ANOTHER OPERATING SESSION!

Working through the maze of schedule conflicts this Fall, I held the one formal operating session on my railroad on Saturday.  This has been an unusually active Fall, with many rail events, including several falling on my “First Saturday” position in the area operating session rotation.  The wait was well worth it. 

I had twenty-one operators join me for the session.  Amazing to me is that my railroad still can absorb a few more operators beyond that, especially with two-man crews in use.  I prefer to have two-man crews on the local freights and would like to have them on all of the road freights.  A second crewmember is useful with long trains and handling the radio traffic associated with the Direct Traffic Control system in use.  Further, I find it is best for everyone if new-to-the-layout operators are paired with a more experienced operator.  Three of the road crews were paired for this session, as well as three local crews.  Several other operators ran solo as road crew, as well as the two helper crews we used.

Fellow model railroaders note that I rarely operate during my own formal sessions.  The reason for that is well known to fellow owners of larger layouts.  We are on-call for any number of issues during the session.  Though my railroad has settled down fairly well, I still experience minor physical plant glitches or control system problems that require my attention.  Indeed, I had one switch point that required a quick re-solder job onto the throw bar as well as several other minor glitches. 

In compensation for not operating during a formal session, I get to railfan!  My enjoyment comes from seeing my vision come to life with my basement empire.  As the session settled down, I got to sit down and watch several meets take place at Wicopee, with trains slowly snaking across my future Salt Creek Trestle site.  Note this is the site for the inspiration photos that appear as the background of this blog and the inset photo at the top of the right side bar.  My crews are doing a wonderful job of keeping the speeds within the 25 mph freight speed limit on the mountain grade. 

A RR-East freight drifts down-grade and around the Salt Creek Trestle toward a meet at Wicopee.  The RR-West train to be met is just visible underneath the trestle support.  Mike B. and Brigg F. are guiding the RR-East.  Helper engineer on the RR-West train Bob Y. is in the background.  Bob has pulled the helper duty several times, so he runs as a one-man crew.

Another perspective on the meet at Wicopee, with Mike B. serving as engineer on the RR-East train coming down the hill.  Standard practice on the mountain grade in the diesel era is to keep the down-hill trains rolling to conserve their braking ability. 

Dispatcher John B. kept the traffic rolling with additional management assist to both he and me provided by retired SP Dispatcher Rick K.  John is filling in train data on the Direct Traffic Control  Block Authority Sheet.  Above that on the desk is the Train Sheet.  Where the Dispatcher records additional information about each train.

Conductor Mike B. (seated), helper engineer Dave C, and Road engineer Rick A. await a down hill train and meet at McCredie Springs.  Part of railroading on a single track mainline is waiting for a meet.

Oakridge Turn engineer Bob S. (rear) awaits a RR-Westbound controlled by Ken R. (foreground) coming into Oakridge.

Oakridge Turn conductor Pete J. (left) watches and plans at Oakridge as helper engineer Bob Y. drifts down yard track 1 to be ready for the incoming road freight.  The new Oakridge crossovers can be seen connecting the four yard body tracks.  The mainline, siding and house track (right to left) are the three tracks closer to the depot and backdrop.

Ken R’s RR-West road freight enters Oakridge Yard, while the Oakridge Turn waits in the foreground.  I issued an operating bulletin directing the use of Oakridge Yard track 2 as the preferred track for RR-West freights.  The new crossovers best enable placing the helper two thirds of the way back in the train when using this track.

Jim M. and Greg P. work the first Springfield switch job.  This job works the depot side of the mainline at Springfield.  A second job works the aisle side. 

Yardmaster David B. keeps his switch crews, Jordan D. (left) and Chuck C. (right) busy at Eugene.  Over the course of the session, they must build five local freights and break down blocks of cars from arriving RR-Eastbounds destined for the modeled railroad.

Even though I could schedule only one formal operating session this Fall, it was a good session.  It was great to have a full crew and keep everyone busy.  Also good were the relatively modest number of glitches and trouble tags generated.  Sessions like this were what my railroad was built for!

OAKRIDGE CROSSOVERS

An important track feature needed for the Oakridge Yard was noted as soon as we started operation on the full mainline of my SP Cascade Line last year.  With my original track arrangement, helpers had to be cut into RR-West trains at the RR-West end of Oakridge.  This tied up the entire yard throat, yard tracks, and the Salmon Creek block—the next operating block RR-West of Oakridge.  One of my retired SP engineer operators was serving as a helper engineer, and noted: “ Hey Bill, weren’t there crossovers in the yard?” 

I laid out my Oakridge Yard using a track diagram from Austin and Dill’s “Southern Pacific in Oregon” book (PFM, 1987).  The same diagram also appeared in the meet booklet for the Espee in Oregon Meet held in Oakridge in about 2005.  Both diagrams ended at the Crestview Street overpass—roughly halfway into the yard, but encompassing the depot and engine facilities, including the wye.  I failed to study closely the map on the aforementioned Oakridge Meet booklet which confirmed the crossovers RR-East of the Crestview Street overpass (off the diagram).  Operations logic should have alerted me to the need, as well.

