WESTPORT TERMINAL RR

BLT 1999

update

Feb 2009

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Operation   and  Concept and Sessions

For operation I use timetable and car cards. How To car cards & waybills

carcards

download Excel  carcards  or only waybills FREMO-style   or 4-position-waybills

AAR types for model railroad use

Gerry Hopkins MMR used and processed it.

or as .zip file  carcards&waybills.zip 

trainsheet and timetable: WTsystem.xls

For the car cards are the boxes at the fascia:

66706669
66726671

You pick up only cars with "your" destination. This is in the train instruction e.g.for this local.

      

Because, I've a loop, trains from Westport to Third Street District run via Harbor Jct. and trains to Harbor District run via Third Street. In this way I get a longer more interesting run.

 

 

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THE TIMETABLE

The Second Division has only one scheduled RDC.

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THE TRAINS

Passenger:

Commuter and RDC Beetween South Junction and International Falls with stop at Westport. RDC's via Harbor Jct. to Third Street Industrial District and return.

Freight: Through and Transfer

There're two transfer turns. One from International Falls to Westport and back and the other from South Jct. to Westport and back.

And there's a Grain unit from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg as well as the Valley sweeper with cars bound for Diamond Valley.

Extras

From Westport to Harbor District and back as Extra. Also in the afternoon. This train sets out cars at Third Street District and pick up cars on the return. Also there's a turn to the Plywood District. It runs on demand as extra. Other trains like unit coal or unit grain run as extra.

Operating Session

For the crews I've made train instructions. The look like an employee timetable.

Each train has its own .pdf document:

Grain unit, am

Harbor turn, am

Harbor turn, pm

IF - WP, am

WP - IF, am

Passengers

Plywood local, am

Plywood local, pm

SJ - WP, pm

Third Street job, am

Third Street job, pm

Valley sweeper, pm

Westport shift, am

Westport shift, pm

WP - SJ, pm

Instruction back side

 

Each car has a car card with a pocket for the waybill. The prototype has e.g. a tack board at the cars for the freight papers. The waybill has 4 positions. After the session when the car is delivered and loaded/unloaded the waybill is turned to the next position. This will not be done after each session.
 
  XM at the top left is the AAR code
TO:  NNC Staging is the destination for this car. Not all cars are moved in a session. Cars at industries have to be loaded/unloaded and this may take time.
From: tells the origin for this car. This is only for interest and play value.
Lading: tells the commodity the car carries. "Stock" is more urgent than "Coal".
 
 

Agreements

The operator looks north. East is to the right, west is to the left.
All turnouts are manually thrown. (With push-pull-rod or -like partially at 3rd Street District - by switch motor. Exception: Harbor Jct. and South Jct. These turnouts are operated by the dispatcher.
 
 

Types of Trains

Passenger run between International Falls and South Jct., partially via 3rd Street District, Plywood District.
Hotshots run between South Jct (west staging) and International Falls (east staging).
Transfer exchange cars between International Falls respectively South Jct. and Westport.
All other trains run as Extra.
 

At the Throttle

Safety first!
 
The bell must be rung
  • entering or leaving a yard,
  • approaching a level crossing or passenger depot.
 
The horn/whistle to be used:
  • before a train departes
  • approaching a level crossing or passenger depot
  • before crossing a bridge or entering a tunnel
  • approaching another train.
 

Diesel engines have to use dynamic brakes when descending grades (if equipped with).

The FRED-card shows allocation for the buttons. Usually F0 - light/sound, F1 - bell, F2 horn/whisle ...

* When approaching a stationary car, stop a cars length from the car then approach at no more than 4mph.
* All locos to be driven by tethered throttles.
* Use a 'twistle stick' or KD magnet to uncouple cars, not your hands.
* Before a train can depart from a yard the air must be pumped up. Use a count of 3 for each car in the train.
* Diesels without dynamic brakes must stop and set retainers, a count of 5 for each car in the train.

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Speed

In yard and industrial districts 10 mph
Freights 35 mph
Passengers 50 mph
 
Coupling: stop 1/2 car length from the car then approach with less than 4 mph.
Uncoupling: Use magnets or uncouple sticks like:
uncouplerusing
Don't touch the cars. Don't touch the roofs! (You may push/stop at the coupler!)
 
Air brake test: Type of operation Initial terminal air test Brake pipe leakage test Rear-end set and release. 2 (fast) min per car.
 
 

Conductor

Now, I'm using track warrant.

Each train has conductor (responsible) and engineer. Op session goes with Track Warrant. That means for each train there's a (verbal) order from the dispatcher. Is the Track Warrant fulfilled, the limits are clear the train reports this to the dispatcher.

Info: Track Warrant control by Carsten S. Lundsten and General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR)
 

 

And this is an examples of trainorders, written with font "DOT MATRIX" and "John Doe". Any improvements? train order sheet

And the last step in paperwork is my trainsheet, this is one session, but it lasts weeks for me:

train sheet first district train sheet second district

example: friday night

AAR Car types for model railroad use

X - Boxcar types
XA - auto parts
XF - food products loading
XL - loader equipped
XM - plain box
XP - equipped for specific loading

 

R - Refrigerator types
RB - bunkerless refrig equipped for ventilators or heaters
RBL - insulated boxcar loader equipped
RP - mechanical refrigerator
RS - ice bunker refrigerator
add suffix M to above for meat rails equipped
S - Stock cars
SM - single deck
SD - double deck
G - Gondolas
GB - solid bottom
GS - dump bottom
GT - high side solid bottom rotary dump (unit train)
H - Hoppers
HM - two hopper bays
HT - three ore more hopper bays
F - Flatcars
FA - mullitlevel rack car (motor vehicles)
FC - TOFC/COFC flat
FD - depressed center flat
FM - plain flat
L - Special car types
LO - covered hopper may be subcoded for commodity groups eg
LOF - food products
LOC - chemicals
LOM - minerals, cement
add 3=w300 4=4000 5=5000 cu ft capy
LP - pulpwood rack
LU - all-door box
T - Tank cars
AAR codes these by size but modelers my preferT
C - chemicals
TP - petroleum
TF - food products
 
   

Control panels

Westport

Remote controlled turnouts by the yardmaster have a switch and motor, other turnouts - manually operated - have push-pull-device.

6286

Engine facility

Here're the control box for the turntable and power switches for the engine tracks.

 

6287

Staging - east end (left side)

International Falls

Turnouts are manually operated but you see your line.

6288
 

Harbor Jct. and South Jct.

Staging - west end (right side)

The row at the left side represents South Jct.There're 12 tracks

6289

Third Street Industrial District

This is an old control panel. You see switches for motor driven turnouts. Manual operated turnouts are there too.

6290

 

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© Wolfgang Dudler