I have a layout designed for Operations, albeit in 2 rail.   My friend has one in 3RS designed for operations.    Another Friend has an ON30 layout designed for Operations.    I know of two layouts in the chicago area designed for Operations and one in the Philly area.     I also know of another 3RS layout in the Cincinnati area designed for operations.     Another friend is building a 2 rail layout designed for operations.     I just remembered another on the south side that has modified his layout to be more operations oriented.     That is just 8 layouts in my personal circle of friends.

I’m slowly getting there. I think in order to have a layout designed for operations. What you buy as far as engines and rolling stock have to  go hand in hand with the operating scheme of the layout. Rather than be all over the map as to what you buy.  You have to be committed to modeling a era and assembling a fleet rather than a collection. That means at times. Many duplicate engines with the only difference being the road number. I’m not sure most 3 railers want to travel this route. Not a lot of excitement in your purchases. Your buying an engine or engines to do a job. Not just for the flashy paint or cool features.

After many years of running NYC, B&A and NH.  I decided to focus on the Rutland. Started from scratch. Always had a thing for milk trains. This involved finding close enough engines and a lot of re lettering. Luckily the Rutland had somewhat generic engines and decals are available. I now have 4 Ten Wheelers and 4 Mikados. Not cheap. But if you shop the used market or sales you can get a deal. All with Legacy and I can doublehead any combination of them which the Rutland often did. I’ve got the 0-8-0’s covered with 2 MTH’s. They only rostered 2. For years I watched my trains run. Enjoyed them. Guests would come over and the trains ran over the same routes. Hopefully now when a few guests come over. They will each have a train to run doing a job. It’s not for everyone. After 30 years of running the same layout. I’m up for trying something different. I’m finding the research enjoyable. Bought every volume of Nimke’s books on the Rutland. I’m doing a lot of custom builds of rolling stock. Making slight tweaks to the layout to add more industries. The last few  years I’m not anticipating what’s in the latest catalog. Never been much in the road I picked to model.  I just figure out a way to make something close enough with what’s available. Hopefully next year I’ll have my first session.

Interesting question. I always thought operations would mean more room needed but that isn't the case necessarily. I used to be a member of an HO clan that thinks operations is the cats meow. No operations? No meaningful layout. Now that I am in O - 3R without operations I already have good social distancing in play. I know there are operators out there in O. A question I have is how do they handle the coupling and uncoupling needed in an OPs sessions? I walked around with a pointed chop stick and could usually uncouple with HO. How do you do that in O? I have cleaned and lubed O couplers and they still only seem to operate successfully about half the time.  The electric couplers on my Lion Chief locos usually only work at that 50% rate too. Just wondering. Maybe the OPs are different in O? Thanks for your time.

Jim K

Mine does

Bluebear4590

Blue

You need to add the word "prototypical" in your topic title so we know what operations you are talking about.

By the way I operate my layout in the typical Lionel Toy train way:   run the trains around the layout switching my 34 switches, working the milk car, cattle car and pen, icing station, gantry crane, making trains, uncoupling, coupling, swapping engines with the $10 turntable and round house, running two trains on blocked and relay loops:  you know running and operating a toy train Lionel 50s style layout,

Charlie

I'm working on one now. It's kind of a pain because I want to be able to continuous run.

Big Boy 4002 has built a massive prototypical layout. Do a search for

My dream/nightmare layout...

You'll find 50-some pages that span six years of progress.

Hey Matt,  I'm there with you!  I am working on this good sized 2r RR with an interchange off the mainline running to five distinct different dead end branch lines with an assortment of sidings and businesses and long runs with  TTs  in each town.

A good concept for operations.  However there is just something about having trains running all the time.

So...I added  two 3r lines running nostalgic loop to loops,  above and below the multi level 2r pike.

That's nice but I have a bunch of mainline trains needing exercise so I discovered a way to connect two branch lines in a staging area so operations can include clearing the main for priority trains. 

This way you could can choose to run roundy round, switching or a combination, best of both worlds.

It does not need to be either / or.

I just find it too much for one person, a smaller pike makes more sense for a single operator.

I'm working on a U shaped 1950's era steel mill switching layout.  19+ spurs and an 8 track yard. All designed for operation and no chance of a run around. If I want to see trains run around in circles,  I'll go to my club.

@Mill City posted:

Big Boy 4002 has built a massive prototypical layout. Do a search for

My dream/nightmare layout...

You'll find 50-some pages that span six years of progress.

I think Elliot's handle is actually bigboy4005.

