ric
Have the new loco ready to go and looking forward to being there. I do not have a kadee thou will a bachmann do or is the hook and loop ok? let me know.
Ric, I have everything to battery power my 1st loco but an too lazy to do it! Should I bring it and maybe some of the guys will assist me in gitting er dun?
Geoff,
Bachmann will work better than hook and loop. I’ve got some Kadees if there is time.
John,
Somebody may have time to show you what you need to do, but the weekend is for “Operating” and I’ve got plenty of engines you can use. Assisting? Maybe.
I notice very little activity on this “Operations” thread. Does this mean that few are actually operating on a regular basis, or are you just not posting ?
Granted; operation, as in operating a model railroad is not for everyone, and so called Garden Railroaders are more likely to be somewhat like Lionel Train enthusiasts, when it comes to running trains.
This thread is aimed at those interested in operating a model railroad, in somewhat the same way a real pike would operate a train, or trains.
Here on the IPP&W, and on other pikes like Ric Golding’s, we operate almost every Saturday morning, weather permitting…Ric operates less frequently…
Our 2009 operating season started two Saturdays ago, and again seems to be going very well. The spring project to rebuild Firgrove Yard is proving to be a big bonus, along with the new storage shed. The RailOps programme is still proving to give good results.
Some people who have never considered actual operations, would be surprised to learn that our experiences show that all the enthusiasts that vist the IPP&W, only want to operate once they have experienced the fun involved. Many don’t care to join us when we plan a “Run-what-you-brung” day…they only want to operate.
We find that after a lot of people have had a Garden Railroad for a few years; the novelty wears off, if all the trains do is run in circles, with little interaction from human beings. Children soon ask, besides, “How fast will it go”; "What else does it do ? "
With the economy in the sewer, it might be time for a lot of people, who can’t aford much new stuff, or to change hobbies, due to bordum; to look at taking their “roundy-roundys” to the next step, and look at making a few changes.
The changes could be as inexpensive as adding a switch or two, and a length of track for an additional siding, or as Ric Golding says, “Put a brick across the track, to create a point -to- point railroad”
All I’m suggesting is to take another opened minded look at operations. Visit an OPERATING pike. Ask a few of us about trying operations…it might just make your hobby, more enjoyable for you, and your grandson…who may be bored very easily too.
There are many inexpensive publications available on operating a railroad…“Klambake”, for one publishes a few…Read up on the subject. Look at how a short line operates…or a branch line. Few have the space to operate a whole railroad, let alone one that could justify an articulated loco, or a Dash 9 Diesel. This allows you to only need an inexpensive small loco, and a few cars.
I hope this note, might inspire one or two people to look again at their model railroads, and find a new and growing interest in them.
The IPP&W has finally started using “Yard Limit Signs”.
We made them up from short pieces of brass rail with a diamond shaped piece of printed curcuit board soldered to one end. We spray painted them yellow. They are placed at locations that indicate the limit of the local yard master’s authority, where the dispatcher is not in charge.
The idea seems to be working well…!!!
I have the rail ops software on the wish list and am busy trying to get some roadbed in to start laying SOME track. I do wish I could attend more ops sessions though!
Fred,
You said - “I notice very little activity on this “Operations” thread. Does this mean that few are actually operating on a regular basis, or are you just not posting ?”
Andy C. and I try to “Operate” every Friday Night in another scale on a replication of the Illinois Terminal Railroad. This is a car card system and last September or so, we took on a schedule that began January 1, 1955. It takes many sessions to get through a day on the railroad. I guess this is the opposite of a “fast clock”.
I think we are now on January 7th. In the month of May, because of traveling and other obligations, like the OPs Session of the KVRwy, we only operated one night.
Life does sometime get in the way of Life.
7 weeks from this morning, we head for the border.
