Ops session video on the KCS 3rd Sub HO scale model railroad. This video features the Sallisaw Yard operations. Recorded in June, 2019. More info on the railroad including track plans etc. can be found at kcs3.webs.com
Watched your KCS videos a few times. I saw another video about an expansion you are building, I excited to see it. Thank you for sharing, these operations videos, your layout lends itself to realistic railroading.
Thank you so much for watching, and for your kind words! Operations is my favorite part of the hobby. I am now retired and spend most of my time, with the help of many friends who I am fortunate to have, working on the expansion which will be the 2nd sub. The current RR runs from Heavener OK to Watts OK. The expansion will take it from Watts OK to Pittsburg KS, via Arkansas and Missouri. Actually there are more industries to work on that section. Right now we are finishing up the benchwork and putting up skyboard and valance (masonite/hardboard). No track laid yet.
I grew up in St.Paul, Mn. The Ford Plant was half a mile from our house. The Milwaukee Road was literally in our backyard. Sadly the plant and the railroad have been gone for years. My friends and I spent hours watching the trains switch the plant. I played little league baseball on the fields Ford developed. We lived so close to MSP airport the knocker on the door would rattle when the old piston engined planes flew over. I should have either been a pilot or an engineer, but ended up driving truck. Go figure.
I love how prototypically you operate this railroad. Great job on the scenery too! Most people do not realize how much time, effort, money, and skill go into the building and running of a successful model railroad as nice as yours. I've never been to a real operating session, let alone one with such attention to detail as this. The video is very crisp, clean and professional looking. I'm 48 and my grandson is 2 when I get closer to retirement, and he can appreciate it more, I hope to build an operating layout with him! Thanks for sharing such a nice video with those of us who do not yet have the resources to enjoy such a wonderful hobby!
@@misterrainwizard Wow Oklahoma City? No way: I'm not that far. The layout is in Coweta, OK, just southeast of Tulsa. I don't think either of us want to put our email addresses up here on RU-vid. We won't be operating this month (July) but the next session is the 4th Saturday of August 8/24). Crew call is 12:30 pm, trains start rolling at 1 pm. Tell you what: if you are truly interested, please go to my web site at kcs3.webs.com and sign up for the forum (it's free). Then post on our forum. We have open sign-ups on that forum every month. And members are notified ahead of operating sessions. Since you are from out of town I'd be happy to reserve a slot for you. Or if you have another suggestion as to how we can connect I'm open to any suggestions. :-)
Not only a good prototypical operation session, but excellent documentation and videography of the entire event! Shows the quality of the layout when every runs like a Swiss watch and sure does make me miss those ghosts on the KCS! Especially loved the MKT hopper car! Want to see this layout one day!
Hey Steve, I had no idea that you had these videos on here. These are just excellent, and I thank you for the opportunity to operate on this railroad last winter. Truly a magnificent layout.
Logan, thank you so much for your kind words! Sadly with COVID-19 I haven't been able to host or record any operating sessions for the last 9 months, so I've taken up virtual operations (train-simming). But there are quite a few videos on my channel, from my own KCS and other model RR's. And I'm optimistic about getting back into creating these. It's comments like yours that keep me going!
Thoroughly enjoyed this video. It's now my go to background video when planning new episodes. Thanks for putting these together, and wonderful layout to boot!
One of the best Op Session videos I've seen on youtube. Bit of a way to get to an Op session from here in New Zealand, but this video certainly makes you feel like you're there amongst the action. Keep these up!
We’d love to have you! We operate the fourth Saturday of every month, crew call 12:30, operations start at 1 pm. Visit my web site at kcs3.webs.com for more info and to sign up.
With that grade I can here the trains upgrade NB at my home in Bunch OK MP 271 when they leave Marble City OK MP 281. I use to walk along the tracks to the store in Bunch with my brother. We could here SB trains blow for the crossings over 6 miles north. It was safer than the road as we didn't know when a drunk would drive by. North of Bunch on the W side of the tracks to around the corner is the old siding for the passenger trains to use in Bunch. The brick depot burned sometime before the 50's an old wood boxcar was used after. My Mom and Grandpa (mail carrier) use to tell me about walking the tracks for the mail. And I talked to an engineer who started as a mail kicker. He said Bunch was the hardest to kick at as SB there is no warning NB they had the bridge.
