Focus has been more on train operation

My layout now built and operational for a number of years,  my focus has been more on operation.   Some days, maybe only 15 minutes, other days maybe an hour or two running trains.  I use a continuous operation plan with, one main line freight, two locals and a passenger train.  Each train is operated to how its particular prototype was back in the early 1960s.  My operation is more like a train crew doing switching work than just an engineer driving the train, the layout is not large.

I do a little railfaning my layout by taking pictures and movies to post on my layout web pages.  And still do plenty of model building, mostly structures.

I'm more interested in Train-orders and CTC side of the railroad business than just driving the train.  I've had cab rides over SP's Siskiyou Line back in the 70s, even had to get off the engine in the middle of the night and throw dirt on the rail because the engine was out of sand and doing one MPH almost to a stall.   That night cooled my thinking on wanting to work as a  trainman for a living.
 

Operations On My Pike? That's a New Idea for me!

As I build my RGS and read more & more about operation on it and what the RGS was built for as well as reading Joes posts about Op sessions I have started to take an interest in a new side of Model Railroading at least for me anyway.

When I was a kid, more than 45 years ago My father built me an "S" gauge Railroad using the 3 American train sets I owned. It was a fare size railroad about 12 X 18 with 2 cut outs in the middle. It had a yard at one side and a town at each end one upper and one lower. There were 2 different main lines,1 around the edge with a figure 8 spir that you could switch off of to get on the second Main line that went up to a second level along a mountain and in a few spots through tunnels. at 10 years old I was more into operation and may have done it all wrong but I set up a time table and with a 5 minute wind up cooking timer and 2 big old Transformers for power. I would run two trains at a time and each had their own time table to make it to both stations as well as a few sidings to a mine a cattle loader that really loaded cows and horses. I also had a Beer company with Barrels of beer and a loader for them.  There was plenty of operations for a 10 year old but I believe that this isn't the type of Operations that Joes latest Operating like the prototype post implies so, I am going to be watching & reading this series of clinics and maybe I'll learn something new.