Model Railroad Blog

 In modern times at least, railroads lock everything.  Switches, gates, derails you name it, nothing happens without the conductor reaching for the keychain first.  To have a model railroad where opening things is as simple as an  instantaneous flip of a toggle strays from the pace of the real world.   I’ve written before that it is a relatively simple task to put locking covers over turnout toggles.  For manual switches, gates, and derails we can simply hang a lock on a hook and  require the crew to open the “dummy lock”.

Where I got hung up on all of this was the locks themselves.  To model the locks you really need large quantities of “keyed alike” luggage locks so that one key opens everything.  After months of digging I discovered that such a product does exist.  Enter Padlock Outlet a very well stocked lock wholesaler with excellent customer service.  For a 30% fee (on orders less than $100) they will sell to small fries like us.  Given the very low cost of the locks to begin with, even with the surcharge the locks are very economical.  For my layout I purchased 24, keyed alike, small padlocks part number 4120KA.  I received my locks the day after I placed the order, barely 24 hours later!

Whenever I’m at an operating session I invariably ask the host how often they run their layout just by themselves.  The answer is an almost unanimous “never”.  There are number of reasons for this.  I suspect in many cases the layout owner derives most of their hobby enjoyment from building things and operating sessions are primarily an opportunity to socialize.   By not operating their layouts more frequently, and by themselves, I do think these folks are missing out an opportunity to get more enjoyment out of the hobby.  Model railroading is different from our sister modeling hobbies such as military, ship, and aircraft building in that it offers the opportunity, not just for motion, but for realistic motion.

Part of the resistance to having solo operating sessions is probably the all or nothing viewpoint that each session has to be several hours long or it’s not worth having.  Don’t underestimate the enjoyment that can be had from short “mini sessions” that last just twenty or thirty minutes.  Pull out an engine and just switch out that cement plant or factory.  In addition to being relaxing, frequent running will result in the motivation to do more punch list work on minor repair issues and encourage you to keep the track cleaner.  The end result will be a better running layout and more fun for you.   You owe it to yourself.  Set a goal of operating your layout, by yourself, at least twenty minutes every week.

 Topic: Model Railroad Operations

Tick. Tick. Tick.  You’re running out of time.  Better speed up.

 How do you plan your operating sessions?  I’ll argue that most folks are mission driven.  They have a certain number of moves they want performed, industries they want switched, or trains to run and, by god, nothing short of completion will be accepted!    Running short of time?  Speed up darn it!  Can’t get everything done? We’ll run a longer session.  It’s all good training…… if you’re getting ready to be a UPS driver.  However, it’s not very realistic….or enjoyable for that matter.

Let’s  break it down.  We have:

• The desired length of the operating session.
• The length of time it takes to perform a sequence of moves.
• The number of sequences to be performed, industries to be switched, or trains to be run.

Which are fixed and which are variable?  Sub-consciously most model operators view the number of sequences or trains to be run as the, set-in-concrete, fixed number that drives everything. No matter what, everything on “the list” MUST BE DONE!  That’s the wrong way of looking at it.  In the real world it’s the one true variable.  It’s the element that is last in the pecking order.  Conversely, model railroaders also sub-consciously, and erroneously, view the amount of time it takes to perform a move as a variable.  It’s not. It’s fixed.

Let’s take a look at an actual railroad.   The amount of time it takes to perform a switching operation is pretty much an inflexible element by virtue of speed, distance, physics, and safety rules.  No matter how loud management screams, it isn’t going to get a four hour job completed in two hours.

Overtime is expensive.  Come the holiday season, the switch crews may be warm to going over their time limit to the tune of time and half or double pay.  The bean counters are less enthused.  In the real world, when a yard or industrial shift is over, in most cases you are walking to the crew lounge.

Model railroaders have a tendency to try to squeeze more action and more switching moves into a session than time will realistically allow.  The result is un-necessary pressure and an op. session that isn’t real world.

Food For Thought:

• Avoid speeding up your sequences to meet some arbitrary time deadline.  If you run out of time, you run out of time and the next shift will finish.  The amount of time it takes to perform a move shouldn’t change based on time limits and deadlines.
• Review the number of moves you are designing into your sessions versus op. session length.  Strongly consider keeping the session length the same but reducing the number of industries to switch or trains to be run.

