Transcript Document

Model Railroading
Operations 101:
Part 4 – Advanced Topics
Seminar
Tom Crosthwait
President, Mogollon & Southwestern RR
&
Fred Bock, MMR,
Chief Dispatcher, M&Sw
Advanced Topics
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Other Model Railroad Responsibilities - Operations:
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Code of Operating Rules – experience, not arbitrariness
Car Forwarding & Delivery Systems
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Card Order – manual - Douglas S. Smith
Tack-on-Car – manual - Ed Ravenscroft
Tab-on-Car – manual - John Allen and others
Switch list -- manual
Station Agent
Computerized Systems
Developing a Layout Operations Plan for your layout
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Superintendent
Traffic Manager
Road Foreman of Engines
Locomotive Hostler
Rolling Stock Manager
Station Agent
Tower Operator
Locale for the railroad and its impact
Traffic Patterns
Train types
Car types, roads, and quantities.
Employee Timetables – guide to the system
Timetable of Trains – passenger and freight
Setting up a Car Forwarding System for your layout
Train Crew Roles - Simplified
• The Superintendent schedules the trains.
• The Yardmaster assembles each train.
• The Dispatcher runs the railroad.
• The Conductor runs his train.
• The Engineer runs his locomotive.
[Rule 920, Rule 800, 801, Rule 712]
Other Model Railroad
Responsibilities - Operations:
• The Modeled World
• The Real (Layout) World
– Scheduling of sessions
– Superintendent
– Types of sessions
– Traffic Manager
– Types of trains
– Road Foreman of
– Timetables
Engines
– Loco types/quantity/maint.
– Rolling Stock Manager
– Car acquisition & maintenance
– Freight Agent
– Industries / structures
– Yardmaster
– Yard Crews / Personnel • (Not applicable)
– Dispatcher
– Train Crews
THE END
of
Model Railroading
Operations 101:
Part 4 – Advanced Topics
Appendix: Additional Topics
• Review of Hand Signals
• Dispatching and Signaling - types
• Classes of Trains
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Priorities among trains of same and different classes
Scheduled Trains vs. Extra Trains
Numbering of Scheduled Trains: North vs South
Turns – out and back
Dispatcher override – changing priorities
• AREMA Speed Classes and turnouts
Hand Signals for Switching
• With modern DCC sound systems, the noise
in an operating session is high.
• Some operators have hearing problems.
• Implication: it’s better to use hand signals
between conductor-brakeman and engineer
than to try to talk above the noise of
locomotives and other operators.
• Rule 7: hand signals must be given sufficiently in
advance to permit compliance. . .
Common Hand Signals
• Back-up (reverse)
[RULE 8]
• Slowly (inching)
• Controlled stop
• Stop
- beckon toward self with circular
motion.
- fingers come together
- hands come together
- hold closed hand up.
• You are coupled up
- make closed fist, shake once.
• Go forward
- move open palm, fingers closed,
up and down away from you.
• OK
- thumbs-up /or/ circle
• Highball (leave town)
- pull imaginary steam whistle
twice (“Toot – Toot”)
Types of Dispatching & Signaling
Dispatching
• Station agents – train
orders. [Rule 200]
• Timetable & (written) train
orders. [Rule 82, Rule 200]
• Train sequencing & train
orders.
• Radio-telephone
(verbal) train orders.
• Track warrants.
• CTC – manual
• CTC - electronic
Signaling
• Two basic types of signals:
– Block signals [Rule 261]
– Interlocking signals
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Train-order signaling
Staff system (SP – Donner Pass)
Manual interlocking
Electronic interlocking
Automatic Block Signaling
(ABS) – (block detection)
• Centralized Traffic Control
(CTC) – (dispatcher)
Dispatching & Signaling
• Myth: “You can’t operate a large model railroad
without a dispatcher and an electronic CTC panel.”