Sallisaw looks like an excellent and fun Yardmaster challenge - wish I lived closer if you support NMRA OpSIG, although I'm sure it's not hard to staff. Tell those mainliners to check their speeds 😀...
Maynard, I am am Amber of NMRA and the OPSIG and my layout is listed in the OPSIG directory. We operate on the fourth Saturday of nearly every month (there is a calendar on our website, http;//kcs3.webs.com). Guest operators are always welcome! And we take advance signups for specific jobs each session on our web site. Thanks for watching!
just climbed aboard this channel and couldn't watch this whole video but that's a heck of a layout! hats off to you gentlemen. by the way- what's a "sweeper?"
Thank you for watching and posting a comment! A ‘sweeper’ is a train that picks up cars along its run to take to its terminus - sort of like someone sweeping up a mess. 👍
When I was a kid I agonized over where exactly to optimally place my automatic uncouplers. It never occurred to me that just using a skinny-long-official-looking stick could be acceptable!
? Where did you get or what is the tool you used to convert the photo to cartoon at the begin of this video? I have been looking for a good tool to do this for some time and have not found one I fully like yet. Thanks.
Actually it converts a video to a cartoon look. So I had to freeze the frame and then do the conversion because having it moving seemed too distracting. The tool is included in Adobe Premiere Elements 2015, which is what I use to edit all my videos.
@@TTownTrainFan Thanks Steve,I really enjoy your videos.I did mention a while back with your permission I download your vids to my portable hard drive and take them up to my trailer where I have no internet.There I can get my fix.Thanks again.
how does the phone system work on the layout and how can I go about making one for my layout? is there a link to the website on how to make a phone system for dispatching? Awesome layout and video!
Thank you for watching and your kind words. There are a fair number of articles on telephone systems for model railroads but they either required too much work or cost too much money. So I did it the cheap way: I bought a cheap PBX online (May have been on Amazon.com). It cost about $60 and was made in China. You can plug up to 8 phones into one I bought. Then I bought old-fashioned “touch tone” phones, ran telephone wire from each phone to that PBX (which is under the layout and very small: about 1” high by 8” wide by 5” deep.). There is a little setup but it came with instructions. I set it up so it was simple: 0 for the dispatcher, 1 for Heavener Yard (the large main yard), 2 for Sallisaw and 3 for Marble City/Quarry Junction.
Coweta OK - southeast of Tulsa. I have a few operators who come up from Ft. Smith. We operate on the 4th Saturday of every month at 1 pm. If you don’t want to drive all that way and maybe not get the job you want, you can sign up for specific jobs in advance on our web site Forum. We typically start asking for job picks about 1 1/2 or 2 weeks before the session. And walk-in’s are always welcome - we will find a train for you!
Yes, a few. We have a railway engineer for the SKOL who is a regular, a former BNSF Dispatcher out of the Ft Worth dispatch center, some switch men and conductors etc. Most of us just enjoy railroading and are not working in the industry but there are enough who are to help us learn / which is half the fun to many. THANKS for watching and commenting! 👍
Yes, definitely! It is open to the public. I'm located in Oklahoma, we operate on the 4th Saturday of every month (with a few exceptions) at 1 pm and ask our crew to show up at 12:30 pm. The best way to guarantee a slot is to go to my web site at kcs3.webs.com and join (it's free). Then you'll have access to the forum and can sign up for crew positions etc. I also have a calendar on that site which confirms which days we are operating etc. Walk-ins are welcome as well but I can't guarantee you'll get the job you want. Thanks, Steve
If it looks like work to you, we succeeded!!! 😂 When you worked for the KCS, did you ever work Heavener? There is a spot called ”Auction House” and I don’t know what it really was or why it would be rail-served. Do you have any idea what it looked like or what types of cars it took?
