Oh Brakie, now you did it, you mentioned that "u" word. Unions!
Yes, I think we are looking at 2 different era's with these moves. I am giving modeling information about Shop/RIP and Team track moves based on my more recent experieces, with 2 different types of railroads that I worked for, who performed these moves daily. I have worked for both a Class 1 (Conrail) and a Class 2 (NYSW). Both roads performed these moves daily, but both had their own way of doing them. Let me try to explain because it may give some of you some insight on how you can operate your layout depending on what road your modeling. Though BOTH railroads were unionized, both operated with 2 different charecteristics.
With the NYSW, train crews were ordered, mostly, around customer needs. I can't tell you how many times we had to wait for the inbound interchange with that "hot car" for ABC company to arrive, before we could go to work. There was no 9-5 job on the railroad. There was no "routine" for the local. You serviced EVERY customer that needed a switch, when they needed a switch. That was the "shortline" way. Every customer was, basically, your employer. An NYSW train crew did it all. A train crew could start out as a yard job and turn into a local if a customer needed a switch outside of the yard. You could NEVER count on a 8 hour day on a shortline. We moved power in the shop, switched cars to and from RIP tracks, team tracks, and yard tracks, and interchanged cars between different railroads. We ran as locals serving customers on different branches. Some days were spent, in Utica NY, switching passenger cars in and out of the shop. We even ran "deadhead" passenger trains to get the equipment to a certain location for a trip. Local crews were in charge of their own brake tests, including hanging their own marker.
With Conrail, it was a bit different, in some ways. 1st of all, most yard jobs and locals were SCHEDULED! They had a certain route or track to run, serviced who needed to be serviced while they were out there - even if it was only 1 customer! The yard jobs did much the same as NYSW. They made up trains, switched team track customers within the yard and put the defective cars to/from the RIP/Shop tracks. Train crews knew when they were going to work and, sometimes knew how long they would be out there. The only thing they never did was "hostle" power. CR had their own shop "hostlers". As for "classing trains", CR relied on 2 jobs for this. The "humper" and the "puller". The humper, of course, was in charge of pushing the inbound cars over the hump at one end of the yard, into the class yard. The puller pulled the cars from the different class tracks to make up outbound trains at the other end of the yard. (I would LOVE to see that modeled someday). Conrail had their own car dept. which was in charge of all brake tests in the yard. They hung all markers on trains in the yard. Outside of the yard, it was up to the train crew.
The difference between the two roads was that, I believe, more customer loyalty is shown by the shortline because without the customer, their is no shortline. With the Class 1, well, not so much loyalty. Yes some crews were dedicated to their job, while others, well, not so much. It was a paycheck, even if the work did not get done.
I have tried to adapt some of these moves for modeling purposes only. I am trying to convey to other modelers that there is so much more that goes on behind the scenes on the railroad than just running trains. It's these "behind the scenes" moves, that can make for some interesting, and unusual operations.
Shop, RIP and Team track moves are easy operating installations without "high price" additions to your layout. You don't need fancy warehouses or buildings. You don't need certain railcars or rollingstock. These are quick, simple additions that can be made to ANY Layout in ANY scale. Using some of the information I have given, you can create just about any scenerio you want.
But Beware..your operators may start asking if they can 'organize'.
Doing my best to stay on track and to live each day to it's fullest, trying not to upset people along the way. I have no enemies.....just friends who don't understand my point of view.
Steve
Let's go Devils!