• Fact: Dispatching is helpful on a large model
railroad, but not always necessary if all trains are
locals. A “train graph” (paper) or “manual CTC” is all
that is necessary for train control. (Used on M&Sw).
• Myth: “You can’t operate a large model railroad
without signaling.” (False)
• Fact: Many prototype railroads for years did and still
do operate “dark” just fine. So does the M&Sw.
• Myth: “You must have 3-position light or semaphore
signals for effective operations.” (False).
• Fact: Model railroads with signaling systems work
fine with just red and green.
And cost less.
Classes of Trains – M&Sw
• First Class:
• Through, limited, usually named & numbered passenger trains
• Through or limited freight service
• Second Class:
• Local passenger trains
• Mail and express service trains
• General freight service
• Third Class:
• Way freight / “Turns” / local freight trains
• Fourth Class:
• Log trains
• Ore trains
• Fifth Class:
• Work extras
Priorities among Trains
• First Class trains have priority over all other
classes of trains
• Second Class trains have priority over all other
classes except First Class.
• And so on, for all other classes. (Rule 72).
• Passenger trains normally take priority over
freight trains of the same class.
• Northbound trains take priority over
southbound trains of the same class. (Rule S-73).
• Extra trains are inferior to regular (scheduled)
trains (Rule 73) unless overridden by dispatcher.
Scheduled Trains vs. Extras
• A scheduled train (regular train) is:
– Listed on the official timetable.
– Runs according to the schedule in the timetable.
– Has priorities based on timetable schedule.
• An extra train is:
– Not normally listed on the timetable.
– Runs as needed per RR traffic manager.
– Has priorities assigned by dispatcher.
• The dispatcher may change priorities among
scheduled and extra trains to maintain traffic flow.
Train Numbering – M&Sw
• Northbound named passenger or freight trains are
assigned odd train numbers: e.g. Train 21, Train 357
• Southbound trains – are assigned the next higher even
numbers -- e.g. Train 22, Train 358 -- than their
northbound counterparts.
• M&Sw “Turns” originating from Globe are assigned an odd
train number; returning, they adopt the next higher even
number: e.g. Train 121 departs Globe north for Happy
Jack, Train 122 is the same train returning from Happy
Jack south to Globe.
• Extra trains are assigned the road name, number, and
direction of the lead locomotive: e.g. M&Sw Extra #251
North (X251-north), SP Extra 5270 South (X5270-south).
Changing Priorities
• The dispatcher may change priorities among
trains as he deems necessary to keep traffic
moving.
• E.g. Allowing a local freight (4th Class) to pass a
stopped local passenger train (2nd Class) to
proceed to the siding at the next station and hold.
• E.g. “Extra 2341 takes priority over all other trains
to expedite movement of personnel and equipment
to Mary Lake to fight forest fire.”
• Priorities are usually changed by written
train orders (Form 19), track warrants, or
verbal train orders sent to all trains affected.
Train Order Signal
(Lower Quadrant)
Train Order Station – Strawberry, AZ
Track
Warrant
• “Pre-written” train
order form.
• Check-off boxes
for most common
situations.
• Fill in the blanks
for most common
details.
Track
Warrant
• Written by dispatcher.
• Sent by dispatcher
over radio to train
crew (conductor).
• Copied by train crew.
• Read back to
dispatcher for
verification.
• Cleared when actions
specified are
completed.
23
16 July
Train 121
Payson
PAYSON
X
STRAWBERRY
STRAWBERRY
X
XX 2006
HAPPY JACK
X
X
10
9:34 A
Strawberry
FMB
TC
Happy Jack
AREMA SPEED CLASSES
Real-world trains seldom get to go “fast”.
AREMA TURNOUT SPEED CHART
Frog #
Speed Length of Points
AREMA Category
Restricted
Slow
Medium
Limited
Speeds & Layout Design
No. 24
No. 12
About a 2:1 ratio
for Frog Number
Main track, Maximum Speed Turnout
THE END
of
Model Railroading
Operations 101:
Appendix – Additional topics