The basics: Switching Industries And Freight Yards. How-to series.

Ever want to bring your model railroading experience to the next level? Does the thought of running your layout like the real railroad get you excited? Well buckle in and get ready to join us as we explore running a model railroad just like the prototype. The Central Florida Railroad Modelers Club layout was designed for realistic railroad operations. In fact, our club has monthly operating sessions and visitors are welcome to join in, including you!
So, come join us in this new series as we start with the basics for prototypical running for any model railroad. Whether you want to model a short line or a Class 1 railroad, the basics still apply. Even if your layout doesn't have a yard and you just have a mainline and industries to switch, you can still run it like a real railroad or close to it! It all comes down to an understanding and your own creativity.

[@johnniewelbornjr.8940]

Very nicely done. The CSX units looked great, by the way... Just the right touch of weathering. Another realistic tip one might add that wasn't mentioned in the video is pausing sufficiently long to replicate the time it takes for the conductor (brakeman) to hook up a the brake hoses/release hand brakes/align couplers (we used to have a brakeman that never quite got coupler alignment, especially on curves lol)... Switching was part of a civilian contract I once worked at a military post that interchanged with CSX and these are things that stick in my mind to this day when I watch switching on layouts. Thanks for sharing this, for I became completely immersed in the work being done during the video. :)

[@michaelevans1578]

This is an excellent layout with incredibly impressive detailing and weathering. I'm equally impressed by the story behind the trains. Awesome execution!

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

We have a very talented club member that has been putting these videos together, not to mention the weathering he does!

[@funtoysone]

amazing

[@jefwisse1957]

I'm very impressed. Everything looks so very realistic. I have enjoyed this very much. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Thank you!! If you come to the United States, you are welcome to come visit us!

[@jefwisse1957]

@@centralfloridarailroadmodelers I appreciate your invitation but I think I won't be able to visit you because they have found out that I have cancer. If they will be able to fix me I might visit you some day if I would be aloud to fly.. Best regards Jef

[@daviddryden8088]

I love a good long switching video. There's always something to learn.

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

With that said, be on the lookout for more switching videos. We are changing how freight is moved on the layout to the towns that have industries.

[@johnrusselljr89]

Railroading is more complex than I ever imagined!

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

BUT its alot of fun!!!!!

[@RalphPCvids]

A very nice description of realistic model railroad operations on a great looking layout!

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Many thanks!

[@othmarbrunner9639]

Beautiful layout well done I noticed dirty metal wheels could you advise w chic h wheels are more prone to dirt plastic or metal

[@njRRtrainer]

This was a great job, interesting,love the layout and gives the railroad a reason to exist... Thank you

[@kennethhill8992]

So realistic,the graffiti on some of the cars adds so much detail.

[@ethanbowles5773]

I like the weathering on the rail cars

[@funtoysone]

thanks

[@DDavis-co9ck]

Weathering is great!

[@funtoysone]

thanks

[@jamesscofield6308]

enjoyed this video. I had problems remembering this was a model layout because the weathering and scenery was so top notch my mind kept fading into prototype rail fanning. Fantastic work on this layout.

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

We have some very talented club members! Without them, our layout wouldn't be here! All of us are glad you enjoyed watching!

[@jamescerone]

I really appreciate that you give us a taste of more detailed operations, but then push ahead with a simpler model. Really helps to paint a picture of how complex you can get, while still providing an accessible walkthrough. Can’t wait for your ops session!

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Our goal was to bring as much "real" as possible. The layout itself was designed for operations and we do have a few club members that are retired from the railroad industry which is an advantage. Even our ops session dispatcher used to be a CSX dispatcher.

[@funtoysone]

amazing

[@patricknoveski6409]

Nice weathering on locos and rolling stock.

[@bebopcats]

This video is helpful as I will be expanding my layout soon so that I can do operations.

[@Perfusionist01]

Nice, helpful to those of us just getting into operations.

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Glad to help

[@tonyromano6220]

Lots of local traffic is now done by little class 3 operations, the class 1 seem to go mostly major yard to major yard. Lots of interesting little operations out there.

[@nicholaswhitfield9341]

Just a note, but yard jobs work industries too. Not just locals. Whether the train working certain industries is a made a yard job or a local depends mainly on how far out they need to go. In the past there were "switching limits" around any yard which is as far as yard jobs could go, but that's a long gone rule. In some senses, yard job vs local is kind of arbitrary in a lot of cases these days. But mostly any customers within a certain radius of the yard would be a yard job, and if they need to venture further then that you'd need to call them a local instead. It might also depend on fudging certain numbers... that is, an industry-working yard job would still count against a terminal's "cars switched per man hour" metric even though they're not switching cars, they're working customers. So to keep the cars per man hour higher, local management might want to turn a yard job into a local even though it's still doing the same work.

