operations

[lester perry]

I know there is an operations forum but I posted it there and have gotten no responces I felt maybe someone who dosn't visit there might be able to answer my question. I am considering trying seqential operations but don't have any Idea how it works
Les

 

[60103]

Lester:
I think with sequential operations you make a "timetable" without times, but indicating that one operation will happen after another completes. It could be as simple as "peddler freight will leave Middletown yard for Endville after it finishes switching" or "Peddler freight will switch Middletown and leave town after the Westbound Limited passes".
The complexity will depend on how many operators you have. If there are only 2 of you, having 3 peddlers going at once gets complicated -- you arrive at a yard and find that the cars you are supposed to pick up are still at the mine because that train hasn't run yet. (We found that out with timetables.)

 

[N Gauger]

Yup - that's it -- it's like dominoes... Every operation depends on the operation before it... It simulates "delays" by weather or other mishaps in real life.... For example if a train arrives at a drop off - and a empty is in the way on the siding, you have to compensate for the movement (pick up) of the empty (10 - 15 minutes) in order to place the car...

this then slows you down if you have a destination to fulfill (yard) for the next train or crew or dropoff

Or - if you have to be somewhere for your crew to not run over their daily hours...

 

[Russ Bellinis]

It also depends on how true to prototypical you want to be. The late Whit Towers used to have regular operating sessions on his model railroad. A guy I know who used to operate with the group on Whit's layout said that instead of spending a lot of time making up car cards and setting up operating scenarios, he just had one rule. He called it leave one-take one. As you were running your train around the layout, if you left a car at an industry, you needed to pick up another car that was previously left at that industry to take with you.