Thanks for the great description Paul.  I am an operations newbie but I think this is the way I want to approach realistic operations.  Your way of doing the job sounds like a lot of fun.

I can see this type of role playing really appealing to the kids.  I'll definitely have to approach things this way.

I always encourage my guest operators to do that extra "manual labor" - otherwise a one-way trip over the main would end way too soon!

I throw all my switches first and then proceed...worry, i really don;t enjoy stop and go operations - I can enjoy point to point and car from train to siding, but stop and go is the recipe for running a switch in my book.

Obviously, Benny, rule #1 applies - it's your railroad ... but if you want more realistic operation, then lining all the switches only works if you're in CTC territory and the dispatcher is running things. And even in CTC territory, dispatch won't control turnouts that are on side tracks off the main - those will be stop and go handled on the prototype by men on the ground.

It's all in how you get your kicks. I think there's a lot to be said for operating as close to the way the real trains did as possible. It slows down the session and makes the experience last longer - letting you savor it, if you will.

I've done it both ways and have to say, I vastly prefer the "realistic as possible" approach.

On the layouts I am operating on we have one man crews. I always stop my locomotive before throwing a switch. The exception is, as often happens, I am the last one running and everyone is waiting for me to finish what I am doing. I don't bother with this on hidden or "model railroad thinking only" track.

I think with two man crews it would be problematic since one guy is kinda idle at any given moment and may or may not be patient enough. They may wish to proactively range ahead and throw turnouts. Who am I to tell them how to play?

Chris

as a side note- I always seem to get stuck with back seat conductors on the times I did operate as a two man crew. Whats the courtesy in this regard? As an engineer I like to let my conductor have a chance to think through what he is doing before I start making suggestions..

From what I understand of things, the conductior tells the engineer what to do because the conductor is the one who has the responsibility for getting the different cars where they are supposed to go to. So he is obviously in charge of the train. The engineer, therefore, is in charge only of the locomotive.

Now I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the train crew, no matter how many or how few they are, have to work together to get the job done and each makes his or her contribution to getting a train from point A to point B and geeting all of the tasks assigned to that train between this two points done as efficiently as possible.

Irv

When we operate with two man crews we have the engineer run the loco and the conductor handles the waybills, communications with the dispatcher (takes and completes clearances, etc.) and he acts as brakeman, throwing switches and uncoupling cars.  In many ways the conductor has more to do than the engineman.  (Sometimes the engineman can throw a switch here or there, if the conductor is too far away to do it; then he's playing the part of another brakeman on the crew.)

I believe on the prototype, unless the job is the same day in and day out and everyone knows their job, usually there would be a little discussion with the crew where the conductor tells them what he needs done, and then he would orchestrate it from the ground, telling the engineer when to move forward and when to back up, whether by radio or with hand signals.  The engineer just says 'yes, sir, right away sir!' and does what he's told.  All the planning is the conductor's job.

I throw all my switches first and then proceed...worry, i really don;t enjoy stop and go operations - I can enjoy point to point and car from train to siding, but stop and go is the recipe for running a switch in my book.

I didn't know you had completed the layout you had planned!  Show us some pics please!

What do you mean when you say "stop and go is the recipe for running a switch"?  That seems to contradict what you were saying before?

Freakin' foamers. Paul Mack (left) is engineer of the Oakhill Turn with Jerry (middle) conducting. Jordan (right), crew of the Mill Bend Turn is waiting for the Oakhill Turn to finish up in Mill Bend and get out of his way before he commences series car slinging. Two locals in one town at once generally hinders getting anything done.

Now if that conductor would concentrate on running his train instead of running his camera the work might actually get done.

Charlie