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Note taken and 100% valid. I was actually going to touch on that in a future video when we get into using train sheets and more detail into how yards work. We have a steel plant on the south end of the yard that a yard job services... stray tuned...

[@25mfd]

@@centralfloridarailroadmodelers i would mark up on our yard industry job as often as i could...didn't like it at first because i didn't know the playbook for the job but once i learned it, i liked it... the thing with those types of jobs is the foreman has to do EVERYTHING... you have to print out your workorder, print out your track list, mark your own list, go out and block your own train and then switch the customers... and while switching the customers you have to duck and dodge all the mainline trains that may be swarming around... sometimes i would do the work what i call a la carte... meaning i would take only one customers car/s, spot that one customer then come back to the yard... i did that with one customer we had called drywall inc because the track to get to them had a unprotected crossing that crossed a very busy "racetrack" type street... in the past i've waited too late and let the sun go down before i'd spot them (the job went on duty at 15:30) and trying to cross that road i had several close calls with vehicles almost smashing into the side of us... NOBODY was ready for a train at that crossing even with a ton of fusees and PLENTY of WHISTLE from the engr, folks still were startled and blew right through without even slowing down... so if i had them to switch, i would immediately go dig their car out, run around it and sprint up there BEFORE the sun went down... always had much better luck crossing there in daylight... and i got to go home early everyday on that job... tied up between 19:00 and 19:30 everyday

[@user-xc6fg4kj8e]

Beautiful!

[@funtoysone]

thanks

[@richgreene7043]

Very nice Switching Operation and an awesome layout Rich

[@funtoysone]

nice

[@pkilznah5353]

Just found your page. Great layout and info 🚂🔥🔥🔥✊

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Welcome aboard!

[@fredeisen7401]

Excellent video and great advice! Thanks!

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Glad it was helpful!

[@aaronl_trains_and_planes]

I've ran an OPs session on a big layout like this. Takes a bit to get use to and planning on how to make a train for a run. I hope one day my layout will be this impressive.

[@funtoysone]

amazing

[@garrettlayout6598]

As always great video!😊

[@funtoysone]

nice

[@Zebrails]

Interesting... all that's needed is a brakeman to ride the set-outs. J BC, Canada

[@funtoysone]

ofcourse

[@lawrencebeach5608]

I made this week!

[@kelvindowe4467]

This was very cool!

[@erikflucker7030]

Powerful layout bro.

[@williamjohnson6624]

Awesome video just like the real thing great.

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

Thanks 👍

[@tracksidemike]

Awesome share totally 🚂🫵

[@funtoysone]

thanks

[@smallrails6831]

❤

[@peterp1158]

Very interesting material. Beautifully detailed rolling stock. Maybe next time you could sharpen the visual focus.

[@funtoysone]

good

[@charlierumsfeld6626]

How are the scrap loads in the gons made, look good

[@hwk6]

MOtrak makes great scrap loads.

[@FirstnameLastname-tp4zw]

We fully understand the challenge. We have chemical cars on our track at work we didn't order! I'm like, "This is a food production facility you wankers"! & I'm not even British!😂🎉

[@rustyrussell1192]

Right off the bat, did that train run a red signal?

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

where?

[@25mfd]

better download the event recorder

[@Gilstrains]

👍🚂🚞🚞🚞🚞✌

[@funtoysone]

😄

[@freshlove1]

What scale is this?

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

HO

[@carstenprilow1837]

It´s a nice video, but I miss a voice just looking a screen for 1h and sometime read some text is no fun for me.

[@centralfloridarailroadmodelers]

It’s a 50/50 really with voice over but then again you don’t want to ruin the scene not being able to hear the sounds of the train that strengthens the realism modelers want as well

[@andrewl9191]

​@@centralfloridarailroadmodelers One of the interesting things that I hadn't really noticed is that a decent number of people can't read very well, or quickly, and understand what's going on. Sure, they can read, but taking it in and not having it be a string of words can be difficult. I shouldn't say the can't read very well, it's just that there are things that inhibit that, like dyslexia or similar things. I definitely like the sounds of the layout though.