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AARR wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 04, 2022 8:27 am

GR H & C wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:54 am

Once your railroad is up and running how will you operate your trains. Will you use a card order/waybill system or some other technique?

It will have a small enough roster that I will do everything in my head. However, if/when I go to a system it will probably by Card Order.

You have a very nice looking layout. I wish you would create a thread and post more information/pictures of it.

Thank you
I operate my layout in a somewhat/close to pro typical fashion (I am a river counter lol) I have a rudimentary system for operating trains which is in my head.

Maybe someday I’ll get up the nerve to post about it like you did with your RR & R but until then I guess I’ll just give a little glimpses and glimmers of the VPT

DCC is hooked up and one short segment is operable. My friend is coming back in two weeks to work on it again. This is my first experience with engines that have sound and functioning lights. It's exciting!

However, I discovered two of my engines do not have their decoders and I am working on getting them equipped.

I have a 4th engine that is equipped but can't have it until Christmas .

Updated pictures. Currently at Plywood Central state.

Letica Plastics/Berry Plastics in Rochester
The left side (where the bulkhead flat car is) is Church's Lumber and ACME Building Materials in Auburn Hills and the right side (where the covered hopper is) is Peninsula Plastics in Auburn Hills and Pfizer in Rochester
Washington Elevator/Capitol Fertilizer
Ford Engine Romeo (Walthers Stamping Plant is on back order)
Theut Products Stone Terminal in Romeo
Star of the West in Richmond
FCA Warehouse in Mt. Clemens
LC Stone in Mt. Clemens
Carter Lumber in Macomb and engine/caboose track
Four track staging yard representing Detroit and Port Huron

AARR wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:34 pm

Updated pictures. Currently at Plywood Central state.

A lot of nice buildings it looks like your layout is really coming along. I look forward to future updates.

First operating session today. In around 2-2.5 hours accomplished 60-75% of a full session.

I'd give the overall performance an 7 or 8 out of 10.
- I still need to add feeder wires to reduce dead spots. I would estimate there are 15-20 dead spots. My Athearn engines stutter but pass through most of the dead spots but the Rapido dies on most of them.
- I still need to smooth out a few bumps in the tracks to eliminate derailments. Due to low speeds there were only about 10-15 derailments not caused by operator error. There were probably more caused by the operator's errors .

The trains will line up like this:
- Mt. Clemens Local (GTW) switches the three outside industries using the GP38-2 (and hopefully someday a GP9R)(about 5 cars)
- Richmond Turn (GTW) interchanges with the RRR at Richmond using the GP38-2 (6-11 cars)
- Richmond Turn (RR&R) operates from Romeo to Richmond to exchange cars and switch industries using a GP9 (6-11 cars)
- Auburn Hills Turn operates from Romeo to Auburn Hills switching industries using a SW1200RS (3-5 cars)
- A limestone extra (RRR) will run Romeo to Port Huron as need using the GP38AC

I will post updated photos soon.

Nice that you had an operating session already! I'd like to try operating your layout. I had a couple guys come operate mine for the first time about a week ago and things went pretty well.
Looking forward to more updates.

KVERBERK wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:55 pm

Nice that you had an operating session already! I'd like to try operating your layout. I had a couple guys come operate mine for the first time about a week ago and things went pretty well. Looking forward to more updates.

Thank you for your feedback.

At this time, it is set up for one person to operate. In the future I will set it up for two-person operation. But the room will never be able to accommodate more than two people. The board is 6x10 and the room is 9x12 so the aisles are narrow.

At this time, it is set up for one person to operate.

I understand that. When I had two guys running mine it was about all I could accommodate I think with me making 3, and I was just observing. Although in the future I would like to have one or two operating and one acting as a dispatcher.

Looks great Don! If I were you, I'd do a card order system for your layout, given how many industries you have.

David Collins wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:56 pm

Looks great Don! If I were you, I'd do a card order system for your layout, given how many industries you have.

Thank you for the suggestion. For now I can track everything in my head but as it grows the Card Order System is definitely in consideration.