11-30-2018, 06:56 AM
While a train being "held out" of a yard is a very common situation in prototype railroading, it's not really much fun for model railroading crews. I have two suggestions for reducing the time spent "held out" by crews and make our crews more efficient.
First, reduce the number of cars to be handled at one time by Cook Yard crews. This can be done by considering Cook Yard to be an intermediate yard, not a terminal where every train must be entirely reclassified.
Through trains, road trains, manifest trains, or whatever you want to call them, would originate at some distant yard (represented by staging), eventually arrive at Cook Yard where some cars would be set out and others picked up. Cars not set out are assumed to have been classified for handling in other yards and are taken on to another distant yard (again represented by staging). This is normal procedure for the majority of prototype yards, particularly yards as small as our Cook Yard.
In practice, we could designate cars on staging yard Tracks 7 & 8 as westbound (WB) and eastbound (EB) through trains respectively. In Cook Yard, Tracks 1 & 2 would be reserved as EB receiving and forwarding; Tracks 10 & 11 as WB receiving and forwarding.
An EB through train, for example, would leave staging Track 8, make at least one circuit of the main, and enter Cook Yard on Track 1. The road crew then sets out part of the train on whatever track the east end yard crew picks (probably Track 2). At the same time, the west end yard crew adds cars to the rear of the train. The road crew is now ready to leave Cook Yard and return to staging Track 8 after another circuit of the main. Note that through cars, in the middle of the train on arrival, are now at the head end, eligible to be set out the next time this EB through train arrives at Cook Yard.
The above activity would be the same for a WB through train except, of course, the WB would leave staging Track 7, enter Cook Yard on Track 11, set out on Track 10 (?), the east end crew would add cars on the rear, and the train would return to staging Track 7. EB and WB trains could conceivably meet at Cook Yard without interfering with each other too much.
The second suggestion is to add a Trainmaster/Switch Tender/Yard Clerk to our operating positions. This new position would be needed only if the operating scenario described above is implemented (otherwise, there would not be enough for him to do).
The Trainmaster/Switch Tender/Yard Clerk's position would be at the staging yard. The Trainmaster would be responsible for deciding when trains leave the staging yard. The Switch Tender would line the switches for all movements in and out of the staging yard; guiding those movements with hand signals or the occasional shout. Road crews would thus not have to crawl under the layout when taking trains or light engines in or out of the staging yard.
The Yard Clerk would determine the number of Cook Yard set outs and pickups for through trains, "turn" the waybills for the setouts, and tell the road crew (possibly with a new form or small sticky notes) how many cars are to be set out and picked up. The Yard Clerk would also be responsible for turning the waybills of cars in transfer runs.
The Yard Clerk could use a spreadsheet like the one at this link (https://1drv.ms/x/s!AijKyfDnchdenJRwHTyV03QtR6T31Q) to help determine the number of setouts and pickups. (Of course, the Trainmaster can always override the spreadsheet.) Using this or a similar spreadsheet would more or less randomly vary the number of cars set out and picked up. The linked spreadsheet can be run in any Windows 10 machine or in any Android mobile device. According to Microsoft, it can also be used in iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices but I have no way to test that.
First, reduce the number of cars to be handled at one time by Cook Yard crews. This can be done by considering Cook Yard to be an intermediate yard, not a terminal where every train must be entirely reclassified.
Through trains, road trains, manifest trains, or whatever you want to call them, would originate at some distant yard (represented by staging), eventually arrive at Cook Yard where some cars would be set out and others picked up. Cars not set out are assumed to have been classified for handling in other yards and are taken on to another distant yard (again represented by staging). This is normal procedure for the majority of prototype yards, particularly yards as small as our Cook Yard.
In practice, we could designate cars on staging yard Tracks 7 & 8 as westbound (WB) and eastbound (EB) through trains respectively. In Cook Yard, Tracks 1 & 2 would be reserved as EB receiving and forwarding; Tracks 10 & 11 as WB receiving and forwarding.
An EB through train, for example, would leave staging Track 8, make at least one circuit of the main, and enter Cook Yard on Track 1. The road crew then sets out part of the train on whatever track the east end yard crew picks (probably Track 2). At the same time, the west end yard crew adds cars to the rear of the train. The road crew is now ready to leave Cook Yard and return to staging Track 8 after another circuit of the main. Note that through cars, in the middle of the train on arrival, are now at the head end, eligible to be set out the next time this EB through train arrives at Cook Yard.
The above activity would be the same for a WB through train except, of course, the WB would leave staging Track 7, enter Cook Yard on Track 11, set out on Track 10 (?), the east end crew would add cars on the rear, and the train would return to staging Track 7. EB and WB trains could conceivably meet at Cook Yard without interfering with each other too much.
The second suggestion is to add a Trainmaster/Switch Tender/Yard Clerk to our operating positions. This new position would be needed only if the operating scenario described above is implemented (otherwise, there would not be enough for him to do).
The Trainmaster/Switch Tender/Yard Clerk's position would be at the staging yard. The Trainmaster would be responsible for deciding when trains leave the staging yard. The Switch Tender would line the switches for all movements in and out of the staging yard; guiding those movements with hand signals or the occasional shout. Road crews would thus not have to crawl under the layout when taking trains or light engines in or out of the staging yard.
The Yard Clerk would determine the number of Cook Yard set outs and pickups for through trains, "turn" the waybills for the setouts, and tell the road crew (possibly with a new form or small sticky notes) how many cars are to be set out and picked up. The Yard Clerk would also be responsible for turning the waybills of cars in transfer runs.
The Yard Clerk could use a spreadsheet like the one at this link (https://1drv.ms/x/s!AijKyfDnchdenJRwHTyV03QtR6T31Q) to help determine the number of setouts and pickups. (Of course, the Trainmaster can always override the spreadsheet.) Using this or a similar spreadsheet would more or less randomly vary the number of cars set out and picked up. The linked spreadsheet can be run in any Windows 10 machine or in any Android mobile device. According to Microsoft, it can also be used in iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices but I have no way to test that.