nice

I like the idea. I am now trying to figure out how to make it work in N with a plywood base

Good job James

Good idea using the piano wire. There's another reason for using a foam base. 

You also have the conductor riding where most do on long shove moves. When I was "on the ground", aka working as a conductor I found that positioning myself with my feet on the ladder rung above the foot stirrup offered the best riding spot. Often I would wrap one arm around a ladder rung and use the other to hold my radio. At night I would use the hoop of the lantern and hold it with the same arm I used for my radio. It was always easiest to ride when you tried to stand straight up with your body close to the side of the equipment. Extending your body out away from the car keeps your clothes clean but puts a real strain on your arms. As a matter of fact one of the test a new hire conductor must take is called a hang test. To pass the test you have to hang onto the side of the car with your arms out for a predetermined amount of time. It sounds pretty easy but you wouldn't believe how many fail the test. CSX requires the same type of test and is currently in a class action lawsuit because an uneven proportion of females cannot pass the test compared to males even though plenty of males with little arm strength fail it too.

Tim

F Unit Hell

Using the EMD F unit corner pilot step along with the low grab on the pilot anti-climber was especially brutal.  Better have good arms and a strong back to ride in that position!

Nice option

Hi James, Adding the wire to base of the figure is a nice option for locating the conductor on the side of the car or on the ground. For my videos using the conductor I use "sticky tack" which works OK for the video but is not a good option for an ops session as it takes a little work to get the figure to stand up correctly. I am going to add a wire to one of my conductor figures and see how it works. I use a extruded foam base for my layout so it should be easy to locate the conductor on the ground.

I have found using a conductor for an ops session helps me visualize the work of the prototype crew and slows down the switching, which is a good benefit for a small layout. As an added plus, it just looks cool to see the conductor riding the point for a shove move. Thanks for posting your idea. As they say "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", so Scott should be very proud he inspired your conductor riding idea. 

Tom Klimoski

Modeling the Georgia Northeastern 

Tom, the inspiration…

…is moving down the line from you. 

Notice how James implements his riding conductor immediately while mine is, ahem, just an idea at this point. 

One Little Spark

You deserve credit as well Tom. Scott proved that it could be done, and I'm just borrowing, adapting, or stealing outright from both of you. I'll gladly admit that every good idea on my layout comes from someone else and every bad idea is mine.

In between writing a research proposal and grading midterms I did get the chance to test this procedure this afternoon. Adapting it to a full op session is going to be interesting, especially when I have guest operators, but with time I think I can make it work.

Just about every photo I've taken of conductors riding cars shows them doing exactly that. I'm hoping I can adapt a conductor figure to be able to ride on ever car in my fleet, a considerably easier process on a smaller railroad.

James

Rather amazing Tim. I am

Rather amazing Tim. I am trying to figure out how one can justify such a suit when it seems job related. I would hope that a suit is filed against the instigators of this mess and their council.

A dumb question from a foreigner

For years in flight school I used to teach that "The only stupid question is the one which isn't asked"!  So I am going to ask.

I model CNR/CPR in the western CA provinces (as well as UK00 and European H0) and can find no mention in the Canadian documents I have of the role of a "Conductor" riding on the back of the trains.  The figures look impressive as modelled, but what do they actually do?

Is this just a US practice, or North American wide?  Perhaps safety, I could see when attaching cars to a local freight, or changing the direction of switches, but is that not the job of a Brakeman?

But I wonder please if someone could explain for people not familiar with the intricacies of US railroads,how they use these figures in their modelling scene to replicate 1:1 scale practice?

Thanks

Norman

In todays railroading a

In todays railroading a "shove movement" backing up the train requires a set of eyes, someone has to be able to see the rear of the train and be able to communicate with the engineer that the stated distance is clear of obstructions. 

Info from NS operating rules can be found on page 82

http://davewisniewski.com/bletdiv4/documents/rules/Operating%20Rules%20Book%2001%2001%202015.pdf

Conductors

Also, with modern two-man crews, conductors do all the work on the ground that used to be done by brakemen. 

