Hi all you three rail scalers

So far there has been great information sharing on this forum about locomotives, cars, modular layouts, turntables and other topics. In that spirit of collective learning and sharing of information, I would like to start a thread about a basic aspect of railroading, switching operations.

If you have information on equipment or operating practices that facilitate more prototypical switching please let us know. Weather it involves couplers, locomotives and cars, command control or operating practices I would like to benefit from your experience and I am sure many others would as well.

To start tings off I'll offer some experience I have had with DCS 4.02. I find speed mode very helpful. This increases the response time of DCS by allowing the hand held to issue new commands before receiving a reply to the last command from the TIU. This dramatically increases the pace with which one can control locomotive operation and sound functions.

My favorite use of speed mode has come while switching, particularly with the SW1 and latest Geeps which have improved speakers and Roots blown 567 sound files. When pulling a long cut of cars out of a yard I couple on to the cut, reverse direction, rev up to Run 3 and then put the locomotive into motion. If I am pulling the cut a ling distance I will get moving a few smph and notch out the throttle some more before scrolling up the speed further. Before slowing down and reversing direction I notch down the throttle before making a speed change. I find the effect very closely emulates the prototype. At run 8 there is quite a rumble coming from these locomotives and at slow speed it really sounds like the amp meter is pegged.

I have also set switchers for rapid acceleration/deceleration rates. 4.02 adds the Quick Speed feature which presets a speed for a locomotive. Hitting Quick speed will take a locomotive from its present speed to the predetermined set point as rapidly as the accel/deccel rate will allow. This eliminates the need to scroll the thumb wheel to change speed.

Most of my cars are not free rolling enough to make it very far down a siding or yard track coasting on their own. However, I have found diecast K-line cars to be very free rolling. With quick speed I have been able to kick a free rolling car and let it coast down the track as the switcher goes on to it's next move.

So let's hear it. What are you doing to enhance the realism of your switching operations?

I have been making up train orders for my crews. I have had trouble setting up sessions on a regular basis. Just can't get in to a rythym, but I'm working on it.

Now that sounds like some of the stuff I saw SP doing in Chaney Yard here in Houston?

Now has anybody done Englewood...a hump yard?

R.R.

Thanks for the reply! Are your crews making pick ups and set outs at industries along the way or getting orders for meets along the main line?

Congratulations to you and your fellow Indianans up the river on the Miss Madison's first national championship. I sure hope things work out for the race in Evansville next year.

Pickups and set outs! How do you know so much about E'ville?

RR

Great to hear about the pick ups and set outs. Keep us posted as things develop.

I'm from Seattle, where unlimited hydroplanes are the national sport. Even at Safeco Field the Mariners play video hydro races between innings and the Oberto always wins. Art Oberto's house on Lake Washington is the same one that Wild Bill Cantrell landed at when the Gale lost her rudder in the north turn back in the 50s. The Ohio valley gets a lot of respect from Seattle hydro fans. Now Detroit, that is another matter.

I have heard a lot about the Seattle race also. A BIG race. I remember watching Bill Muncie take the Miss Atlas Van Lines out for its"lesurely tour" Even in a piston powered boat! Ever get to the Midwest come on in!

As long as the switching does not involve placing little tabs or other markers on the roofs of the freight cars!!!

That makes me think of a layout as a big Monopoly game, and I hate board games. Just a personal thing!

But switching is one of my favorite operations now that I've completed the move to Kadees.

Jim

Jim

I'm with you on the tabs. Model railroading should be something more than a board game. Besides, I've never seen a 1:1 scale box car with a tab on the roof.

Besides the easy closing, what benefits have you found from going to Kadees?

What are you guys doing for train orders or switch lists?

R.R. Thanks for the invite! Same goes for you is you are out in Seattle.

quote:

Originally posted by Kanasket:
Jim

...Besides the easy closing, what benefits have you found from going to Kadees?...

Kanasket,
Appearance, ease of coupling, ease of uncoupling anywhere on my walk-around layout with an uncoupling tool, delayed uncoupling (couplers can be set in delay position with the tool and the car then pushed to its desired location), no accidental uncouplings, no balky, erratic electrocouplers --- that about sums it up!

Jim

quote:

What are you guys doing for train orders or switch lists?

I purchased Railbase Pro quite a while ago, and have my car inventory built in there. One of the programs in the package is "Ship-it Car Cards", which prints out a very nice 2"x4" car card, as well as a pocket for the waybill. I've lost some of my discipline on getting new equipment into Railbase, but no car gets on the railroad until there is a car card made for it, which I usually just write out manually.

With the car cards, the operator has to read the car number on the side of the car, has to know the towns on the railroad, and which industry is where. When the crews screw up, the character assasination begins. That is when the real fun of an operating session starts.

If the user is smart enough to set up their railroad in Ship-It, the waybills will print out for each session. I'm not that smart, so I made up my own four sided waybills, and have tweaked the destinations just a little bit from my original setup. Even if I finally do dedicate the time to learning Ship-it, I can't see doing it without putting in the thought required to run a session manually.

I don't print out switch lists. If the crews want switch lists, they can look at the waybills of the cars in their train, and write out their own switchlists, just like in the old days.

I do the train orders manually, just like the old days. I type them out, but in the computer on a Form 19 that I have set up in Microsoft Word. Ship-it can do that Form 19s too, if you are smart enough to figure out how to use the program, which to date I haven't been.

I generate about 30 train orders during a six hour session.

The only trains presently on my timetable are my passenger trains. Six trains daily, whose only function on the railroad is to screw up the freight service.

Regards,
jerry Zeman

Jerry,

You use the passenger trains to screw up freight service? You must not be modeling UP, as their goal is to screw up passenger service.

On a serious note, is Railbase Pro still a current software package? Are their others out there that might be useful as well?

Jim

Thanks for the contribution. Can you tell me more about delayed uncoupling? That sounds very useful.

Jonathan

Jerry is modeling the Northern Pacific, of course the passenger trains run on time.

NP, GN, BN, BNSF, they all take care of the varnish. If there is a finer long distance train in America today that the Empire Builder I don't know what it would be.

Jerry

Thanks for the info. I found ship it here.

I hadn't seen their software before. That is just the kind of thing I was hoping to hear about on this thread. Any chance you could post an image of one of your car cards or Form 19s?

quote:

Originally posted by GG-1 4877:
Jerry,

You use the passenger trains to screw up freight service? You must not be modeling UP, as their goal is to screw up passenger service.

Jonathan,
You need to come ride the MARC Camden line (Leased from CSX) to see how this mix of commuter and freight can screw up a day.

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Quote:
Jim

Thanks for the contribution. Can you tell me more about delayed uncoupling? That sounds very useful.
**************************

Kankaset,
We were just talking about that on the Kadee thread.

Here's the link:
Kadee coupling and uncoupling

Scroll quite a ways down to where stevin and I are talking about uncoupling.

Jim

How many of you uncouple manually vs with an uncoupler section of track?

--Greg

I prefer the manual method. I don't want any unsightly magnets (electric or otherwise) on my yard/industrial tracks.

quote:

Originally posted by Greg Houser:
How many of you uncouple manually vs with an uncoupler section of track?

--Greg

If you go look in the uncoupler thread, you'll see most do it manually.
One guy made a cool looking magnetic fork.

I have some giant magnets taken from an old disk drive. They are
about the size of a child's fist. I'm thinking I'll be able to
uncouple from across the room, but the downside will be the entire
train will uncouple. :-) (Seriously, these things are strong. I can
put it in the palm of my hand and hold a good sized piece of silverware
on the back of my hand...but they have no use with Kadees, sigh.)

Mike