Lance posted this up today (04/06/23) regarding operations and I holy believe in what he says. It may not be your 'cup of tea' for operating, but it does allow for a longer operations session. Read on : https://lancemindheim.com/2023/06/b...xXeJA4bKoubQ9xxIVCWSFSsfA0zkB8MN0h31mP797O4KE Coupled to what Lance writes, I also agree that speed whilst switching/shunting should be adhered to as well. I have taken the approach that forward speed on my layout is no more than speed step 10 (of 128) and in reverse, I run at speed step 5 ! Then there are those other prototype actions that can be adopted when switching/shunting such as rolling up to the wagon/car, stopping 20 feet in front, then creep up to the wagon/car to couple. After coupling, then there is the operation of the 'stretch', to make sure couplings are made prior to leaving the siding/spur. Roll on... Cheers, Gary.
Hi Gary Interesting, I suppose I fall about midway on the expanse and operational side, I have been lucky enough to have a decent amount of space for my marshaling yard and associated industries it serves, I'm not sure what the US or Oz term is for it, but some type of switching yard I guess, so I can see where you and Lance are coming from. I keep all my loco scale speeds relatively low, even the mainline to about 50mph, doesn't look right higher otherwise, an operational limitation I have is that I run many 1960s+ models where running in 128 step mode would be impractical so I use 28 step mode throughout, some shunters will still 'crawl' at 5 mph, but to be honest I probably wouldn't have the patience to run at 128 step anyway. Even though it would provide me the ability to accelerate and decelerate more smoothly. I also use acceleration and deceleration delays, which is a sort of lazy way of preventing me performing instant start - stop craziness. Large switching locos. 8 wheel drive with 8 wheel pickup are not something British Railways of the 1960s had or needed, more like 6 coupled and the pickup goods diesel, potentially an 8x8 in motor vehicle terms, but my old models would not be happy as they are likely to 8x4! Another aspect of laziness is using BEMF, but I have found that essential on two fronts, firstly to allow a decent level of smoothness of elderly shunters and secondly so that mainline trains on the folded figure of eight continuous runs can be left to look after themselves while I do a bit of shunting, my prefered pastime, other times I just like to watch the trains go by, depends on my mood. However if I was restricted to space to the extent of just operating a single industrial yard attached to fiddle yard then what Lance suggests is certainly the way I would go about running. Also if I moved from 4mm scale to 7mm scale with the same space, bearing in mind I run a multiple level 4mm system, which would be impractical in the available space, again I would adopt crawling speed shunting/switching and it would look very good I am sure. So it is certainly something for those planning a build to consider, and certainly some awareness of prototypical operations, both railway company and industrial, makes for a much more interesting, enjoyable and longer lasting layout. Jim
I have a 7mm layout on my previous 4mm baseboard around an 8ft X 8ft room. Everything runs very slowly and I love it like that.
Hi Jim, Yes, I know what you mean about the earlier 1960s models, I have a collection of early Triang, Triang/Hornby locomotives and rolling stock from the 60's and they are not the best crawlers/slow runners ! With today's operating systems, ie DCC, it is far easier to have 'super' slow running, especially with the modern locomotives. My locomotives which are no older than a few years and are all DCC, are superb runners and it makes it a joy to slowly switch/shunt freight cars accordingly. I don't necessarily have a large layout, it is an 11' L shape, but only 12" deep, with a small peninsula, measuring 5' x 16". All up, it has less of a foot print than the old table top 8' x 4' ! It is industry based with 6 individual industries, so my preferred running or I should say operations are 'slow' ! I watch a fair amount of US operations, more so on their short lines and Class 2 lines (branch lines and former main lines which have been taken over by private ownership), just to see how they operate. Here is Oz, it is more 'unit' trains that run from one major rail yards to another major rail yard or wharf/dock to rail yard, so we have really lost that small time shunting of local yards. I have found that operating at a slower pace is far more enjoyable than running at a faster pace. I have done away with magnetic uncoupling (I use Kadees) and also solenoid point motors and wire in tube operated points. Everything is done by hand, uncoupling and throwing points. This also adds to slowing the game down. I have recently bought a book from the US, 'How to Operate your Model Railroad', by Bruce Chubb (1977), and everything written within the pages is applicable to today's operations of the layout, or any layout for that matter. It details everything from Waybills, Fast Clock, Switching (shunting), Timetables, Dispatch and more. I'm looking forward to its arrival as I'm keen to learn more about prototype operations and employing them on my layout. Cheers, Gary.
I have the video 'Last Train To Callington' and I can tell you, even though they ran a DMU, it ran like a stroll in the park, not a sprint at the Olympics ! It is such a joy to watch the train makes its way from Plymouth to Bere Alston and then switch back and head to Callington where it terminated. This is partly due to the tight radius of curves, but it also depicts the slow and steady pace of a bygone era. There is nothing like watching a train move casually ,winding its way through the hills and dales. Operational speeds whether it be a small layout or a large layout is crucial. After all, we model our layouts to represent the real world, so operating them and scale speed should be counted in that too ! Cheers, Gary.