The Man on the Ground

And that's the real reason for doing this. The Grimes Line is a layout built on procedures, and a conductor's interaction with a train is key.

Modern conductors have to throw switches, uncouple cars, connect air hoses, unlock gates and derails, etc. All those procedures take time. Having a reminder of where the conductor physically is, and having to physically move him between each step, adds time... and hence length... to an op session.

The fact that I can emulate this process with an actual conductor figure that can physically ride a car is a bonus.

James

Human interaction is important

As James alluded to, including a conductor adds to the "play" value of operations. With switching operations, the human element is significant and is something that is lacking in many of the layouts that feature realistic operations. 

When I watch the prototype at trackside switching an industry, the conductor on the ground plays a huge role. Why not include our own model of a conductor going through his movements –  like a game board piece. 

Plus, there’s just something about a conductor riding the last car of a small cut of cars, or on the bottom step of a locomotive, that is so darn cool! Gotta have it on my layout.

Canada

Yup, this is standard practice in Canada too.

Conductor

What a creative idea in having a conductor to protect a shove, maybe if just a short section of fine wire was inserted into the conductor's foot and a matching hole drilled through the bottom rung of the ladder, this method could be made to work with models that have molded on details such as grab irons.   The flag hung in the coupler seems to be a bit oversized though, most flags that I have found in use have been roughly 18 x 18 inches and a vibrant red color.  Material used in the flag construction seems to vary wildly from coarse to shiny cloth and handles from folded wire to wood. 

OPS and substitute

I can picture the awesome ops on Grimes line. With the locked switch throws and a guy on the ground. Great ideas!!

I am thinking for the time being of using a wire nut as the "conductor / switchman" on the ground.  Pins in scenery and magnets underfoot both sound like great "temporary place holders.

* *  figures in the weeds and dirt  brings up another question: do RR'ers use a lot of bug spray? I was out under the Kate Shelley and at B&SVRR yesterday, the trackside bugs were horrible! * *

Wire Nut Conductors

I actually did use small wire nuts for a brief time to remind me of the conductors position during op sessions. Once I got comfortable with a slower pace, I would use the wire nuts with visiting operators, but that also fell out of favor.

Again, the option of having an actual conductor figure available is both an operational and visual improvement.

James

I've gotta do this

What a terrific idea!

I've found figures on the ground near the track really help my middle school students get the feel of scale speed and mass, and I've found that piano wire of sufficient thickness cut at an angle works well even in my homosote track bed (though admittedly not as well as it would in foam).

But having the figures represent the train crew doing their jobs by moving them around will really help students get into the heads of the crew. I use four-person crews and it's difficult for them to keep track of who is exactly where when they're executing switching moves. This really opens up some possibilities. Thanks for infecting me with the idea!

I'm thinking students may need some small tongs to reach into tight spaces...

Jeff Allen

To Scale

Believe it or not, the EOT flag is a scale 18x18. I've seen red flags, but have seen more in safety orange on the Grimes Line. 

James

James…

That riding conductor looks awesome in the photo!

Can you tell me what figure

Can you tell me what figure was used or the riding conductor/ brakeman in the photos please?  I'd like to do the same

Modern Railroad Figures

It was part of a Walthers set of "Modern Railroad Figures" that I picked up a while ago. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

James

Thanks, James.

Thanks, James.

Riding conductor

Agreed!  Very realistic!

I don't plan to use these as part of operations since it'd encourage quite a bit more reaching into scenes, and thus the potential for collateral damage, especially in my deeper scenes and yard operations, but that figure would be great for photos.  Those issues aren't likely a problem for James and Scott, and I'm sure it'll add to the fun.

YMMV

Very true Joe. This is yet another one of those "things" that those of us with smaller layouts do to increase the time it takes to operate, hence increasing the apparent size of our layouts.

If I was modeling anything approaching the West End, there's no way I'd try to incorporate this into my op scheme. However, since I'm still on my beginner (cough) layout, I'm good.

James