@@TTownTrainFan Worked out of Heavener for 38 years, I have to say I never heard of "Auction House" I'm not saying it's not a thing, just never heard of it.
@@TTownTrainFan : Hey Steve. I've watched your videos about operating on this layout and it seems just as complex as it looks! Nice job on modeling and operating a railroad about a year before I was born (I'm a 1983 baby, lol). My thoughts about the location called "Auction House" is that back in the early days of rail, back in the 1800s, it actually was an interface for cattle-rustlers and ranchers bringing up cattle to be auctioned off, hence the name. The railroad would then contract with local buyers, and take the carloads of cattle to places like Chicago that had slaughterhouses.
Yes, you are absolutely right. Prototype dispatching software won’t allow a dispatcher to take down a signal in front of a train. If a DS needs to take down a signal, he must first ask the crew if they can comply with the signal change. If they say they can, then the DS logs the name of the crewman who confirmed they could comply, and cancels the signal. The signal then “runs time”, typically for 20 minutes, before any conflicting/opposing signals, routes or switches can be set. The CATS software which I’m using to dispatch the KCS unfortunately doesn’t have this feature. Our dispatcher shouldn’t have taken down the signal. Good observation. Thankfully nobody was hurt! 😀
Thanks for the comment. I agree. We use ISA ProtoThrottles in the Yard so most of the acceleration is controlled since the locomotives have significant momentum (acceleration and deceleration delay) in those. But the road trains don't. This wasn't produced as a video, it is merely a video of an actual operating session on my RR. Some operators run at more prototypical speeds than others. I want to keep it fun so I don't impose too many rules on the operators.
Definitely! It's on my web site, www.kcs1982.com/. Also was featured, with a plan, in Railroad Model Craftsman's October 2019 issue. Thanks for asking and thanks for your interest..
Well I’ve done a lot of videos on my KCS 4td sub. Not many jobs left to show. I’m talking to my model railroader friends about doing videos of THEIR layouts. There are a number of good ones around here.
Steve Davis I’m just addicted to watching this. Lol if you ever feel up to just record some yard ops since we know what the jobs are that would be pretty cool. Less editing too hahah.
Sometimes with switching etc. they change position in the train. You are correct: they should be at least half way back for proper distribution of tractive effort. Too late for the video but I’ve moved them and reminded my operators not to always add their pickups to the rear of the train! 👍😎
Today world those throttles look like would take a crain to hold them up. Two hands to operate? think smartphone and engine driver work way better. Even NCE and Digitrax controllers you can do with one hand. Get looking op session. got to get up there soon.
Art, I realize not everyone is a fan of the Iowa Scaled Engineering Proto Throttles. I personally like them. With a layout similar to a prototype control cab and the realistic throttle notching and brake action it feels much more like operating a real locomotive. You’ll notice that our operators are holding them in one hand. They ARE very much “today’s world”: they just came out about a year and a half ago, developed by hobbyists. They work with nearly every DCC system. I first got to play with one last year at ProRail in Washington DC. For anyone who does want to learn more about these, including a couple demo videos, see www.protothrottle.com Only a few jobs on the KCS 3rd use them and operators know which jobs. There are fascia holders available for them and I have them but haven’t installed those yet. My road crews mostly use CVP EasyDCC “Ops” throttles or Digitrax UT4’s and UT4D’s. And as you know my entire dispatching system and layout operation system is run via JMRI, so yes I also have WiThrottle and Engine Driver servers running, so anyone who wishes to can use their phones to run trains. 😀 Thank you for watching and commenting!
And here I thought that model railroading was supposed to be fun? After watching these guy’s this looks like a nightmare day at work to me, just saying??🤦♂️🤦♂️ Come to think of it I’ve had better days at work after watching this video, what happened to just running a bunch of trains and having fun and maybe a derailment or two.!!
Well different strokes for different folks. Some people like the puzzle aspect of the hobby. And, some just like to run trains. Nothing wrong with that either of course.