07-16-2017, 03:50 AM
Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to give an update on the third beta operating session that was held on July 11, 2017.
We got off to a bit of a rough start with the curved turnout on the "West" yard lead that leads to the inside passing or outside passing. Thanks to Mike Cook and Thomas Stephens quick action it was repaired immediately and did not delay the kickoff of the operating session.
We we had enough participation to run all of the locals and were able to have two yard operators keeping everything moving as the locals returned with their trains for classification. Oliver Bowe joined me in the yard and handled the classification of trains on the "East" end of the yard while I was able to "trim" or block the locals for the next session on the "West" end of the yard. Thank you Oliver for taking the leap into the yard.
All of the locals operated with no significant issues. Everyone seems to be getting familiar with how car card operations works and using the train orders to navigate each local to and from their destination(s).
We have discovered that the most challenging local to operate is the Palestine Turn. This local typically has the most cars (due to the refinery and coke plant) and has many facing and trailing point switches making it a real operators challenge. We may have to break this into two separate locals, or add a separate "yard job" to service the refinery. There are many options available and we are soliciting input from the beta team.
Our goal at the end of each session is to have all of the locals made up for the next session or for people to run in between sessions. These trains will be placed at the west end of the yard and their car cards will be placed in the appropriate slot in the car card box on that end by the control panel. They will also have a green slip in the car cards that says "These cars are ready for departure". That way it is very evident that the train is ready to go.
I will be posting another thread on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that we are developing so that everyone can identify the status of the trains/cars in the yard. Look for that in the near future. Remember, our goal is to be able to run a train when someone wants to run one, even in between operating sessions. That is why we chose to use the car card system. It can be done at anytime and the system keeps on chugging (pun intended).
If you have any questions, please feel free to post them and I will monitor this board and respond the best I can.
Cheers,
Mike
Just wanted to give an update on the third beta operating session that was held on July 11, 2017.
We got off to a bit of a rough start with the curved turnout on the "West" yard lead that leads to the inside passing or outside passing. Thanks to Mike Cook and Thomas Stephens quick action it was repaired immediately and did not delay the kickoff of the operating session.
We we had enough participation to run all of the locals and were able to have two yard operators keeping everything moving as the locals returned with their trains for classification. Oliver Bowe joined me in the yard and handled the classification of trains on the "East" end of the yard while I was able to "trim" or block the locals for the next session on the "West" end of the yard. Thank you Oliver for taking the leap into the yard.
All of the locals operated with no significant issues. Everyone seems to be getting familiar with how car card operations works and using the train orders to navigate each local to and from their destination(s).
We have discovered that the most challenging local to operate is the Palestine Turn. This local typically has the most cars (due to the refinery and coke plant) and has many facing and trailing point switches making it a real operators challenge. We may have to break this into two separate locals, or add a separate "yard job" to service the refinery. There are many options available and we are soliciting input from the beta team.
Our goal at the end of each session is to have all of the locals made up for the next session or for people to run in between sessions. These trains will be placed at the west end of the yard and their car cards will be placed in the appropriate slot in the car card box on that end by the control panel. They will also have a green slip in the car cards that says "These cars are ready for departure". That way it is very evident that the train is ready to go.
I will be posting another thread on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that we are developing so that everyone can identify the status of the trains/cars in the yard. Look for that in the near future. Remember, our goal is to be able to run a train when someone wants to run one, even in between operating sessions. That is why we chose to use the car card system. It can be done at anytime and the system keeps on chugging (pun intended).
If you have any questions, please feel free to post them and I will monitor this board and respond the best I can.
Cheers,
Mike