Have you thought about using different train markings or numbers on each side of the train?

Irv

My prototype KCS ran a lot of unit coal trains, and a good number of unit grain trains.  I will be recycling these trains during an operating session.  They all look much the same in the prototype. 

In addition, to save space I will be using "serial" staging, placing one train behind another.  I have an active staging (fiddle) yard at each end of the point-to-point layout, however the staging yards are connected so north bound EMTY unit trains will restage and loaded southbound unit trains will recycle as well.  No need to change the loads.  Unit coal trains will include SEPX, KCLX and BN coal hoppers.  I am running long 35-45 car trains with a helper district.  Recycling the trains also saves the cost of building a bigger fleet to obtain the desired operations.  This also lets me guage the operating session by addding or subtracting unit trains from the session depending upon the operators present.

From an operator viewpoint as long as I don't get the same train each time I don't see a problem. .i.e. my 1st train is from staging to the Lake Coal, my 2nd train is the Tidewater run and then I dispatch then I wouldn't notice.  I think it would be expected to see numerous similar trains during a run and all but  those with the keenest eye wouldn't notice they just passed their last train.

However, if my 1st train is staging to Lake Coal, my 2nd train is Lake Coal to staging and my 3rd train is staging to Lake Coal then the crew call responses may start to sound like crickets.

Two things to consider is crew management and adding to the quality of the run.  Crew management isn't too hard to do and will prevent the above scenario.  3 tricks per session might be a way to do that and give you time to restage.

Outside situations could improve what the guys here refer to role play enhancement (I believe that is the term).  If you have a cattle car you need to stop and water the cattle for 15 fast clock minutes at siding X, if you are steam train- make the crews stop at a water tower to take water on for 10 fast minutes, brake check and pump up- another few fast clock few minutes.  Also consider option cards. When you get a train you have to draw the next card on top.  You could get something like the third car in your train has a bad order wheel, drop off at RIP track and your crew would have to do that. So even if I have the same train as last ops session there is some verity to it.

Just my thoughts to help.  I'm sure those with more op session experience will come through soon enough

Steve

It depends... It's not a huge deal to get the same train a second time, but it certainly doesn't feel right (unless its a second run of a passenger train which makes two, or more, round trips a day).

If a train is easily identifiable, unique locos pulling lots of very identifiable cars, then it's more of an issue.  If the locos are more generic and the the cars are too, it's hardly a problem at all. For example, I have several sets of Alco RS-2s on my 19050s layout.  If the trains being pulled has a high preponderance of oxide red and tuscan 40' box cars its possible a crew might not recognize the difference between two such trains.  But if a train has a 80' long dpressed center car with a huge transformer, some flashy paint jobs on cars making a red, orange, blue, and yellow sequence, a tank, box, tank, box, tank, box, tank, box sequence or something like that, then crews will certain recognize a repeat. Whether the repeat bothers a crew or not will depends on the crew.

Have you considered doing a little bit of 'mole' (active) restanging whle a session is running?  Just changing a few cars around might help make a train less identifiable.  Of course if the motive power pool consists of a silver Super Chief ABBA set, a N&W Y6b, a SD80, and a Kodachorme SP tunnel motor, you're not going to be able to hide the fact that the crew is running the same locos a second time. Again, whether this matters, depends on the crew.

Good luck,

Charlie

We sometimes run the through trains more than once on my Siskiyou Line in a session.

One of the keys is to make sure there's no distinctive locos or cars in the train. If it's more of the same, then crews won't really notice and life is good.

Unfortunately, staging is at accessible, but very difficult to reach (75" and 33").  I'm doing all that I can to maximize the run, and it's only 400'.  I realize that is rather long for many model railroad layouts, but I am looking for at least 40-50 car trains (circa 1953) especially to justify A-B-B-A set's of F3's and FA's!!  Having 4 locomotives pulling 12 cars just looks wrong to me and I can't get beyond the discrepency.  In the Ultimate P&A plan, there is going to be a location for a Mole, if operations require it, howeverk, with the set timetable schedule i will have for that plan, the need to "restage" during an op-session will be minimal.

I think will be in luck, as I have several of the same units  Steam will be powered mostly by 4-8-2's and 2-8-2's for freight and 4-6-4's for passenger and for diesel, there will be predominately F-3s, FA's and GP7/9's.  For now, the P&A will primarily be using EMD's for diesel units.  As for friegh cars, very few are "unique", most are box car and oxide red for the box cars, and hoppers.  Tons and Tons of Hoppers! 

I need to somehow, without exerting much time and effort, need to find a way to test to see if a train can traverse a 32" radius helix. That could "even out" the scheduel in terms of northbound and southbound as southbound trains can then traverse the helix back to the north end staging yard to be used later in the session.  I'm not sure if I will have one designated person handle that duty, if it works, or have each train crew do it.  My leaning is towards the latter, since this is mostly a test bed and teaching "lab" and in 5 years if all goes as planned, the Ultiamte P&A will be under construction, and many of these compromises will "go away"! 

Ken L.