04-02-2012, 06:42 PM
I think you'd tire of this very quickly. In my opinion, it's taking things to the extreme when it isn't really necessary. If your crews are operating too fast, forgetting to set switches back to normal position, etc. - just do like I do and smack them on the back of the head!
A simple set of operating instructions that your crews can read over before the operating session stipulating such things as maximum speeds, taking the time to unlock switches, derails, open gates, wait a few seconds for the brakeman to walk from here to there, flag such and such a crossing and any other special instructions you want to include, should be all you'd need.
Once of Lance's latest gimmicks was to install faucet handles on his fascia at one industry to simulate applying and releasing the hand brakes on cars. Might be fun once or twice and is certainly a novel idea, but your crews would probably find it rather annoying in short order; especially since those faucet handles don't have a quick release like the prototype hand brakes. Having to actually handle a small lock at every switch would have the same effect. Maybe at one important location, such as the entrance to a main track would be okay and might even add to the operational interest, but I'd hold it to just one location.
If you really want to slow things down then make your brakeman/conductor walk around the room until he's covered the actual distance he's supposed to be walking. A little tongue in cheek here, but just making the point that you can take this to the extreme. Having spent years doing this stuff for real, I just want to enjoy operating the train in a realistic fashion, but not make every operating session feel like I was going to work. I find that just operating at scale speeds and waiting a few seconds between moves results in switching times close to what you'd really encounter, but without over doing it.
A simple set of operating instructions that your crews can read over before the operating session stipulating such things as maximum speeds, taking the time to unlock switches, derails, open gates, wait a few seconds for the brakeman to walk from here to there, flag such and such a crossing and any other special instructions you want to include, should be all you'd need.
Once of Lance's latest gimmicks was to install faucet handles on his fascia at one industry to simulate applying and releasing the hand brakes on cars. Might be fun once or twice and is certainly a novel idea, but your crews would probably find it rather annoying in short order; especially since those faucet handles don't have a quick release like the prototype hand brakes. Having to actually handle a small lock at every switch would have the same effect. Maybe at one important location, such as the entrance to a main track would be okay and might even add to the operational interest, but I'd hold it to just one location.
If you really want to slow things down then make your brakeman/conductor walk around the room until he's covered the actual distance he's supposed to be walking. A little tongue in cheek here, but just making the point that you can take this to the extreme. Having spent years doing this stuff for real, I just want to enjoy operating the train in a realistic fashion, but not make every operating session feel like I was going to work. I find that just operating at scale speeds and waiting a few seconds between moves results in switching times close to what you'd really encounter, but without over doing it.
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"