January and February were extremely cold here this year. My hobby room in the basement has a propane fireplace which will keep it toasty warm, so I hide down there a lot in the winter.
To keep busy, I like to run switching ops on my indoor railroad. I’m still using JMRI Operations Pro for switch lists, but like other JMRI users, I find it moving a few cars often, and some never at all. as an alternative, I developed a plan.
I have 3 indoor industries that can take Box Cars. One of them is limited to 3 cars, so the plan was to move 3 groups of 3 cars between the three locations. I developed a plan that moved a kernel (group) of cars from one industry, then to the next and so forth. This plan needed numerous runs before the cars returned to where they started. In order to not let JMRI get out of touch with where cars were located, I needed to update the database after every run. I enjoy the switching, but the data entry part was tedious.
To add a little interest, I have three industries that take 2 short Coal Cars each. So, I added them to the plan. That made the data entry part even more tedious having to set the location for 15 cars!
Last week I simplified the plan so no data entry was required. After two runs, one North and one South, the cars are all back where they started. I no longer need to track individual cars, just the kernels.
To get an idea of what’s going on I’ll present my track plan again here. This is the Willow Hill division that is a spur off the main-line…
On the above schematic, I’ll be switching McCown Freight Forwarding, Chandler Quality Water, McGillicuddy Supply and Brunt Coal. Two other spots on the next schematic of the Tyrone Yard and vicinity…
On the above schematic, I’m switching Nook Transload and Tyrone Track 5
And here are the switch lists, starting with Train NEX, the North/East Extra…
A few things that make it challenging and add interest. McGillicuddy Supply is on a steep grade and the approach track clearances are too tight for a locomotive, so idler cars are needed for switching. It just so happens that the two coal cars that sit at Brunt Coal make perfect idlers and keep the weight to where 1 locomotive can handle all 5 cars up the grade.
Now the cars needed for Chandler Quality Water are on the wrong end of the string and on the wrong side of the locomotive! Thankfully there is a run around track (labeled Passing on the schematic) to allow getting the cars in the right order and on the right end of the loco for the balance of operations.
When we get to Tyrone with the coal cars, most of my locomotives can’t handle the R1 turn into TYRE #5, so cars can be left on the main for a smaller locomotive.
The other challenges are track lengths. Like an oversize Timesaver, if you don’t pay attention, you may have too many cars to get into the passing siding! It took me a few runs to figure out the best way to do the moves.
Once NEX is complete, SWX (South / West Extra) can be called to put everything back where it started…
SWX usually starts with a switcher digging out Coal Set #2 and dropping it on the main for the road locomotive who will then shove via Meadow Gap to Nook before proceeding out the Willow Hill spur.
Each train takes me between 30 and 45 minutes to run. It’s enough fun that I run one, maybe two per day!
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