I am looking for a rather simple method of operating my layout. It is switching only and I don't want to just switch car for car.
In the current issue of Model Railroad Planning there is an article by John Flann and in it he mentions that he uses an oversized deck of playing cards to switch his layout. He uses the cards for train length and movements but does not go into any detail as to how his system works. Is anyone familiar with this system? Any help will be appreciated.
Bob

I haven't seen the new issue of MR, yet; but the system you describe doesn't sound much different than any other system of random switching of cars. I think I would make a list of your industries and what products they would receive and/or ship out. Then use that list to build switch lists for switching out the industries.

Or you can use car cards and waybills.
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This would get you started.
Dallas Model Works also has programs online to make car cards and waybills.
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Loren

Back in the mid 1990s Model Railroader ran a series called "especially for beginners". I think it ran about two years, and one installment was how to operate a small layout. I think Kalmbach has taken the series and published it as a book. They used a variation of the card/waybill system, and my memory says the article was easy to understand and follow, and seemed like a logical approach to operating a small layout. I think the book is "ho layout from start to finish" or something like that, and the article is one of the last in the series, but I don't remember what issue of model railroader it was published in. My guess it was around 1994.

I don't know if my system will work for you. I call it mine but I may have seen it some where and don't remember. Each car has a card with a series of destinations on it.Here is a card with a train order sheet that is just beginning to be made up.



If you look at the top you will see it is going to the furniture plant. The train order says to drop that car at the furniture plant. A dispatcher makes up the train orders from the car cards.Here is the dispatchers board. It has a clip for every destination.



If you look back at the card you will see a list of places on the side where it will go to next. Next destination is Baltimore, that is off the layout. Then Clifton Forge which is a yard on the layout. then J&M is a short line and it continues. The Engineer never sees the cards only the train orders.
That is the basics of my system it works very well and is very easy once it is up and running. This car will move 10 times before it returns to the furniture plant. I hope this helps Let me know if you wan't more details

There's also numerous computer programs available, some free. Once you program them with your industries and rolling stock, all you do is run the program and it generates a switch list.

Loren

I'm not sure how they use the playing cards but I made up my own deck of cards with the names of my layout's industries on them. I've made two cards for each industry, one representing deliveries or set-outs to that business (with the letter "S" on the backside of the card), and the other representing pick-ups with the letter "P" on the backside). The cards include a little information about what kinds of cars might be associated with each business. I shuffle the cards and decide how many I want to select. I then deal out that number of cards and create a train and set up the layout accordingly.

For example, if I decide to deal myself 10 cards I might get six set-outs, three pick-ups, and maybe one industry that needs both a pick-up and set-out. Before starting operations I place freight cars at the industries the cards indicate need pick-ups and then create a train that includes the cars needed for the set-outs. I build the train with the set-out cars arranged in the most sensible order for convenient delivery. When I feel like it, I make a written switch list of these cars and use it as I run the train. I've experimented with using dice to determine how many cars each industry needed set-out or picked-up but it became cumbersome for me so I just decide myself if more than one car might be needed for any particular industry.

Here is a card for one of the customers on my layout. This one has the letter "P" on the backside to indicate "Pick-up".


I might decide that there are two cars to pick up at Hedberg's....


This quick and easy system creates provides some randomness to make things interesting (I never know for sure which industries I'll be switching) but the operations make some sense. Appropriate cars come and go to the industries they would serve. Its been fun for me!

Ralph

Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate it. Lots of good info as usual.
Bob

Bob, if you want to ask John about it, he posts on the MTI forum <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://forum.mtimag.co.uk/index.php?sid=6c11cb9fcd4a8ded21bd9f1b1a3d9e0a">http://forum.mtimag.co.uk/index.php?sid ... 1b1a3d9e0a</a><!-- m -->
You'd need to join to post - but no problem - I moderate it!

shortliner-thanks for the heads-up.I appreciate it.
Bob

nachoman has given by far the best advice in the thread. Track down that article or the book it was republished in and you'll be set. It's a very flexible system that's easy to setup and modify as your layout(s) change.

Bob - you are live!

shortliner and everyone,thanks again for the replies.

foulrift Wrote:I am looking for a rather simple method of operating my layout. It is switching only and I don't want to just switch car for car.
In the current issue of Model Railroad Planning there is an article by John Flann and in it he mentions that he uses an oversized deck of playing cards to switch his layout. He uses the cards for train length and movements but does not go into any detail as to how his system works. Is anyone familiar with this system? Any help will be appreciated.
Bob

Bob,There is no need to switch car for car..You can just make a pickup or setout.

Here's one way it could work..

The local arrives at Bellman's Plastics with a load of plastic pellets..However,the this car can't be spotted at the unloading area because there is a car being unloaded..In this case we will spot the inbound car just clear of the car being unloaded.."Tomorrows " local will switchout the empty and spot the loaded car.


I use simple car card/waybill method.

Each car card has 10 inbound destinations and each industry can double for another.
In other words my Williams Manufacturing can also be used for Altman's Plastics.

When I pull the waybill the car card reads(say) When empty return to CSX.

Thanks Larry-seems simple enough.
Bob