This weekend is the second Ops session for the year… If anyone is planning on attending, sure would like to have a ““heads Up””. Noon til 5ish… Thanks.
Joyce and I will be there at least one day, maybe both. She really likes the atmosphere at your place.
Shes never stood downwind of Andy after a Haystack obviously…
Bart - That’s not atmosphere - it’s Smog!!!
Andy I will be there on Sat. Hope the rain will hole off.
Saturday was hot and humid. This made it a little short on trains running, but very successful. I know pictures were taken, but it may take a little while to get posted. Another destination was opened as the EWRR line progressed to Addieville’s approach track. Trains are getting longer and constantly running better as the track work settles in.
The end came suddenly with rain reported in Memphis and progressed toward Bluefield, as crews pulled a Canadian move, disconnected from their consists and headed for cover, away from the weather. A little clean up will be needed this morning before Ops start today at Noon.;
Well, the weekend is over, and all too soon…
Had a good time, Rain was predicted for Saturday afternnon, but it didn’t show till 5 pm, and then It was a mad scramble to get the locomotive into the basement and under cover…
Saturday, we had about 11 people, and we ran 7 trains.
Sunday, we had 19 people, and ran 10 trains…
With the addition of Addieville Elevator as a new location, train lengths have been increasing…
The EVWR Loccal is now running with 16 freight cars, with 2 GP-38’s as the power…
Longer trains are also runing from Bluefield to Memphis and to Evansville…
Food and drink was a plenty, and the weekend was a great time…
Always nice, when new people show up…
Some additional pics from the weekend:
Jan and Andy, working the Yards…
Bill and Dale working the Industrial Park on Sunday
Blu-Mem Freight working the interchange at Woodlawn on Saturday
Nlu-Mem Train working Woodlawn Interchange on Sunday
EVWR Local crossing starting to run onto the Bridge before entering Evansville
EVWR Local departing Woodlawn, headin south.
Jan working the Yards…
Mark G and Crew setting out Covered Hoppers at the temp Addieville location
Traffic at Bluefield
Ric, and a full crew working the Elevator at Nashville
Of course, there always needs to be time to sit, talk, and contemplate things…
Boy, I would love to get out there one of these days!
Thanks for sharing the photo, Jane C.
Looks like all had a good time… but then trains are always fun time.
The Evansville Western Local is becoming quite the train to run. Instructions are to leave Evansville, Indiana, with 13 grain cars and 3 box cars, cross the Wabash River in to Illinois and travel over Bluestone Southern trackage to Blufield and then pick up the Evansville Western trackage heading toward Sparta, Illinois, for work at the Sparta siding. This is the location where you trade the 3 box cars you have with the 3 that are on the siding. Once complete your train continues through the Interlocking at Woodland, Illinois and climb toward Nashville, Illinois. At Nashville’s elevator you exchange 9 empty covered hoppers, for 9 loaded ones. Once past Nashville heading west, you’ll be running past the long siding and eventually get to Addieville, Illinois and exchange your 4 empty hoppers for 4 full ones. You job is now half done and with use of the long siding, you reverse your power and put your caboose on the trailing end, if so equipped, and with Dispatcher’s approval start back for Evansville. You still have to work the interchange sidings at Woodland. This is dropping off the 3 box cars you picked up at Sparta on the southbound interchange and then picking up 3 boxcars off the northbound interchange. Your switching work is now complete, but you still have many miles of rail to get your consist over, the same size as when you left, back to Evansville andthen tie up your train and find out what to do with your power.
Once you’ve done it a few times, you can understand the instructions. But pulling a 16 or 17 car train (if caboose is attached) over grades where couplers, wheels and motive power truely is strained by the loads and it’s quite realistic. Many times to keep from derailing or “clothes lining” on the curves your power is down to a crawl. Derailments are your responsibility. When Okawville gets completed the trains will be longer, because its the biggest elevator. Crews have had to change because they outlawed on time, got hungry or just needed a break.
Check out Google Maps on the Evansville Western trackage between Evansville, Indiana and Okawville, Illinois and you can see what Andy and Jane are modeling. Great fun and very appreciated that they are willing to share their hobby.
Amtrak trains, Blufield to Evansville Mixed Freights, Blufield to Memphis Mixed Freights, through Coal Trains, work trains and other extra runs are on the trackage, while you carry out your tasks. The Dispatcher has to know where you are. Most of these trains are set up for two crew or more, because you can’t see both ends from one location and cars have been left on the tracks because of unknown uncouplings. Lots to keep track of and lots of track.
Plenty to do and its great fun. The food and friendship are also fantastic and we’ve been able to find some great restaurants to recoup and socialize in when not operating.
Ric Golding said:
The Evansville Western Local is becoming quite the train to run.
Wonder how that would work with a K-27 on the head end…
A K-27 with Rodney’s drive could probably handle it. Stock, maybe not! I remember his brick hauling tests.
Ric - good synopsis of what the Ops are all about. I never made it to any of your sessions before you stopped them. Hope I won’t be able to say the same about Andy’s. You’ve got to be on the way to Denver, right!
Ric did a great job, explaining the EVWR local run… The actual interchange track at Woodlawn, only has a north and a south interchange track, and the points for these switches both face east/south… When EVWR first started running this route, they only had a 2-man crew, engineer & conductor… Since the EVWR runs North/South, in which north is actually west, and south is actually east, all cars for the Interchange track were worked when the Train was running back south…
I basically run the Local run on the my railroad the same way… It really makes it much easier on the train crew to work the interchange on the way home, versus trying to work it on the way out.
Currently, they are running a 3-4 man crew, so, now, they break the eninges apart, and ““dance”” the around to shuffle freight cars around the locomotives… Once the switching has been completed, the MU all the locomotices back together and finish their run…
Only correction to Ric’s synopsis is, the boscars get dropped off on the Northbound interchange track, and EVWR Picks up the boxcars from the Southbound interchange track…
Sorry, just had to correct it… 
Great pics of the run, and explanation on the ops. Thank you all.
Sorry I could make the Op last weekend. Andy your Op are out of bounds the addition of more track and long trains will be a great undertaking for the train crew. Your rr is as close to real life with out running the real local train
David E. Masters said:
Sorry I could make the Op last weekend. Andy your Op are out of bounds the addition of more track and long trains will be a great undertaking for the train crew. Your rr is as close to real life with out running the real local train
Dave, you were missed… Hope you are feeling better…
Thank you for all the pictures of your running. Looks like fun, but a little fast to drive! Not just a half hour ferry ride and a short drive.
Paul