steinjr Wrote:Mmmm. You certainly can do fairly realistic car shunting/switching on an inglenook. Or maybe on a super-nook (an oversize inglenook). Using whichever method your prefer, but I suspect that a hand written switch list probably would be the easiest way that also had a realistic flavor here - like on this web page: http://oscalewcor.blogspot.com/2010/02/trackplan-operations.html
But what kind of operations would suit best for your main layout?
For one thing - you do not really need (in my opinion) a simplified system to keep track of what freight cars should go where. You will have very few destinations, and won't be moving a lot of cars.
Based on a quick look at your layout, I would say that with your layout I think my main focus would have been on handling passenger trains at a junction town depot/station, not local freight trains.
Maybe having a train arrive at the depot, switch engines, maybe take off a sleeper that will go onto a connecting train, adding an express mail car, and then wait for another arriving train that will have another coach that needs to go on with our train. I.e centering the action around the depot/station, using the yard as a coach yard for passenger cars.
With the freight train occasionally making an appearance, switching out some cars from the track on the left side of the layout (on the loop side of the little forest), and then going on to pick up some cars from the yard before backing out of the layout back onto one of the staging tracks.
Anyone else have some ideas about possible overall operations plans for Robert ?
Smile,
Stein

nachoman Wrote:I will avoid all previous discussion, and just say that Rob - that is a cool little layout. I don't think I have seen a photo of it before. Those short british 4-wheel wagons probably work fine on those curves and a small layout like that.

FedEx13 Wrote:Gentlemen...(Bob C.), I think you are misunderstanding me. I am, in no way, shape or form, trying to "belittle" anyone in this forum. I am simply responding to a forum post about "OPERATIONS AND SHUNTING" because I feel confident that I can provide INFORMATION to this modeler that he may find useful. THAT"S ALL! I am NOT implying that ANYONE'S ideas are "second rate" or foolish. We ALL have something to learn from model railroading. That's why I enjoy this forum. Different ideas about 1 subject shows us that there is no 1 way to do something. It's not about being right or wrong, it's about being happy with what you are doing. In this case, model railroading makes us all happy. I'm sure we can all agree on that.
...
In the end, I just responded to a to a forum post to provide some information I THOUGHT would be helpful. If I offended or belittled anyone, it was not done on purpose. I try to provide a light-hearted or amusing comment to all my posts to show that I am not a "rivet counter". I guess some don't see it that way. Oh well, as the old saying goes: You can't please all of the people all of the time..........

RobertInOntario Wrote:Basically, I want it to remain a passenger layout but thought I could add variety by adding the occasional freight train or at least having an operational plan for it when it does appear. I'll keep thinking about and mulling over these ideas.

steinjr Wrote:

RobertInOntario Wrote:Basically, I want it to remain a passenger layout but thought I could add variety by adding the occasional freight train or at least having an operational plan for it when it does appear. I'll keep thinking about and mulling over these ideas.

From the website of Craig Bisgeier's Housatonic layout, I found this short introduction to passenger operations in America:
http://www.housatonicrr.com/passops.html

I found this web page about Frisco passenger train handling at Memphis Central Station in 1957:
http://condrenrails.com/MRP/MemphisCentralStation/Frisco_Operations.htm

And Chuck Hitchcock had a description of passenger train operations at his Argentine passenger station in an article in the 1997 edition of Model Railroad Planning. He had a REA express freight terminal and a post office at his station, and had quite a bit of work taking express cars off the trains or putting express cars on the trains. As luck will have it, I can find every issue from 1996 until 2010, except 1997 ...

You might be able to see a little description of his station at google books here:
http://books.google.no/books?id=orbWT5ZnLOcC&pg=PA32

Smile,
Stein