It seems we’re spending our time outside with our trains rather than staring at the computer 
Winter & vermits (woodchucks, possums, & rabbits) tough on the railroad this past winter, track needs work (leveling & ballasting), wife has had serious medical issues requiring my being in the house more, as a result, getting the railroad up & running way behind schedule. Looking forward to getting things running as a branch line was changed around to be included in the mainline thus extending the mainline by 40’ or so increasing the point to loop mainline to 250’ The railroad has 7 "stations/towns (very few bldgs) providing 20 industries & 2 interchanges. I still use the color-coded card system I had utilized on my 25 year old HO layout I use rings like that on a loose leaf binder to hold the cards at station bill boxes as well as for the crews carrying their bills as they progress around the railroad. Trains are powered by the RCS battery system
Fred Mills said:
I notice very little activity on this "Operations" thread. Does this mean that few are actually operating on a regular basis, or are you just not posting ?Granted; operation, as in operating a model railroad is not for everyone, and so called Garden Railroaders are more likely to be somewhat like Lionel Train enthusiasts, when it comes to running trains.
This thread is aimed at those interested in operating a model railroad, in somewhat the same way a real pike would operate a train, or trains.
Here on the IPP&W, and on other pikes like Ric Golding’s, we operate almost every Saturday morning, weather permitting…Ric operates less frequently…
Our 2009 operating season started two Saturdays ago, and again seems to be going very well. The spring project to rebuild Firgrove Yard is proving to be a big bonus, along with the new storage shed. The RailOps programme is still proving to give good results.
Some people who have never considered actual operations, would be surprised to learn that our experiences show that all the enthusiasts that vist the IPP&W, only want to operate once they have experienced the fun involved. Many don’t care to join us when we plan a “Run-what-you-brung” day…they only want to operate.
We find that after a lot of people have had a Garden Railroad for a few years; the novelty wears off, if all the trains do is run in circles, with little interaction from human beings. Children soon ask, besides, “How fast will it go”; "What else does it do ? "
With the economy in the sewer, it might be time for a lot of people, who can’t aford much new stuff, or to change hobbies, due to bordum; to look at taking their “roundy-roundys” to the next step, and look at making a few changes.
The changes could be as inexpensive as adding a switch or two, and a length of track for an additional siding, or as Ric Golding says, “Put a brick across the track, to create a point -to- point railroad”All I’m suggesting is to take another opened minded look at operations. Visit an OPERATING pike. Ask a few of us about trying operations…it might just make your hobby, more enjoyable for you, and your grandson…who may be bored very easily too.
There are many inexpensive publications available on operating a railroad…“Klambake”, for one publishes a few…Read up on the subject. Look at how a short line operates…or a branch line. Few have the space to operate a whole railroad, let alone one that could justify an articulated loco, or a Dash 9 Diesel. This allows you to only need an inexpensive small loco, and a few cars.
I hope this note, might inspire one or two people to look again at their model railroads, and find a new and growing interest in them.
Fred I have been thinking about setting up my RR for a small operations but not sure how I can incorperate one into my RR (im sure it would be easy to do). Money is an issue at least for track. I would be intrested to see if you guys can come up with something using my current layout but keeping the loop as is and just adding sidings. I dont have any software to do my track plan. I will start a new thread for this.
Shawn,
I gave you a suggestion on your new thread. We use dice, however playing cars, cut out pieces of paper or different size toothpicks can be use instead. Like I said in the other thread, it is the running of trains with a purpose that makes it an “Operation”.
can someone explain how a Lionel Train enthusiast “operates” . I had HO when I was a kid always wanting G scale and now it’s all I care about.
John Bible said:John,
can someone explain how a Lionel Train enthusiast "operates" . I had HO when I was a kid always wanting G scale and now it's all I care about.
If, and that is a big IF, the Lionel Train Enthusiast (LTE) wants to operate, he does it just like you and I do in HO or Large Scale. Emptys In, Loads Out (EILO).
My winter project is a 3 rail layout with operations as the focus. It is still in the planning stages, i.e. negotiating for domain in the basement.
Or, loads in, loads out. Loads in, empties out.
William’s HO layout included an industry that received hoppers full of little brown chips. I think they were aquarium gravel. Caleb, age 4 at the time, named them “Ear Potatoes.”
That’s something I wanted to do in the shop layout. You’d load hoppers from the “mine” and unload them at the industry. An auger or somesuch under the table would take the load back to the mine to be loaded again.