Large Scale Central

2 Bit Yard Operations

Operations
#1

Operations on the J&B is normally pretty involved. I have to set out almost 40 cars across the layout. Setup can take about 1/2 hour. By the time I run two trains and put everything back it’s about 3 hours total. I don’t always want to spend the time, unless I’ve got a guest coming.

I needed something quicker.

Inspired by “Inglenook Sidings”, I decided to create my own little operations scenario, but using my “rules”.

The first step is to put out 11 cars. The top most track is the caboose track, so I won’t use it at all. The track at the bottom is my arrival-departure track, so it is also not used.

I took 25 pennies and painted them three different colors. I then numbered them. The yellow and gold pennies are numbered 1 through 4, and the cream pennies only 1 to 3.

I take 11 cars out of my storage shed and place them on the yard track. 2 Pennies of the same number are put on top of each car.

Now I remove one of the pennies from each car and randomly draw 5 of them. This will be the order of the cars for my train.

I then start building my train.

Cars that are not part of the train must be put back on the same track they came from, although order does not matter. I use the plain pennies to help me remember the track they started on.

I am not allowed on the A/D track at all. The track next to it can hold about 5 cars, although there are only 4 in this picture.

Here I’ve just got to connect the three cars behind the loco with the two on the other track, and I’m done.

It’s not a tough puzzle at all, but it is quick and fun. The pennies will add some randomness to each session. It was also a good test of my rebuilt switches; no problems at all.

ARTICLE: A Master Index for the J&B RR
#2

I had given thought to something like that but with different colored pennies and sticks painted in the same colors. Put the sticks besides the industries, place a few cars out at random. The get ten cars or so, place the pennies on the roof, then pick 5 pennies at random. Put the cars in the same color industry, if it has a car there, replace it, go to the next one; no car, put one there. I see yours is a lot simpler and just works the yard… Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm…:wink:

#3

I should probably do something like that in Jackson. The problem with operating in the yard is that it’s all trailing points; maybe not a real problem, but it is fairly easy.

#4

Railroads think efficiency when setting up switching ops. A local will work trailing point turnouts out and back, to improve there operations time on the clock. Andy Sperando had an article in his back page column of Model Railroader sometime this year about imagining the switchman on the ground “bending the iron” and “pulling the links”. He is going to basically stay in one spot. Kind of an interesting point while working the Inglenook.

Thanks for sharing, looks like a good bit of entertainment.

#5

not to hijack, but I’ve never seen ‘that’ Boxcab…?

#6

Cale Nelson said:

not to hijack, but I’ve never seen ‘that’ Boxcab…?

OOh, then you missed a GREAT build thread

http://largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/19091

#7

Looking at this further, I got thinking about the wear on the pennies as you shake of the pennies or whatever. ThHat’s a good reason that dice are a better random shacking operendi. Can you not assign a number to the type of car? Of course, 6 on dice are related to Boxcars, but the others are wide open. Flat cars, hoppers, reefers, tank cars, whatever.

After awhile I think your paint is going to chip off on your pennies, but then again, in quantity paint is cheap.

#8

Heh, the paint is worth more than the pennies. Well, outside of the can, I guess it’s not worth nearly as much, but it did cost more. Plus I did clear coat each coin. Ack, I guess I’ve got to play this a lot to break even.

#9

Good one, Bruce. I play with the standard Inglenook myself. The full-size version requires eight different types of cars, which outnumber the sides of a regular die. I use eight cards, each with a drawing of a diffeernt freightcar as follows: box, reefer, flat, gondola, short ore, hopper, tank, cattle. You shuffle the cards then deal out the top five in a row, and then build your train to match.

Along with a shapely oval for the little kids, for the past few years I’ve set up an Inglenook for thie older folk at local train shows. I’ve noticed that a five-car Inglenook challenge seems to be too much for novices, especially given the generally rushed atmosphere of the shows, so I set it up as a much simpler three-car challenge, which seems about all most can handle in that setting. Still, I’m equipped with eight cars in case somebody wants to take on the full Monte.

