Scenario Card Experiment!

[Southern Tuxedo]

I have a refrigerator that leaks water onto the kitchen floor every once in a while, so I would be very interested in getting some guarantee/warrantee information from the
Peeless Appliance Co.

Mark

[Ralph]

....and an industry is born!

OK, so just looking at the selected scenario cards, I'm a bit concerned that this might turn out to be complicated. Jim Kelly's article was about using scenario cards to build one train. I'm using them to tell me how many trains to build and what each should include. I'll run through the process anyway and see what happens. If it is too complicated I'll try again one train at a time.

Theoretically, by luck of the draw, I could have selected scenario cards that would have let me easily create a train running in one direction that could serve all of the selected industries using trailing sidings (i.e. all "back up" moves into the spurs). That's not what happened here though. I have cars that will need to be picked up or set out by trains coming from both directions, and from different originating points AND different destinations. At first glance I think I see the need for three trains here....but let's take a closer look.

I developed the tool pictured below that I think will help me make quick decisions about creating trains based on the scenario cards drawn.


I call this my Route Map. It lists the regularly scheduled locals on my layout. I slip the paper map into a laminate sleeve so I can use a dry erase pen to mark off what industries are being served this session.

Some locals originate in Mayfield (a staging track), some at Kings Port (staged just visible coming from under an overpass...suggesting the entrance to Williams Yard). Each train has a list of industries in schematic order. These are all trailing spur oriented. Oh, the "Pocket" is a siding in Kings Port that I sometimes store locomotives on but also use as an interchange track on occasion.

[Ralph]

Dang it! I had a long post following the one above but miss-keyed and it vanished! I'll type it again later as I want to get some yard work in (the lawn kind not the freight car variety) before it rains. Arrrgggh!

[Ralph]

All right. I'm back after spreading some mulch on flower beds and completing other outdoor chores. The rains have started so I got it all done in time. Now let's see if I can post the following info successfully! I filled out the route sheet according to the information on the scenario cards. It is as I thought...I'll need more than one train to serve all of the customer demands for today. Here is what it looks like:


I'll go through it line by line. I've circled the places where trains originate and underlined the industires/destinations the train will serve. I also note "P" for pick up and "S" for set up.

First we have a delivery of coal cars for KP Steel coming from Mayfield. No other traffic from Mayfield so I think I'll call this run an extra.

Secondly, Sal's Salvage and the Team Track in Kings Port request service from the KP&W that will terminate at West Mill's Float Yard. This will be a KP&W extra that the crew refers to as the "Scrap Job".

Thirdly, the most work for today will be done by local KM-3 (Kings Port to Mayfield) which will serve Hedberg Aggregates, KOSCO, GERN and PEERLESS Appliance in Mayfield. The scenario card for KOSCO says their tank cars need to go to the Float Yard. Fortunately KM-3 can switch the Float Yard before branching off to Mayfield.

Finally the only request for service from the Penvan area is the delivery of two hoppers to Ulster Cement. That will be done by a short extra out of Kings Port's Williams Yard.

Serving industries off layout like PEERLESS and Ulster Cement only involve sending the cars to a hidden staging track.

Next I'll take photos of the set up for all of the scenarios on the route sheet. This will include the completion of switch lists for each train.

Thanks for your patience in following along!

[Tyson Rayles]

Why do you worry about the siding being a facing or trailing point? If it's a facing that just gives you some extra switching time.

[Brakie]

Why do you worry about the siding being a facing or trailing point? If it's a facing that just gives you some extra switching time.

Or better instead of doing a lot of unneeded moves,why not switch the industry on your return trip?

A lot of stuff modelers do in the name of "operation" is unbelievable.

While many will say it just a hobby,your layout etc they seem to forget we are trying to emulate the prototype in our modeling and limited operation..

Ralph, Great topic..I've thought about using situation cards with switch lists instead of CC/WB.

[Ralph]

Hi Tyson,

I have some industries that would be pretty inconvenient to switch because there isn't a runaround track available for some distance. As Brakie noted, I tend to serve them with trains coming the other way, or else the local is a "turn" that goes out and back and catches "facing sidings" as "trailing sidings" when coming back. I do switch some facing sidings with shot runs such as when a switcher and a few cars eave the Float Yard to switch nearby GERN, Empire Grain or Sal's Salvage. They slow run it through local trackage. I think this looks reasonable compared to a good sized local pushing a car in front of a loco for miles. I get the idea of enjoying more work (i.e. switching fun) but I seem to get plenty of opportunities for that.

[Brakie]

Ralph:I think this looks reasonable compared to a good sized local pushing a car in front of a loco for miles.
-------------------------------------
Not to mention the brakeman riding on the side of the car protecting the shove..
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Ralph:
I do switch some facing sidings with shot runs such as when a switcher and a few cars eave the Float Yard to switch nearby GERN, Empire Grain or Sal's Salvage.
------------------------------------------
Indeed..That is called a Traveling Switch Engine or TSE for short..Their job was to switch industries next to yards.
Just for fun..The job class came under "yard " work agreements and 99% of the time was held by senior employees.

[Ralph]

TSE? That's good to know, thanks!

Let's start staging trains! First the extra from Mayfield to KP Steel.



The four cars are staged with a caboose and locomotive 3007...


...and it's rolled out of sight into the staging that represents Mayfield.

[Ralph]

Next up, the KP&W short run to serve the team track and Sal's Salvage.

The empty gon to be set out..

and the loaded gon to be picked up...


...and the boxcar staged on the team track to be picked up.



The switcher will take the empty gon with it, pull the boxcar at the team track and then exchange gons at Sal's Salvage, bringing a loaded gon and an empty boxcar to the Float Yard.

[Ralph]

Next is staging KM-3 out of Kings Port for Mayfield.



Two tankers for the train leaving Kings Port...


...and two to pick up at KOSCO




Two empty hoppers for KM-3 to delver to Hedberg Aggregates...


....and two loaded hoppers to pick up there.


The remaining scenario card for KM-3 calls for four loaded boxcars to be picked up at GERN. I staged those at the industry but haven't taken a photo of them.

After that I need to stage the two car hopper run from Kings Port to Ulster Cement in Penvan. Once that's done I'll have set up all of the scenario cards and trains.

Since I tend to run the layout an hour here and an hour there, I can get as much of this work done (and run the regularly scheduled "through" trains) as I wish. It might take me a couple of days or more to finish all of the scenarios. My hope was that the effort to set this up would provide enough interesting operations to make it worthwhile...and then I'd draw again to set up a whole new set of scenarios.

Prior to running the trains I can create a switch list to carry around instead of the scenario cards. Since most of the trains are pretty short I think I'd only make one for KM-3 which I will illustrate in my next post.

I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed by the small size of some of the trains (i.e. a four car run from Mayfield and a two car run to Penvan.) I also wish there had been some car float operations but it wasn't in the draw. I'm thinking that this process may be a bit cumbersome for setting up all layout operations at once and I'm considering the idea of using the scenario cards more like they were intended in Kelly's article. In other words I'd select cards for one train at a time. Let me think about that.....

[Ralph]

I'll play this out as far as tracking one train from the scenario cards.

Here is KM-3 composed of two hoppers, two tankers, caboose, and locomotive...


...and here is the switch list for KM-3 based on the scenario cards.


I'll run this train in the next few posts....

[Ralph]

I changed my mind! I'm trying a simpler approach in this thread: <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=6785">viewtopic.php?f=54&t=6785</a><!-- l -->