Boy am I glad to see this forum. If I can indulge you MRR operators, I would like to post some comments on what we use on the UP.
On the UP we have several versions of lists. One is a train consist list. Another is a track list, yard track or industry. And the third list is more of a work order.
On a train consist, the cars are listed rear to front from the top. This is a hold over from the days we ran with cabooses. The track list can be generated either west to east on top or east to west on top. The work order lists cars to be pulled and a separate one lists cars to be spotted. It has been some time but a combination of train consist and work order used to be used and may still be used. Basically these had a spot to mark the time the work was done. Yes we carried a lot of paper on the real railroad.
On a train consist the car information usually has a destination listed, empty or load, and hazmat info (if necessary). Not in that order. When we build a train, we try to block it. What that means is, group all cars for the same location in station order. That makes it easy to work the train enroute.
Once a set out has been made, the local yards again switch the cars as needed for their purposes.
This is when the track list comes into play. We get a new list of a track that has all the cars in it. With that list we can tell where the cars go. They may be going out to industries or have come back from industries and need to be switched for their next destinations.
The work order deals with each industry. It lists cars at each spot. Each industry has a track number and spot numbers. When you look at them, you must decipher which cars stay and which cars come out. Also you must decide where the cars go and which spots are empty.
I'm sure I've missed something here. No one list can really do the whole job. Depending on the job at hand we more than likely have a specific list to do the work. I will be happy to try and elaborate on this, so if you have questions ask away.
Greg Elems
On the UP we have several versions of lists. One is a train consist list. Another is a track list, yard track or industry. And the third list is more of a work order.
On a train consist, the cars are listed rear to front from the top. This is a hold over from the days we ran with cabooses. The track list can be generated either west to east on top or east to west on top. The work order lists cars to be pulled and a separate one lists cars to be spotted. It has been some time but a combination of train consist and work order used to be used and may still be used. Basically these had a spot to mark the time the work was done. Yes we carried a lot of paper on the real railroad.
On a train consist the car information usually has a destination listed, empty or load, and hazmat info (if necessary). Not in that order. When we build a train, we try to block it. What that means is, group all cars for the same location in station order. That makes it easy to work the train enroute.
Once a set out has been made, the local yards again switch the cars as needed for their purposes.
This is when the track list comes into play. We get a new list of a track that has all the cars in it. With that list we can tell where the cars go. They may be going out to industries or have come back from industries and need to be switched for their next destinations.
The work order deals with each industry. It lists cars at each spot. Each industry has a track number and spot numbers. When you look at them, you must decipher which cars stay and which cars come out. Also you must decide where the cars go and which spots are empty.
I'm sure I've missed something here. No one list can really do the whole job. Depending on the job at hand we more than likely have a specific list to do the work. I will be happy to try and elaborate on this, so if you have questions ask away.
Greg Elems