Actually, it's this:  Big_Boy_4005

Most forumites are aware that my 3-rail layout was designed for prototypical operation.  My operating crew size is a minimum of 9 and maximum of 14.  I hosted a session on August 6th with 12 operators and have another coming up on August 18th.  I've had organized operating sessions since 2004 and the total number is now over 200.

The layout is point to point with a 550 foot long main line between east and west staging yards.  There are two smaller staging yards at the end of a branch line to the south.  In total, there are 32 staging tracks.  I use a computerized switchlist program for car forwarding.  The operating schedule consists of 44 trains and takes about 9 actual hours to complete.  We do this over the course of three 3-hour sessions.

There is plenty of work for everyone to do with 6 towns and 50 industries on the railroad.  The layout has been was featured in 3 different magazines over the years and also in video form on Great Layout Adventures volume 11, available from the OGR web store.

In order to have successful prototypical operation, the equipment must work as close to flawlessly as possible.  I chose to use the large O-gauge couplers rather than Kadees.  Reworking some couplers and eliminating those from some manufacturers that don't work well with others has provided years of satisfying operation.

Bob, how big is your layout?  It sounds very impressive.

I operate my railroad by myself, but I also am able to let them run around the loop too, best of both worlds.

This is kind of what my layout looks like, a continuous loop with yard and sidings for operation.  I can spend well over an hour just moving cars around in the yard.

There are two big questions floating in this thread. 

1. Why don't more O gauge modelers build layouts that operate more prototypically?

2. Are coupler issues one of the main issues in response to #1?

I believe the answers, in no particular order, to #1 are: a) lack of space; b) lack of creativity; c) lack of desire; d) lack of time and/or funds; and e) desire to avoid maintenance issues.  Modeling prototypically in O requires all, or at least a combination of some, of those things, but when possible, it sure creates a lot of fun.  Look up a series of articles by Frank Ellison (now over 50 years old, but still applicable), called "The Art of Model Railroading," to see how one man achieved that goal and the creativity he used to do it.

I think the answer to #2 is that couplers are just one of the maintenance issues that have to be kept in check to enjoy a prototypically built layout.  In addition to couplers, your engines have to run well, your control system has to be properly built and work well, and your track work (particularly switches and crossings) has to be built to prevent derailments.  It's much easier to build and scenic a couple of ovals in a smaller space if you just want to watch your equipment run, but many of us want to see our trains actually serve the "customers" along the line, even if those customers are 1950s era operating accessories.

Whatever construction route you choose, enjoy the hobby.

Chuck

I imagine conducting/playing RR ops with a group is fun ~  like Bob described above, and especially on interesting and challenging layouts such as the P&W RR; I've read and kept all the OGR articles Bob wrote that describe such operations. I reckon it's kind of a group dynamic thing where working as a team is both challenging and rewarding with some chuckles.

My last layout had 56 Ross turnouts with copious industrial sidings, and I found overtime I was bored conducting ops by myself, and so the sidings sat and gathered dust. I never got to the point of holding operating sessions with my friends; we just visited each others layouts and ran trains. Frankly, I think it would've taken considerable coordination to make any kind fun operations with our group - sometimes it took all of us just to get the trains to run!

My new layout is designed predominantly for loop running - and an interesting loop-circuit it is, with crossings, and I did incorporate an industrial area as well as sidings with industries, and a couple of passing sidings, but like the old layout, they sit for the most part and gather dust. At some point, I'd like to rekindle old friendships, make new ones, and renew train sessions, but like the old times I imagine it'll be a comedy of sorts...just getting things to work, lol.

Here is the plan for my 1st Stage.  The four tracks in the upper left actually go up farther for about 15' and is a staging yard.  The loop will be gone after the 2nd Stage as the layout will fill a similar space the other side of the stairs (maybe never at the rate I'm going).

Concept:  Freight and passenger trains will be made up in and come out of the staging yard, drop off/pick up cars at the freight yard, and continue on their way.  Cars in the freight yard will be made up into consists to be picked up by the next through freight or built into local freights.  Local freights will take the cars out to/back from the various industrial tracks.

The engine yard is large because I want my engines on the layout, not on a shelf.

I use both Legacy and DCS.  Minimum curve on the inner loop currently is O80, outer is O90. Yard track curves where mainline engines will run are O72 with Ross Regular (#5) switches.  There are some O54 curves and switches.  The engine yard uses Ross Regular and O80 switches.

