Operating Session #7 (September 17, 2016)

The 7^th Operating Session is in the books. We forgot everything we knew over the summer and stumbled into the roundhouse at the end. Great friends make great times and it was a joy to see everyone again. 

(Curly, Larry & Moe) Larry, Mario, Niel, Gene, and Bob hard at work. 

Tim couldn’t make it so Larry filled in for him. We also had a guest observer, Niel, who wanted to learn about operations. Most of the session went very well but this time around we seemed to have periods where one crew (Mario/Larry) or the other (Bob/Gene) went un-busy. I’ll have to work on that (but it can be difficult due to the unknown requirements of freight orders generated for the day’s runs).

Gene looking for an engine.

Mario & Larry trying to uncouple cars behind the refinery.

Who says yard work can't be fun? This is the smaller South Woodbury Yard.

Larry watching WY33, the Millville local, heading south out of Woodbury.

Post Mortem: The Red Oak tower crew did well with the waybills. The only discrepancy I could find with them was 4 waybills in the Westville card holder instead of the cardholder in North Woodbury.

The Brown crew (Camden Pavonia Yard) left me totally baffled. Only one string of cars was left on the correct track and I can’t tell if the cars on the Millville local track belong there or on the Millville terminal track. They are fortunate that I have run out of demerits to give them.  :-)

My Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines layout is based in the early 1950s but we have been running a 1974 freight schedule because that was all I had found at the time. Recently I became aware of a 1954 freight schedule and was puzzled by an extra freight to Millville (now there were 3) which I didn’t understand.

The old heads on the PRSL Historical Society informed me the train was referred to as the “sand hog” and did no local switching since it was about 100 cars long. So now I have to add another train to my schedule. As a kid, I was always about a block away the tracks and remembered all the 50’ gons loaded with sand. I could never figure out why anyone needed sand and why you would want to move it (and what kept it from blowing out of the cars?). But this was the post WWII era and construction was booming with all the returning servicemen starting families and building homes. Concrete (sand+) was also needed in the massive road constructions following the war and the glass industry was booming. So off to eBay to add to my available gondolas (the front 4 are recent additions).

Larry came bearing gifts. The 5 leftmost sand loads are the work of his hands (the 2 rightmost were Hay Brothers loads I already had). The model “sand hog” is well underway.