Thanks for posting this, Bruce. We don’t have pennies in Canada any more, but I have an old stash, and I do know of a country where you can still get them…

#10

Nice idea Bruce. I’m always looking for quick & simple operations ideas for solo ops on the POC. I did a similar thing although a bit more complicated using painted PVC blocks with letters on them. I think I like your idea better. Thanks for the post.

For those of you that prefer dice check out a wargamers shop or site. They regularly use 10, 12 and even 20 sided dice in their miniatures war games.

#11

Richard , the light has gone out in your lighthouse (just an excuse for me to have a friendly bit of banter with an old friend)

Mike

#12

Gentlemen - A solution to the ‘too few sides’ on a standard die is to take a trip to your local, or not so local, gaming store that specializes in ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ genre. They will supply one with a die or dice up to 100 sides.

#13

Mike Morgan said:

Richard , the light has gone out in your lighthouse (just an excuse for me to have a friendly bit of banter with an old friend)

Mike

My lights are all out! heehee!

Unfortunately the software on site doesn’t want to support animated gifs. Thus the ships all must run aground at Cape Blanco. :frowning:

#14

Ah! , Richard . Your lights dimming too . We both must be of an age .

I still think your layout is up there in the top ten . So I haven’t quite lost all my marbles

Mike

#15

It’s very interesting to see the various ways of enjoying the art of shunting your trains .

My simple layout currently going through birth pains does not warrant the fun of throwing dice and so on . But we are building in a reason for getting goods from A to B which does go a stage or two different from running in circles----not , I hasten to add , that running in circles is wrong . That’s how my first layout started in a rush to get the kids’ interest .

So , this throwing dice business , does it allow for running goods out from A and getting a return load from B ?

Does it allow closing commercial traffic for the open days when visiting vintage locos can be displayed ? Of course , essential commercial stuff has to interrupt proceedings .

Mike

#16

“Inglenooks” are always interesting and can be set up in many existing yards. Many times, if you look at a yard, you can see an “Inglenook” by considering certain cars in a ladder track yard as permanent fixtures and you only move or use rolling stock in front of that location. A search of “Inglenook Shunting Puzzles” reveals a day’s worth of internet reading.

#17

Mike Morgan said:

It’s very interesting to see the various ways of enjoying the art of shunting your trains .

My simple layout currently going through birth pains does not warrant the fun of throwing dice and so on . But we are building in a reason for getting goods from A to B which does go a stage or two different from running in circles----not , I hasten to add , that running in circles is wrong . That’s how my first layout started in a rush to get the kids’ interest .

So , this throwing dice business , does it allow for running goods out from A and getting a return load from B ?

Does it allow closing commercial traffic for the open days when visiting vintage locos can be displayed ? Of course , essential commercial stuff has to interrupt proceedings .

Mike

Mike,

I suspect you could use the die to make up a train and then swap like for like at stops along the way. However, if you want a bit more realism, I would sure suggest taking a look at the operations part of JMRI. It does a very nice job of creating switch lists; every session I have used them on is noticeably different.

In this case, all I wanted was a quick fix. I usually build the train in my yard using the switch list, but seldom put them in any order other than random, so this is a bit different.

#18

In HO we used to have car cards for every car matched to the car’s reporting marks. A good sized yard would have perhaps 50 cars in it. We’d shuffle the cards and draw 10 or so keeping them in order of draw. Then we would drill the yard to pull the required cars from the yard and make up the train in order, add a caboose, couple the road engine and roundy round a few times.

Quick and easy ops (although it could take some considerable time to put the required cars in order on the makeup track) on a roundy round layout with a single yard.

#19

Well, what’s in a word? This is the first occasion I have seen the word ‘inglenook’ applied to garden railroads. It makes interesting reading.

I have an inglenook in my house, it is a cosy alcove type affair adjacent to one of my fireplaces. I still have open fires here. No trains there however.

#20

There’s more to read about Inglenook Sidings.