it was OK). I did this for my late HO scale Oklahoma & North Eastern, and found it to be useful. Going with a 6:1 fast clock, I found I could simulate a good day's switching on a 9x11-foot layout without much trouble. As I get time, I'm gonna try the same switchlist on my N scale Paris & Mt. Pleasant. The yards are represented by staging tracks, so I'll have to prestage trains before I start operating. With about 5 or 6 shippers, it should be a decent day's work. I prefer the switchlist because of the reduced paperwork, and also because I have to deal with paperwork at my job- the less I have to deal with, the better. If you like using waybills and car cards, more power to you- I've used them at friends' layouts, and they work fine. But on my layout, it's the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Highball, y'all! [ 02 July 2002, 03:21: Message edited by: friscobob ]