The bottle neck is the switch complex on the left side.  The double slip switch is #4 so the switch between the outer and inner loops is also a #4, and this crossover is not liked by some of my larger engines.

Anyway, we will see how well it works when done.

I think another issue that limits what 3 railers do, is that they stay too focused on 3 rail and interface only with other collectors and collecting organizations.

Scale, rails etc, just do not matter in model railroading.    Everyone has their favorite or what they do.    But most guys that do operations are in round robin groups or organizations that are not scale/type of rail focused.

For example I am in a round robin group that has mostly HO scale layouts but there is one 2 rail O (mine), and one 3 rail O, and a third in ON30.    We operate on each other's layouts regardless of scale.    We admire each other's models regardless of scale or mfg.    The size of the layout does not matter either.    some  use 5-6 operators and one can use more than 20.    We have an email list of guys who are interested in the area and we put out a montly schedule to that list.    We have one rule, you must call and ask permission to attend a session.    This is because some guys have to cut off attendence at 5-6 and then some can take more.    We use first come first serve nominally to fill the operating positions.    However, I  usually reserve a sport for an experienced yard master, and there are 2-3 in the group.

Also many of us have an interest in prototype railroading.   How can you make models of something if you don't know about the prototype.  

We have members with vast amounts of knowledge and experience, and newbies who pick up a throttle for the first time.    No one is excluded.     We have met though the local hobby shops or NMRA meetings or at other operating sessions.  

But the point is, we don't rely on only those that do exactly as we do.    If I only included O scalers in my sessions, I would not be able to fill my crew of 8.    I might 2-3.     When you want to learn and do operations,  it is well worth considering joining groups in any scale or gauge.

Another thought.   Most operators don't have as much automation as 3 railers seem to favor.    One of our group models the Adrian & Blissfield.    It has one signal, and all manual switches, except one you can't reach.

Coupling is nearly always down with picks of some sort.    operators like to be near their trains, and pretend they are the train crew, rather than dispatcher, and like to couple and couple the cars right there.

@PRR1950 posted:

There are two big questions floating in this thread.

1. Why don't more O gauge modelers build layouts that operate more prototypically?

2. Are coupler issues one of the main issues in response to #1?

I believe the answers, in no particular order, to #1 are: a) lack of space; b) lack of creativity; c) lack of desire; d) lack of time and/or funds; and e) desire to avoid maintenance issues.  Modeling prototypically in O requires all, or at least a combination of some, of those things, but when possible, it sure creates a lot of fun.  Look up a series of articles by Frank Ellison (now over 50 years old, but still applicable), called "The Art of Model Railroading," to see how one man achieved that goal and the creativity he used to do it.

I think the answer to #2 is that couplers are just one of the maintenance issues that have to be kept in check to enjoy a prototypically built layout.  In addition to couplers, your engines have to run well, your control system has to be properly built and work well, and your track work (particularly switches and crossings) has to be built to prevent derailments.  It's much easier to build and scenic a couple of ovals in a smaller space if you just want to watch your equipment run, but many of us want to see our trains actually serve the "customers" along the line, even if those customers are 1950s era operating accessories.

Whatever construction route you choose, enjoy the hobby.

Chuck

Chuck makes some good points.  Regarding #1, I would add lack of knowledge about prototypical layout operation.  It's really hard to design for something you don't know much about.  In my own case, I had about 15 years of operating experience on other people's layouts prior to designing my own.  The vast majority of these layouts were HO scale, a couple were N-scale and two were O-scale (one was prrjim's).  This experience plus books on layout design by John Armstrong and on layout operation by Bruce Chubb and Allen McClelland helped me understand how cars flow on a railroad, using one or more trains to reach their destination.

I think anyone considering a home layout designed for operations should attend as many operating sessions on other layouts as they can.  The NMRA has an Operations Special Interest Group (you don't need to join NMRA to participate) that is a good way to become aware of layouts in your area.

https://www.opsig.org/

As to #2, there are several things that must be addressed in order to have enjoyable prototypical operation.  Reliability of equipment is the top item on the list.  Trackwork must essentially be perfect in that derailments never happen.  Fortunately with products such as Ross switches this is not that hard to achieve.  Couplers must ALL work together.  Unfortunately we in 3-rail do have have good standards and Brand X couplers might not work well with Brand Y couplers.  I've seen multiple cases where internal designs have changes and Brand X new couplers will not work with Brand X old couplers!  I have banished some brands of couplers from the layout.  Those that remain work well.

