You kind of touched on this above, but this bears breaking out since it's one of those big myths about operations.

Myth: "I don't want to use a fast clock because it makes things too stressful."

Reality: The problem is not with the clock ratio, it's poor scheduling. Whether you use a fast clock at a 4:1, 6:1 or any other ratio, or your 1:1 wristwatch, it takes the same amount of "real time" to perform a task, or travel a certain distance. You fit the schedule to how long it takes to do the task. If it takes 15-20 real minutes to do something, you wouldn't schedule 10 minutes to do it, so don't schedule it for 30 fast-minutes on a 4:1 clock. Schedule it for at least 80 fast-minutes (20 real minutes on the 4:1 clock). Better yet round it up to an even hour and a half or more to complete switching duties.

Time is time. It passes at a fairly constant rate (special relativity and all that not being particular relevant to the speeds involved in model railroad operations ;) ) and the scale that we measure it on is pretty arbitrary anyway. So whether you mark the time using hours, fast-hours or wags of a dogs tail, you tailor the schedule to the operations, not the operations to an unrealistically arbitrary schedule. Time doesn't pass faster with a fast-clock, you're just measuring it differently.

If you're modelling a specific prototype, it's tempting to just take the prototype schedule and just compress it using a fast-clock ratio, but the reality is that you're probably going to have to do a lot of tweaking to fit the schedule to your situation. 

Running a prototype schedule can be achieved, it tends to be easier on bigger layouts.  Any schedule that involves switching is going to probably need a low ratio or require adjustment.  You can get away with a 2:1 or 4:1 no problem because most modelers wont go so far as to simulate building air pressure, or hooking up hoses.  Also most passenger schedules are a bit padded though it happens more in modern times than perhaps in the 50's (guessing on the current trend I've seen).

The rule of thumb to selecting a ratio has to do with the distance between stations and often it is an average at best.  What can fit in what scenes or require additional track for levels, a needed curve because they're at the end of the room, etc.  So getting each location to match perfectly in scale miles not 1:87 but for a 4:1 fast clock would be 1:348 is almost impossible, but the law of averages can make it work out.  Tweaking a schedule to fit what the layout is capable of is often necessary, and despite changing what the prototype may show on an official timetable enhances the operation.

What often happen is a layout is built before operations is even considered.  So when operations is introduced scheduling must be planned properly as you mention.  Too many layouts also try to be too tight with not just their schedules, but their available cabs and crews.  Then they get into a mess they never recover from, and I've seen this add stress from experience.

From what I've experienced in Sudbury so far, the schedule is actually padded a fair bit.  This is probably a good thing.  Besides the actual switching of The Canadian will be the challenge, but I think is attainable as is.

Thanks

Sean

I've noticed an issue with some operation schemes, especially when trying to replicate a prototype schedule.  The original schedule was created for professional railroaders, and you have amateurs trying to reproduce it.  While any fool can run a train (a model, at least) on schedule, switching is a skill, and it's the same no matter how big the cars are.  Most modelers I have met are not as skilled as the guys I have worked with, and it shows when they start operating.  It's not a judgment, it's a simple fact.  Switching schedules need to be padded to allow extra time because of less experienced crews.

Switching schedules need to be padded to allow extra time because of less experienced crews.

Learning good switching procedures is an operations skill, like any other.  You need to teach rookies the ropes so that they do things in an efficient and reasonably realistic way.  The problem we have found with new people is that they want to run the switchers too fast in order to hurry up and get done, which is actually the opposite of what you are suggesting is the problem.  Our fast clock and traffic volume is such that you can comfortably take your time with your switching and still get your work done quickly enough for the yard to keep up.  Seeing a switcher rocket around the yard doesn't enhance the realism of the operation at all.

One thing which makes switching easier for the crews in Sudbury is the use of switchlists.  The yardmaster makes up handwritten lists from the car cards he keeps in a file box in his office, and the crews use them for their work.  Usually each list just deals with the cars in one track, telling the crew which track each car is to be moved to; they don't need to know destinations or loads, just where they go.  If you just pull the whole track and shove each car at the end of the cut into the new track assigned, it doesn't take long at all to complete the work, even with low speeds and a big yard.

Totally agree, I've seen plenty of flying around.  In fact I've been accused of running too slow :)

One thing to add to Jurgen's comment that helps the rookie get around at least familiarity is 2 man crews are offered for new members.  Even some veteran members will run 2 men when we have enough operators in a session.  This takes quite a bit of stress off participants.

