Model Railroad Operations--Switch Lists

[@paparoysworkshop]

So we loaded up 8 rail cars of coal from the coal mine and transported it to the power plant. There, an inspector discovered that the coal was actually ground walnut shells dyed black and rejected the entire load. Now we have a train aimlessly circling the track with no place to dump the load... what a nightmare.

[@sjbolton72]

wow, thanks! operations is a mystery to me as a beginner and only talked about in vids as if everyone just knows it all already. this gives me a glimpse at part of the process and I can see it being a fun part of my layout as it builds and something to share with others. it really appeals to my analytical geekiness.

[@N-Scale]

Thanks Ron , I love the description on the lists and how to create them. Mike

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks, Mike.

[@austinyingst5902]

Most helpful by showing all the steps. Thanks.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you for your comment and thanks for watching.

[@davidmuse7004]

Ron, every since I subbed to your channel I have been learning a lot from your videos and this one continues that trend. Great job explaining Ops-Switch List, this was fun to watch but it taught me also that while still planning my layout that I need to think about how I will be able to have ops session and make this even more fun. Great idea and enjoyed that you did not just talk, but you have shown by giving explanation with video. GREAT JOB RON!!!! Thanks for sharing and this one is book marked for reference. D. Muse (WTCMRR)

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you for your comment and thanks for watching.

[@ejejeff1722]

Hi Ron, that was a great visual example of industry switching and track work. Thanks for sharing!

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you.

[@mms8393]

Ron: I left you a comment yesterday requesting a video on switch lists and yard operations. I apologize - I didn't see these videos initially. This is what I was hoping for. Thank you again.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I just responded to that comment. I have more operations videos coming. One could make an entire library just on the subject of operations.

[@Ken4trains]

Great video Ron.....I enjoy Switching!

[@dacuzzz]

hi Ron... car cards & switch list are things that i have been putting off... but need to get it done because in Sept.. i will be hosting a op session with my local group... BTW you where supposed to let me know about your motive power & tankers.. thanks for sharing.. vinny

[@jeffallen5698]

Great video!! Very interesting and informative...i want to get to that level of operations it looks like fun

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

The best way is to dive in.

[@coxsj]

Nice one Ron, your best video yet.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks.

[@austinyingst5902]

Finally!! Now I understand car cards; neat scheme for their creation. Thanks.

[@baldypalmsrailroad]

Nice ops session Ron, thoroughly explained narration also. Well Done. Ron//

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you.

[@marciebalme588]

very good my Husband is using this

[@pippinjunction9985]

Hello, thank you for a really good channel, have been watching loads of your videos. I am just starting to make an American N scale model railroad across the pond in the UK. i have just done a video today, Will keep watching your videos for hints and tips. thank you

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Awesome! I will be watching for your videos too.

[@JoeG-firehousewhiskey]

that looks like it could be hours of fun!

[@coxsj]

Line 7 must be for OD loads!! ;-) Thx for sharing. I enjoy your vids.

[@mlkesimmons758]

Ron. Nice job showing the edited for content operation session. Also, I finally got a look at some of your track work up close. Clean and neat. Another example of not picking up all the cars: On the UP we pick up HazMat cars that we can reach without moving cars that are not ready to go. Any cars on that work order that are behind cars not ready to be picked up, are left until they can be pulled without moving other cars. Would like to see your track plan.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

That is a good example, Mike. Thanks.

[@IMRROcom]

mike, - "Another example of not picking up all the cars: On the UP we pick up HazMat cars that we can reach without moving cars that are not ready to go. Any cars on that work order that are behind cars not ready to be picked up, are left until they can be pulled without moving other cars. Would like to see your track plan." Always a tidbit of information. If a loaded car read to go is 3 car deep in a siding behind two other cars, it waits tell the other cars are loaded before being pulled? I can see this with an MTY. But loaded cars need love too? some time you should drop in and play what if games. I also will have a lot of HAZMAT on my layout. So getting it close will be nice.

[@mlkesimmons758]

Eric. It gets deep in minutia. By ready to go I mean has proper Haz Mat shipping papers. In Union Pacific "Instructions For Handling Hazardous Materials Form 8620" it states in part "When accepting/pulling a shipment from a customer's facility....(1) do not accept/pull hazardous material or not, unless the car is listed on your work order AND if Haz Mat...has proper shipping papers (2) Leave the first shipment NOT listed on your work order AND ALL following cars in that cut behind at the customer's facility or interchange point within a yard." Will have to make time to come over to play. Mike

[@randysrockandrollrailroad8207]

I think your read for a prototypical operation session video lol, another great show, thanks for sharing

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks Randy.

