Tim, what you make look simple is really a reflection of your years of dedication and experience. It's 'simple' when you've put in the effort to make it a habit. Modelers who are new to the hobby would be well advised to follow the steps you lay out if their goal is to reflect prototypical operations. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
Well..... there you have it folks, from the man himself! What a true real as you can get, simple switch list. WOW. Just WOW!!! I watched his hand jot down everything and understood it the entire way! Only true real road experience on that switch list! Well done sir! Excellent video! See ya next week!!! - Gary.
That brought back memories. I operated almost every week on a friends large layout. He was a retired railroader, Big Four, Penn Central and Conrail. I'd pull the rain past at walking speed while he made the switch list. He past away about 18 months ago. I still use switch lists like he taught me on my layout. Great video.
Tim, I've participated in a number of op sessions, mainly using the track cards. This totally simplifies the process and makes it much easier to understand and implement. In the real world, when you're switching industries, what do use to familiarize yourself with their locations, and what switch(es) are to be used to access the facility, especially when you're in an urhan setting with multiple industries, sidings, and switches. Thanks, Steve
Thanks! Industries are identified by an alpha-numeric class code. New hires have to train each job assignment on their territory before they mark up for duty. This helps them to familiarize with each location. Often new conductor trainees can train for up to six months on the mainline and on locals. In the event they catch a job off the extra board after they mark up and never went to the industry while they were training, the engineer on the job can job brief about the details or they can get the info from the local Trainmaster’s or Yard Master on duty.
nice vid tim... and @ 5:36 WOW i had one of those types of grips also... but man i got ribbed by the older switchman because where i worked at, only guys in engine service had those types of grips... i ended up giving mine to my sister (she's an engr for METRA, the commuter rail service in chicago)
Tim, as a clerk at Inman yards we kept a stack of switch on every desk. I can remember walking ALL 16 receiving tracks at Inman the day after Christmas one year because the T/M at Birmingham sent all of his outbound trains bound for us on Christmas Eve. and noone was there to book them. Memories!
Top drawer, as always. But this list was for an outbound train from Ragland to the main yard. Who would create the switch list for an inbound train? Conductor at the originating yard or not till arrival at Ragland when he/she knows which tracks are open at the industries for delivery? Would the train be pre-blocked by receiving industry at the yard or not until the Ragland arrival? Are the switch lists retained for filing somewhere or just discarded when complete. I tried lists a number of years ago, but with my simple layout, found out for me it was an unneeded extra step. A shelf at every industry complex made using plain car cards easy.
Thanks! A lot of questions I hope to address in upcoming videos. The switch list from Ragland can be used to classify the cars upon arrival into Gadsden. The conductor would give the list of his inbound train to the Yardmaster and then he would fill out where the cars need to go and give it to the yard job to classify the cars. In the case of a Carrollton local arriving back to the yard from the industries that local would have to classify their own cars and the conductor would make the decision where to put the cars. The industry would not pre block the cars but there is nothing stopping the local from making strategic moves to pre block the cars if the conductor is smart enough to think that far ahead. The switch lists are discarded after use. Keep watching and I’ll show you how this simple switch list is all you need for a shelf style layout. I have some upcoming simple operating sessions where I’ll show you how.
As a clerk on the SOO Line in the early '70s, I remember walking the yard tracks and writing all that stuff down. In Minnesota. In the winter. In the snow. At night. 😆
I have participated in op sessions using that very switch list and it is so much easier to use. It is nice to know it's industry standard at least coming from a locomotive engineer. Thanks. I also like your layout.
Nice job! Great communicator. You also make a potentially very complicated work order very simple. Thanks for your updates. So useful for my own layout. I'm so glad you share your expertise and don't keep it to yourself!
Tim, Always enjoy your videos. This switch list video was great. My 1970s terminal railroad switching layout (Mohawk Terminal Railway) is jointly owned by the D&H and the B&M. I use a switch list based on the D&H prototype. On the proto. D&H conductors never handled way bills or made up the switch lists. A roving operator/clerk made them up and delivered them to the conductors. 2 of my crew are a retired yard master and a conductor. They are a great asset with there knowledge and stories. Keep up the great work, and for sharing with all of us who love ops! Geoff Wood
Really good video, lots of helpful information. That “grip” made me think about my grandfather. He was an engineer for the B&O back in the days of steam. I’ll bet he had one very similar. He also carried a revolver. Hopefully he never used that.
Thanks! Yes those grips were very popular when I hired on in 96. And I knew of a few old heads that were packing one. Especially when you had to work in urban areas.
Tim, that is good, on my Trewsville Southern, I have a switch list and I have on it cars needed to pick up and cars to drop off. It happens to be easy for me to remember since I have 7 places and they all accept one car per area
Thanks for the clear explanation and the example switch list! I use a variant of the switch list for my switching layout, with a 20 sided dice to shake things up each session. - Paul
Side note: as a modeler, I love the multi-part fans. They look super realistic. However, they also look jarringly weird just sitting there, motionless. Do you, as an engineer, find them just as jarring?
Another thought. When the train arrives at the yard, it would enter an A/D track. Who actually classifies the cars per the list - a yard loco after receiving the list, or the incoming engineer/conductor loco (you) after moving to the other end of the train?
Really depends on the yard. Some are small and don’t have dedicated yard jobs or Yardmaster so the arriving local (if it has time) does the classification of their inbound train into outbounds. Only yards I know of that actually have dedicated A/D tracks are major classification yard terminals. All other yards simply have tracks so any available open track in the yard becomes the arrival track. Some terminals that do a lot of yard switching will have dedicated yard switch jobs that will handle all inbounds and classify the cars for their next move. I’ll be showing both scenarios in upcoming videos. For the Gadsden yard I have two dedicated yard jobs that do this work but for Carrollton the two local switchers have to handle their own classification of inbounds.
Tim, i just noticed the flashing beacon on 3010. Doesnt that indicate thats its a remote unit? I use JMRI since my handwriting looks like a doctors prescription.😊
Hi John. No the remotes use a pair of rapid flashing lights. Back in the 70s a lot of units had rotary beacons like the 3010 and it was used to help spot units in large rail yards from the towers.
A number of things. I did a special video on AAR Car Type codes that goes into a description. They can be found on the UMLER site. You can see the video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6K2lSQRXR4Q.htmlsi=DMDPF3X0qssEfuU3