The operational need has been compelling.  Adding the missing crossover switches has been on my short list of high priority track projects.  Not only do the mid-train helpers need the crossovers, but the Oakridge Turn could use them to good advantage as well.  I needed a couple of months’ break from operations to do this task, something created by my schedule conflicts this Fall. 

The revised Oakridge track schematic shows the function of the crossovers.  RR-West trains can use the Pope and Talbot spur as a switch lead to help clear space for the helpers.  This lead is regularly used by the Oakridge Turn for similar work.  This will be a busy track, but it will relieve the mainline.  Indeed, I will post a new special operating instruction for the next operating session instructing all RR-West freights to enter the Oakridge Yard and not use the Oakridge mainline or siding unless ordered to do so by the Dispatcher. 

Revised Oakridge track schematic.

I assembled a half dozen new switches, including one curved switch, to fit into the yard.  The first photo shows the switch tie blanks laid on top of the existing tracks.

New switch tie blanks laid on top of original Oakridge track.

Having laid out the proposed locations of the switches, I drilled pilot holes for the throw rod activation slot.  I stuffed each of these with a piece of wire to indicate the proposed switch point locations underneath the layout.  This revealed a couple of modest position adjustments to avoid layout support joists and legs.  I had to accept that a couple of the switch machines would be located immediately above a main bench-work L-girder.

Proposed switch throwbar locations indicated by wire stuffed into pilot holes.

With the switch throwbar slots located, I removed existing track segments.  This was simply done by flooding the track with alcohol, which softened the Dap 231 adhesive caulk used to attach the track. A putty knife was used to pry up the track, salvaging most of it.  The throwbar slots were drilled and enlarged with a router.  The new switches and connecting track segments were then laid to restore the tracks.  This was followed by switch machine installation.  Wring for the switches and switch machines was done and the track placed in service.

Tight quarters under the layout for a couple of the switch machines.

New crossovers installed at Oakridge.

Crossovers in use.  A helper set is crossing over to couple to the rear of a train on Yard-2.  The Oakridge Turn is sitting on Yard-4, waiting for the through freight to clear out of town.

ANOTHER ROADBED HUMP AND TWO SAGS

As my railroad settles in—literally—I have found several more roadbed anomalies.  A big part of this is that the “complete” railroad has gone through a full year of seasons and with that changes in moisture levels.  As we were re-staging the railroad in September, we found a dramatic sag at the RR-West end of the future Noisy Creek trestle.  The pilot couplers on a pair of SD40Rs dug right into the ties on the trestle.  I still do not understand why the many SD45s that have run past this same point have not found the same fault, as they have the same frame, wheelbase and bolster to coupler distances as the SD40R.  Nonetheless, a severe sag was revealed.  Needing to correct that sag, I also tackled a couple of other nearby roadbed anomalies I had grown intolerant of.

Sag at the RR-West end of Noisy Creek Trestle.  The board on top of the track represents a continuous grade extending down from the Cruzatte siding.  The dip at the4 junction between trestle and standard roadbed is depressed by more than a half inch as indicated by the spacer between the track and the board.  Yikes!

The correction for this sag involved removing the wall mountings for the three roadbed support brackets on the right.  They were then reattached to the wall at new, higher, locations, beginning with the bracket on the right that supports both standard roadbed and the trestle central spine. 

Test train approaching the remounted Noisy Creek Trestle support.  No more pilot coupler digging into ties!

The second area attacked was a hump in the middle of Cruzatte.  I previously dealt with one further downhill.  This one was at the uphill end of the same eight-foot plywood roadbed panel.  Chalk this one up to the rapid construction needed in 2015 to complete the railroad for the NMRA National Convention in Portland.  Add in a year of seasons and the hump had become an issue, particularly for long freight cars.  Comparing roadbed issues I have had with Cruzatte’s set of plywood panels with Wicopee’s complete spline construction without issues, I can see I should have done the same roadbed at Cruzatte.  I will soldier on with the current roadbed, but continue to adjust it until I gain satisfaction.

Hump in the midst of Cuzatte.  Look at the area around the plywood joint.

Correcting this hump required sanding down most of the cork roadbed over the plywood subroadbed joint.

Success at Cruzatte.

The final bit of roadbed tweaking was at the RR-West end of Salt Creek Trestle.  I had worked in this area before, but now a roadbed sag revealed itself further up-grade.  I fixed the sag by applying vinyl spackling compound.  This was easily sanded to the desired grade—much faster and a better outcome than my previous effort filling with glued-on sheets of balsa.

Roadbed sag illustrated by the gap under the rule between about 12 and 26 inches on the rule (upper scale).

Track removed RR-West of Salt Creek Trestle as part of the grade smoothing.

The test train is doing much better through the approach to Salt Creek Trestle.

Although I have conducted operations on my railroad for the past year and a half, I continue to adjust both roadbed and track as I find issues.  This is a natural part of the settling in process for a model railroad.  I am now conducting tests with the most demanding equipment—trailer flat cars.  They have a very long distance from truck bolster and king pin to coupler face.  Add their long length and one has a device that finds the vertical imperfections in trackwork.  Now is the time to clear these issues—before scenery!