Operations on the 1st District - Early to mid 1940's
Introduction
Sooner or later a lot of modelers start thinking about operations. After trying out several methods, I prefer timetable and train order operations along with a printed switch list. I have tried several methods to create switch lists including computer software based systems and the tried and true car card and 4-sided waybill system. Without going into a lot of detail as to the why, I found all the systems I've tried lacking in one wa,y or another. As a result, I have come to the conclusion the "old" system employed by the late Brian Ellerby for his famed Sn3 Copper River & Yukon turned out to be the best, in my humble opinion, for my layout. I adopted Brian's switch lists for my old Sn3 Alaska Pacific and I am now going to use them for the 1st District.
I do use car cards and 4-part waybill system on my small HO Scale shelf/switching layout. It's primarily a simple one man operation with trains that don't exceed 4 or 5 cars (https://visaliaelectric.blogspot.com/)
Switch Lists
I think the best place to start is with the actual switch list (form). My switch lists, made using Excel, are a close copy of those used by Brian. They include the switch list, a timetable, train/crew information, and special instructions printed on both sides of a 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of 65lb craft paper. After cutting off the bottom 2 3/8"s off the bottom of the sheet and folding it along it's long axes you end up with a 4 1/4" by 8 5/8" switch list shown below.
The inside contains a timetable.
The train, crew, special instructions, rules and car codes are on the back side.
Excel was used to create the switch lists. The list and special instructions were printed on one side (portrait orientation) and the timetable was printed on the other side (landscape orientation).
The switch lists are then placed in the rack shown below and crews are assigned to the trains just prior to the operating session; AM on the left, PM on the right. This rack was salvaged from the scrap pile when Brian's layout was disassembled. All that was need was a few repairs.
The 1st District Timetable
All trains, with the exception of #371 and #372 are run as "Extras". While the prototype used four motors "Geese" to cover the schedule I only have one. For the time being my Goose #3 runs from Rico (staging) to Ridgway in the morning and back to Rico (staging in the afternoon. Here, the northbound "motor" is passing through the cut between Matterhorn and Ophir. The Number 3 is a older PFM model. It is equipped with Tsusami 2 sound decoder, a TCS keep alive and track wipers which results in great sound and smooth trouble free operation.
The Track and Customer Diagram
Next comes a track, industry and capacity track diagram. The diagram was created with Excel and will become useful when it comes to assigning cars to trains. Turnouts with trailing points southbound are highlighted in orange, Turnouts with trailing point northbound are highlighted in green. There are 35 car spots not including the Ridgway Yard, Vance Junction Yard and the Rico staging tracks. Each of the 3 Rico staging tracks will hold a locomotive, 10 cars and a caboose. The Ridgway Yard will hold about 20 cars.
Car List
There are currently 48 cars on the layout. Of these, 6 are in overhead service between Ridgway and the Rico Staging Yard; 4 don't have a logical destination on the 1at District and 2 have fixed loads. That leaves 42 that can logically be spotted along the 1st District. Theoretically, if every car moved and every car spot was filled at the beginning and the end of a session, the layout could probably accommodate about 80-85 cars not counting any overhead traffic. But, a more realistic and practical number would be about 60-65 for a good operating session not counting any overhead traffic
THE ROUTING MATRIX
Here where the fun starts. The routing matrix for operating sessions A and B is shown below. The actual chart includes sessions C and D. Southbound moves are highlighted in orange and northbound in green. Intermediate or local moves are highlighted in blue. In the next section I will describe how the matrix was built using the mill at Vanadium as an example.
On the narrow gauge, stock cars, for the most part, were only used for their intended purpose during the spring and fall stock rushes. During the rest of the year, they could be found hauling a variety of materials including coal. Here we see hay being unloaded from a RGS stock car at Matterhorn,
The Vanadium Corporation of America Mill
During the period I model, the mill was processing low grade carnotite and vanadium ores to produce Uranium 238. Both of these ores were plentiful along the RGS. The processed ores were then piled over the trucks in boxcars and shipped by the RGS for additional processing in Durango, Between 1941 and 1945 nearly 6,000 carloads of ore were moved by the RGS. Coal, for the power plant, arrived from the south in hi-side gondolas. I have also seen a photo of a tank car sitting near the coal bins. Not sure what it was hauling but it may have been road oil for dust control,
Here is plot for Wilson and Vanadium. Ridgway (North) is to the left, Rico (South) is to the right. Both loads and empties generally arrive on a northbound train. Since the mill spur has a facing point turnout, the northbound train sets out the cars on the Wilson siding and the next southbound then spots the cars at the mill.
The mock ups for the Vanadium Corp of America are shown below. Two boxcars are spotted for loading and the empty hi-side gondola is spotted at the future location of the coal bins.
Making up Trains
Locomotives - What will they pull?
My maximum train length is a locomotive, 10 cars and a caboose. The length is dictated by the length of the planned Rico staging tracks. Before going any further, I decided to run a few test trains to see what my locomotives could pull up the 2.25% grade between Vance Junction and Ophir
One of my K-27's can easily handle a ten car train between Vance Junction and the summit at Lizard Head. It takes two C-19's to handle the same train. Here #42 and #40(C-19's) are crossing Bridge 45A southbound between Vance Junction and Ophir with the ten car test train and a brass caboose.
Trains
Operating Plan - Freights
- AM Extra South, Ridgway to Rico
- AM Extra North, Rico to Ridgway
- AM Extra Local Turn, Ridgway to Lizard Head and return
- AM Stock Extra, Rico to Ridgway
- PM Extra South, Ridgway to Rico
- PM Extra North, Rico to Ridgway
- PM Extra Local Turn, Ridgway to Rico & Return
- PM Stock Extra, Ridgway to Rico
Assigning cars to trains
D&RGW #346 building a southbound train in the Ridgway Yard.
At this point building a train is simple. Just read down the first column and assign the moves highlighted in orange to the AM southbound freight and the green to the northbound freight. Any move highlighted in blue will be assigned to the Local (Ridgway to Lizard Head Turn). Just make sure you block the cars in the order they will be switched; intermediate moves on the front; terminal to terminal moves on the back.
Here is the switch list for the southbound freight.
Scenery Update
A little bit of scenery work has been accomplished since the last update. Here is the "new" cut between Placerville and Wilson with the addition of basic ground cover and ballast. Some additional work has also been done around the engine facilities to include the addition of ballast.
Rolling Stock Additions
Between 1940 and 1944, the Denver & Rio Grande Western shops converted 45 42ft long steel frame standard gauge fishbelly gondolas into narrow gauge flat cars with a capacity of 40 tons. They were numbered between 6500 and 6544. Here is the #6521 with a pipe load at Placerville. It was built from a P-B-L kit. The pipeload is a HO scale kit from Walthers.
As always, you comments, suggestions and questions are welccome