The other thing is with the exception of our passengers nothing is on a schedule.  Everything however is called for a time on the fast clock for the crew to know when to go on duty and call for clearance.

Now The Canadian will probably be a bit of a learning experience for everyone I'm sure when it arrives in Sudbury later this season.  That of course will be on a schedule.  But proper instructions and others in the area to help I'm sure will make it fairly smooth.

Thanks

Sean

There's realism (based on speed, detail, etc.) and there's complexity.  You're right, pulling a whole track and classifying the cars one at a time is simple enough that anybody with a little sense can do it, but when things get more complicated (for example, needing cars from multiple tracks built in a specific order) skill becomes a major factor, and it doesn't matter how fast the engine is going.  It's not the speed of the engine, it's the speed of the operator's mind that matters there.  I have seen inexperienced operators throw up their hands in disgust after switching themselves into a corner - in a 4 track yard with 10 car length of room per track, and 15-20 cars in the yard.

Keeping things simple helps, definitely.  On the other hand, real railroading, especially flat switching a yard, is rarely simple.  Do you want simplicity, or realism?

On a related prototype note, I hate it when the yardmaster gives me a switchlist with line-by-line, step-by-step instructions on how to switch the track.  I much prefer to be told what needs to be done, and then given the freedom to go and do it.  I remember reading of one conductor who told the yardmaster to come and switch the cars himself, since there was only room for one conductor on the crew.  Of course, that does require that the conductor have some skill already, or he gets himself into a lot of trouble fairly quickly.

Well I see your point, and I can think of one thing that someone inexperienced may have issues with on our layout and it's not the main yard itself.  There are 2 locations I can think of that really take some thinking.  The first is rather simple if you have experience in small yards and that is a temporary staging yard we use on our Little Current Sub.  Again this another one of those jobs that if you've never been in a situation like this your limited to track and need to plan accordingly.  An experienced member would be with this crew so they can learn.  Personally I never had issue here as I had previous experience in similar situations.

The big one that took me a while was the freight shed.  3 tracks parallel across 4 bays with a total of up to 12 cars that can be in the shipping process at any time.  This is the one operation where a yard crew even experienced on other layouts may find challenging.  The YM only indicates which cars are complete and ready to be moved out.  It's then up to the yard switcher to go out and move them farthest away from the doors in the proper bay, have room for any additional empties on the storage track.  Also it helps to try avoiding to block the mainline for too long, or know how to get out of the way.

The yardmaster is actually the one who is thinking 2 or 3 moves and giving him a switch list to the crews in the yard only.  He doesn't have the time to switch them himself as he is too busy planning on what lift is going to be ready for the next train coming into town, not to mention getting all the locals ready.  Locals run out of the yard are actually given the "here is the cards, now go".  But when it comes to the actual yard itself, there is no easier way to tell the crews what needs to be done.

Speaking of which I've been YM in many clubs in the past working of SL's only.  With Sudbury YM there is a strong learning curve that I'm still not all the way yet.  Last time I ran the yard a few of our local customers didn't get service :(  The only way to learn though, is through mistakes.

Thanks

Sean

Ken, it sounds like you are describing blocking an outbound local, which is something we haven't been doing so far, partly because most of the locals are one industry jobs and don't need to be concerned about blocking enroute.  Crews have the option of doing blocking before departure, or there are a couple places it can be done along the way if it will ball things up in the yard.

This may be a big deal, depending on your prototype.  If a local will switch at multiple locations, it may be necessary to have the yard block into rough station order (i.e. block everything for a given town together, but without sorting into separate customers beyond that) to avoid the local crew being able to claim an extra day's pay for blocking their own train.  Another concern might be restrictions on whether the road crew would be allowed to perform blocking within terminal limits at all unless their job was called as a "roadswitcher" as opposed to a "local."

Good points, Ken.  We are always looking for ways to enhance the realism of our operations, and blocking locals is one place we can do some work on that front.  The one local which does the most work enroute is the Webbwood Sub pickup, which arrives on schedule 96 from Webbwood, drops its whole train and then leaves with new local traffic the way it came as an extra.  This train becomes the Thessalon Sub local after a crew change at Webbwood, and that train would have a bunch of places to work along the way.  The thing of it is that most of these places aren't on the layout so there is really no one who would care about the way the train is blocked once it's in staging, but the blocking could still be done, just to make the train more realistic when it leaves and add a little something to yard ops.

The thing with any operating system is you need to start out simple and add more complexity as you are comfortable with it.  Even the prototype had to work up to achieving whatever level of complexity its operations presented at any given point; model railways are no different.