First Operating Session


Carey, that sounds kinda like an ARG session a Rex's don't it?
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David/Andy, Eric is referring to when we had a free-for-all:D session at my place. Man, what fun it was. There was nothing formal...just a lot of laughs and some "Uh-Ohs!", but no serious head-ons. After everyone hit the rails with their trains, things were fine for about 45 minutes then and somehow all the trains seem to come together at one crossover from opposite directions. Well, to make it short the Dispatcher got fired...seems he was eating a hamburger instead of directing traffic.:D :D
 
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RexHea said:
... Well, to make it short the Dispatcher got fired...seems he was eating a hamburger instead of directing traffic.:D :D
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...and who, pray tell, was the dispatcher in question?:rolleyes:

David, I echo what the others have said about going the 'humble' route. Nine times out of ten there'll be a veteran there who is just DYING to show you exactly how everything works, just latch onto one of those guys and enjoy the ride.

I'm spoiled, I participate in op sessions at the home layout of a guy with a 90ft-by-30ft model of the N&W Shenandoah Division as of 1956. He plans his sessions well in advance, and assigns teams of one newbie and one veteran, with the newbie usually being the engineer and the 'oldtimer' being the conductor. At first, he had me doing mainline freights so I could become familiar with the locations of the different towns; eventually I was allowed to do locals [my favorite type of assignment so far]. The most-seasoned guys usually end up being yardmasters.

If the layout host has the right attitude [emphasis on having fun versus being prototype-perfect] I think you'll find operating to be much more fun than you'd have ever imagined. At least that's been my experience!
 
CSX_road_slug said:
...and who, pray tell, was the dispatcher in question?:rolleyes:
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Do ya REALLY hafta ask?:D:D

All I can say is I wish I had my camera then!


Andy; Sessions like that would even get on MY nerves. Radios blaring, or even worse, earphones so you couldn't hear what was said to the operator by the dispatcher. I like a "formal" op session, but not like the ones you've been to. Especially since no one seems to want to help you learn the layout, and its various trains.

I've operated using car cards, waybills, track warrents, hand written and computer generated switchlists and my favorites are the waybills and car cards. Most confusing was the computer generated switchlists. Most fun for me was as the yardmaster at Larry Deagons layout here. He models the old Ma&Pa, and I loved being the yardmaster at the Baltimore yard. My job was to make up all the trains that needed to go out and to get ready for the ones from York. I would make up and send out 7-10 trains and recieve a like number down from York.
The layout is approx. 32 x 40, so it was a lot of intense worktime before the schedule started making up the trains but then, I'd have several "hours" off before the trains started coming in from York. Great job!
 
Thanks guys, I just got home from the session, it was pretty laid back, turns out I was the one that they asked questions of :) so I turned out to be too cool after all. If I can motivate myself I will post some pic here.
 
Okay I got them on the Mac here and now to post to the gang, I have 3 shots that are okay, the shot of the BN unit is way out of focus, the guy running was flying so I had a heck of a time getting a shot.

This layout takes up his entire basement, it represents the P&PU in 1975, the whole line. He is building this thing all by himself, what an undertaking. Wow!
 
You speak to soon Grasshopper, pictures now posted :)

No, just a 30 minute drive home, then I had to hear about how both of the GF's kids got in some MAJOR trouble for New Years, ah to Not be young again...
 
I plan on some time taking the tripod and getting some more staged shots, the layout is about 50-55" at the rail high. Problem is he doesn't have any decent railfan photo spots unless I lean way in and set the camera on the actual scenery, which is fine, I just need to get some engines and cars staged for those shots. It is big, he can with no problem run an 80 car unit train and still look like he has to few cars on the line. I think I may get involved with him more often on getting it going for operations. That way the desire to make a basement filled empire will be satisfied without having to do it at home ;)
 
I would love to have an operating session on mine, but I need to get DCC going since I can only run 2 trains at the same time. He is having a large open house in 2 weeks, I may camp there for the 2 day event :) He does want some pictures for himself, so maybe I can talk him into letting me have free run of the place and stage some stuff.

Thanks guys.
 
Thanks David for the pictures. I can easily see where you could have a lot of good running time on that monster.
 
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