[@danf3981]

Always enjoy your videos. Good speaker and great content. I adopted your picture idea for my car cards and they turned out great. Do have a question though. Have you ever needed to reprint just one of the labels that are saved? How to print just one instead of the whole sheet again?

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

That is a great question. I would copy that one label from the digital sheet and paste it into the first label on a new digital sheet, then print. That physical sheet will now be missing one label, but if you have this issue again, or go to make more labels, must skip the one label you have used on the digital sheet and then run the physical sheet back through the printer with other new labels. I hope that makes sense.

[@IMRROcom]

nice work, Ron.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks man.

[@davidlangevin4568]

Ron's Trains N Things Ron, I have two bachmann 7 locomotives that I want to mount couplers to the body, and wonder should I add weight as well.

[@Tnapvrvideo]

Wonderful share! A full overhead view of the process (entire track layout) would have been extremely beneficial. It would have helped to further demonstrate the entire track layout and why it works so efficiently. When you can see a bird's view of the entire track layout of a specific area, it helps a lot!

[@LeeBoeckeler]

Finally lol thanks for sharing Ron great video

[@jerrysmith1929]

Good video. I especially like adding the photos to the car cards.

[@ottobettcher7025]

Thanks for the video.one thing you mentioned the one car with the red card that does not git moved, how would you handle that car if it was between two pick up's.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

That can vary. In this case, the car can be moved and respotted. There are some cases when a car is in the process of being loaded and cannot be moved. In that case if there is a car blocked by the unmovable car it may have to wait to be pulled another day.

[@waltworld]

Ron, your shirt makes a great "green screen" :) Thanks for the ops how to. I agree as I get more into operations, it's a lot of fun. Thanks for posting.

[@jimbak478]

Ron, I enjoy your videos very much. You present material in a way that is clear enough for me to understand, but I have developed a gap in my understanding. In describing your process to create a switch list, you address the switching of an arrived train. When you get to the last cars on the train, you list 4 cars for Dorchester Grain. Because I don’t know all of the ins and outs of this system, I have some questions. Assume that those 4 cars all originated at different places. Somewhere upstream those cars were switched into a block which was sent to WF on this train. I would like to see the waybills of some of those cars as they moved to WF. Let’s assume that those 4 cars arrived at the place where they were switched into the block from 4 different trains. How and where do those 4 cars get switched into the block. What is the information on the waybills that facilitates this. I’m sure that nowhere is a yard track labeled Dorchester Grain. Would car #1 be switched onto a track labeled by direction? Would there later be a track for WF yard? Would the nearest upstream yard block those cars? Somehow, other than by magic, those 4 cars came together to be shipped to Dorchester Grain. For me to understand how this system works, I have to grasp this aspect of it. Thanks for your help.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Hi Jim. In the case of my layout, those 4 cars COULD have come together at North Yard in Saginaw. They would have been switched onto a track for the Wichita Falls Turn, and been blocked together when that train was made up in North Yard before departing for Wichita Falls. I hope this clears things up.

[@slayer7826]

Hi Ron, can you please add a link to the "previous" video that you are referencing. I am not able to find it anywhere. Thank you. :-)

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXS4p6algNuZm9k

[@jackcutler1059]

How long does it take you to stage for an operating session?

[@sparky107107]

have you done a video on how you got all that info onto your computer,, a video for dummies maybe.. might not want to call it that, I think it is used already. lol. i was waiting for you to have the number 107107. lol. wishful thinking ,, nice video, should help out at clubs and opperations on peoples layouts.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I did talk about that in the first operations video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5-9fGmHoLpnfMk

[@WestVirginiaRailfan]

Ron's Trains N Things Hey Ron I was wondering if you could go a little more in depth of how you got the info into your computer such as making a switch list on the computer. Thanks! Micah

[@GerbenWijnja]

That's the link to *this* video. You probably meant to link to the other operations video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXS4p6algNuZm9k

[@cdavid8139]

@@WestVirginiaRailfan Just use excel or word. It's easy

[@billfusionenterprise]

wow the shirt is green, ready for st patricks?

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Real Scotts-Irish in my blood.

[@rdg2102]

You are working too hard. On prototype handwritten lists they put the initials and the last 3 digits of the car number. Much less to write. Also real railroads use L and E for load and empty, quicker to write than LD and MT.