Consider setting a hard limit on the length of the op. session.  When the appointed hour arrives, kill the power switch.  If your crews know the power will be turned off at a specific time and they aren’t necessarily expected to get every task done, the quality of the session will improve

The exceptional YouTube video above epitomizes the symphony of sound and motion characteristic of railroad switching operations.  When you’re done watching ask yourself, do you want your model operating sessions to capture this flavor or that of a slot car race?

Model Railroading is unique in that it allows us to build very delicate, highly detailed models AND interact with them.  Unlike building a static model of an aircraft, our models move.  Not only that, they can be made to move in a manner and environment very similar to the real thing.

This allows to be infused into the miniature world we’ve tried so hard to create.  Not only are we transported to this world, we can be an active participant.  What could be a better break from the pressures of ordinary life?  For a period of time we can actually be the engineer or conductor, in total control and operating in an environment of our choosing?

It seems like an experience we would want to stretch out and savor, not something to be dispatched and dispensed with the same lack of  enthusiasm  we have on a trip to the dentist.  Model railroad operations shouldn’t be some bitter pill to be swallowed and washed down as quickly as possible.

And yet, that is exactly how most model railroads are operated.  It is a mission mindset.  Beat the clock. On your mark, get set, go.  Get to the finish line as soon as possible.  To watch a video of a typical model railroad switching move you’d think you were watching a FedEx driver.  You know the drill, the FedEx truck squeals around the corner, accelerates up the street,  and screeches to a halt at the door.  The driver hops out, trots up your drive, tosses the package on the porch and then blasts away.  That is EXACTLY the way most model railroad operating sessions look.  The locomotive approaches the spur at a scale 40mph, the throttle is ground to 0 in a 10 g stop move, simultaneously the turnout toggle is switched.  The locomotive slams into the car knocking it 10 feet back, accelerates like a top fuel dragster and goes onto the next move.

Why that mindset, why try to end the experience so quickly when a) it is utterly and absolutely unrealistic and b) does nothing but speed up the end to what is supposed to be a relaxing experience? There are two reasons.  First it’s just a bad habit.  Second is lack of knowledge as to how long the prototype takes and what steps they go through (study the video above for ideas).

How long should a move take?  Switching layouts start approaching the prototype when it comes to time and task.  Granted things are compressed but many tasks are not distance related.  Swapping a load for an empty on a model railroad approaches the same amount of time as on the prototype, about 15 minutes.  Switching layouts should not be dictated by a model railroad fast clock.  They should be done in 1:1 real time.

I ran a time study of the basic switching move of swapping a load for an empty on my layout. Without going overboard waiting for my imaginary conductor to walk several hundred feet, but just taking my time and incorporating operational practices it came to 15 minutes.  That’s right, working at a leisurely pace and incorporating many but not all prototype practices it was 15 minutes.   It certainly wasn’t two or three.  Why so long?  There are a lot of tasks involved in moving railcars, many of which can be modeled without being too gimmicky.

Here are just a few examples that will give you some ideas.  Current rules dictate that employees are not to jump from moving equipment.  As you operate be at least partially mindful of where your imaginary conductor is.  The locomotive needs to come to a full stop for the conductor to get off.  You don’t need to take it to an extreme but at least be aware.  Switching moves should be done at about 5 to 10 scale miles per hour.  Industrial drives and street crossings are often protected by fusees which we can model with tokens or LEDs.  Industries have locked gates which we can model.  Switches are locked which we can model.  Rail crews frequently walk over and talk to the customer rep. to confirm car spots or the task at hand.  If pick ups are placed in the train, a set and release air brake test should be performed (typically 5 minutes for a short prototype train) before the train goes down the line.  Every modeler needs to decide for themselves where the line is between operations that you want to copy and operations that are tedious.  For example, in the real world a crew may take 20 minutes to walk and inspect a spur that hasn’t been used in awhile.  Maybe that is too much to copy….or maybe you should park the locomotive put a fresh cup of coffee on and come back in a few minutes.

We’ve gone to a lot of effort to create this miniature world, why not milk it for all it’s worth and enjoy the ride.