I am thinking that when regular operator Nick turns up for his next session at Wallace Creek we might use a system of consist orders. This is basically a train consist consisting of loco and wagon details and instructions as to what happens when the train arrives at its destination. In effect you set each other shunt problems to ensure vans and wagons are delivered to the right siding. There is a lsit of sidings and the traffic on each note. SO at Mowarra Junction if I am about to dispatch a passenger train to Wallace Creek I will fill out the loco and carriage details - obviously they go to the platform road but there are supplementary instructions where the operator must reorder the train so the passenger brake van is at the rear on departure. If there are any mail vans these have specific instructions as well. One remarshalled the train will either return or shunt to the Carriage Siding and the loco may work light engine to Mowarra Junction for fuel or a basic exam. The next train to Wallace Creek is a mixed freight so there may be wagons for the crane area, one of three warehouse bays (spots in US parlance) ,grain, general traffic for the goods yard and cement. The general instruction may read pick up traffic and I am thinking (especially with pick up freights) of issuing routing instructions for the next leg to mix it up a bit. Its very tempting to always arrive in one direction and depart in the other but sometimes returning back from whence you came adds a bit more operational interest. There are four routing options for freight stopping at Wallace Creek (or indeed Mowarra Junction) - arrive bridge/depart gorge end, arrive bridge/depart bridge, arrive gorge/depart bridge, arrive gorge/depart gorge. So we'll see whether this system works. Dave
Have a read of some of these. http://www.nmra.org.au/Operations/Systems Of Operation.html Mine is Devan & Summersett You will find that process good fun in actual shunting...
Thanks Ron - I think I have read that before so I have inadvertently adopted and stolen you methodology. Should our paths cross I will buy you a pint... Dave