Locomotives must run smoothly and their couplers must also work with all of the freight cars.  In my experience, Lionel electrocouplers do not always do this, so all Lionel locomotives on the layout get either Atlas or K-Line electrocouplers transplanted onto them.  You must be ruthless about this in order to get reliable operation.  I have sold off locomotives that didn't make the grade.  Chuck mentioned Frank Ellison.  Frank removed the pilot and/or trailing trucks from his steam locomotives if they derailed during his operating sessions.

Like prrjim says above, most of your operators will not be 3-rail guys.  They will not be able to tell a Lionel, Atlas, Weaver or K-Line locomotive from an MTH.  They will not know how to use a Cab-1, a Cab-2 or a DCS controller.  As the layout owner, one of your jobs is to make visiting operators comfortable with operating your railroad.  I chose to standardize on one control system, that being TMCC.  Visiting operators get a Cab-1 (we use 10 of them during a session).  All conventional or DCS locomotives have been converted to TMCC control.

The Cab-1's run the locomotives only, switches either use Caboose Industries ground throws (if close to the aisle) or switch machines that are controlled via small control panels on the layout fascia.  Uncoupling is manual (depress the tab) if easy to reach and via Lionel uncoupling magnets salvaged from postwar O27 uncoupling tracks if farther away.  I have standardized on "thumbtack" couplers with tabs on the side of the knuckle that are depressed to open them.  The newer "hidden tab" couplers require the operator to reach back under the car to push a tab back toward the center of the car to open them.  I do have a few of these cars on the layout but a goal is to eliminate them.

A layout designed and built for prototypical operation is different in many ways from the majority of layouts in all scales that are built for displaying trains in motion.

I am trying to get there.  The PRR Panhandle has been (I think and hope) designed for operations.  I have operated with some HO folks, trying to get a feeling for what works and what doesn't.  With the Panhandle, we are focused on:

• Making the track work as close to perfect as possible
• A prototype and time frame
• Solid reliability of the command system - TMCC
• A purposeful fleet of locomotives (some duplicates) with jobs to do and trains to pull
• A set of industries with products to ship and raw materials to receive.
• A Staging Area to allow the make-up and break-up of trains and the exchange of empties for loads & vice-versa.

All told, I think the layout will support 3-4 main line trains, a Staging Area operator, Weirton Steel operator, and 2-3 switchers.  How it will all play remains TBD.

George

Interesting thread. Thanks for all the input herein. Very interesting. I will clean those couplers again and use the chop stick ( O gauge now )  and see how things go. Very unfortunately I wasn't thinking about operations when I decided on the layout plan and have about half the turnouts out of easy reach. Keep working Ross turnouts with Z-Stuff operators! 8-)  The layout is 13' by 8'.

Jim K

@Bogart posted:

I wasn't thinking about operations when I decided on the layout plan and have about half the turnouts out of easy reach.

Jim K

Jim, I don't know if you can see them in this photo, but here's 2 Caboose industry ground throws that are approx 30" away from the switches (see my previous post for location near the turntable):

You can just see where I used some RC airplane flexible pushrods to span the distance.  I Dremeled 2 channels in the surface (in this case it's 3/8" thick anti-fatigue rubber matting) and laid the pushrods under the turntable tracks.  They're easy to use and keeps me from having to reach across the layout.  Plan ahead (I did not) and you might not have to Dremel anything!

I need to do this to 2 more switches, I can reach them as is but using the flexible pushrods will end up being better.

At present I have ZERO wiring on my layout, I may eventually power the turntable but I like throwing the Caboose Industry ground throws!!!  All my engines are Battery-Powered, Remote-Control (BPRC) and also 3-rail engines and rolling stock running on 2-rail code 148 track.  It (BPRC as well as my layout and trains) is not "conventional" by any means but it's what I was after since day one (took several years to get there and away from DCS, TMCC, and 3-rail) and has been working fine for 6 years now.  Only failures so far have been operator induced.

IMHO I don't think that you have to model a specific prototype to have operactions on your layout.  Just look at some of the classic layouts from the past. They were all freelance,  Gorre & Dapheited, Shasta Lines, Delta lines, Texas and Rio Grande and they were all designed for operations.

You can start with just one train, a way freight.  Make up some way bills listing all of your industries, their commodity they use and type of car sent to it. Generic ones can be purchased then just fill in the blanks. Place some cars at the industry and the rest in your yard. Take a few random way bills and make up a train accordingly, then send it out to do set-outs and pickups before returning to the yard for another assignment. A second  way freight can be made up to run in the opposite direction.

