New Ops. Tutorial Video

Posted on | Posted on Lmind1

I just produced a switching operations tutorial video on my YouTube channel.

Depending on how it’s received, I may do a few more from time to time. In doing so, I wanted to illustrate the pace I run at, give a clearer understanding of how I approach things, and perhaps offer a different perspective on how to approach the subject of solo switching ops. in general. Switching operations should be relaxing and done at laid back pace. With a fifteen minute run time, the clip is on the long side. In actual practice I’d probably run this sequence out even longer to more like twenty minutes.

For me personally, the fun comes from visualizing what an actual crew would be doing on the ground. The key step is taking lots of pauses to represent the time taken for the conductor to do his job. How long to pause? As long as you feel like. The fun would probably be lost if you “forced” yourself to any specific time period. Relax, do the moves, grab a snack. Sip your coffee. Enjoy the show.

Finally, take note that this entire session only uses one turnout and about ten feet of track. There are no hidden “gotchas” or unrealistic runarounds. For a solo session like this you don’t need paperwork. In the real world the crew would likely have it but I question if they even refer to it since they do the same thing day in and day out.

8 thoughts on “New Ops. Tutorial Video”

  • Roger Beatson

    Lance, the ops tutorial was excellent. Enjoyed every minute of it. Certainly hope to see more.

  • Daniel Rydell

    I concur with Blake and Robert above. I would love to see more of theese videos, from all of your layouts. Thank you again for all the work you do to keep us inspired and help us evolve in the hobby.

  • Chris Mears

    I really enjoyed the video. As you note, regarding the length of an operating session, the uncut nature of the film shows in a way that’s hard to ignore that this is what can happen in this length of an operating session.

    I like how much white space is designed into this scene. Enough room for not just the car spots but also places where the engine or train is drifting into or out of the scene. We spend so much to create these models that I appreciate room to just watch them in motion without the distraction of having to remove my attention from the scene to do work.

    This and the subsequent video are wonderful. I can appreciate the work you’re investing to create these, thank you for them, and look forward to more as time allows.

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