Next add a different train, an express of sorts to run interference with the way freight. Then see if you can get the way freight's work done without fouling the main.

100% perfect track work is desirable but not necessary. A bad piece of track would induce  a slow order through it.

Start small,  single man operation until you get the hang of it. Then if you have kids or friends that can comprehend operations,  get them involved also.

Paul Mallory wrote a great handbook on operations.  I believe that it's still available.  Some chapters get pretty involved but it is written so the novice can understand.

Running trains in circles or loops is enjoying and relaxing but sooner or later it gets boring and you feel that something is missing.  That's the time to introduce operations to your layout.

Searched for 'operations" and found this thread.  A lot of good comments and food for thought.  I learned some time ago that this hobby is meant to be shared.  When I tried to go it alone, it just wasn't nearly as much fun.  Living in the metro Chicago area has a lot of advantages and having so many others that love the same aspects of the hobby is certainly one of them.  I've participated in excellent operating sessions on at least two 2-rail scale layouts, a couple of HO layouts and at least three 3-rail ones too.  They all have their strengths and weaknesses. 

My current layout wasn't built for operations in that it doesn't have enough switching choices with only eight industrial sidings.  It does have a decent passenger terminal and two good sized freight yards for train make up and storage.  I have a 201 foot long 2-track mainline on the lower level and an equally long single track branch line on the upper level.  And I have six crossovers.  I'm able to run 6 trains at once easily with two yard masters and a tower operator or two.  I've had operating sessions with 15 to 25 people on a semi-regular basis, but have felt something was missing.

I took a long break during the pandemic and did a lot of thinking about this subject.  When I recently became active again, I met several new train friends and one of them is a retired railroad person.  He was a dispatcher on the BNSF and worked as a consultant to many railroads in scheduling and operations.  He has a 3-rail layout designed for prototypical operations.  We have been comparing notes and he has been a wealth of real RR info for me.  I asked for his advice and after studying my layout he asked "why don't you run trains in both directions on your 2-track mainlines, real railroads do?"  My responses were predictable "because I have always done it this way" and "so I don't have collisions during operating sessions".  After thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense and greatly expands operating possibilities.  In addition to making up trains in yards, switching cars at industries, my engineers can actually do something instead of just following the train ahead of it.  Instead of being a problem, avoiding "corn field meets" or head-on collisions can be fun rather than something to be avoided.  My dispatcher can plan meets and which train takes the siding.  It can be based on train priority, an Intermodal or Z train takes the main and the unit coal train the siding.  My freight yards are both pass throughs, so trains can leave in either direction, but with two trains going in opposite directions on the same main a meet is inevitable and part of the fun and excitement.  And freights and passenger trains can compete for the mains.

Art

Mind you, it's not 3-rail (or even standard gauge), but my layout was certainly designed for operations.

I’m just getting started on my new(est) layout, which will be, at least at the beginning, a combined 2-rail-three rail layout.

I was originally going to have five or six turnouts on the 2-rail loop, and one turnout (a team track) on the three rail loop, but latest thinking is to just have turnouts on the 2-rail portion.

Down the line the idea would be to convert the three rail loop to 2-rail dead rail, but even then any turnouts on that loop would be built for deep flanged equipment.

To my way of thinking the type of operation you are describing would involve staging of some form. That can be a problem on smaller O layouts.

One type of staging that is a great solution for O modelers who have smaller layouts is to incorporate some sort of car float or car ferry dock into the layout design. It can be fairly simple and compact, and it can save a ton of room (and complexity) when compared to hidden staging tracks.

Jeff C

  I think operations are very doable in O scale or 3 rail. I think you just have to be willing to give up in some of the glamour as far as the trains you run to pull it off. Unless you have a huge amount of space or are very creative in layout design. Think locals pulled by roadswitchers and smaller steamers. 8 to 10 car trains. Shorter trains make the layout seem bigger. Somewhere I read. Take how much trackage you have as far as working yards. Figure out it’s capacity car wise. Then divide by 2 and that’s close to what you can handle car wise without bogging down the RR.

Mine is an operator’s delight, ….as Dave C. mentioned, I did have to surrender some things, but it’s a fairly decent representation of what went on at Harmon NY, ( Croton ) …electrics bring passenger trains in northbound, and steam takes over North & west by timetable …..then steam comes in south & east, & is exchanged for electric power southbound back to the city …..plenty to do……servicing engines, and making the moves to the ready tracks as they await assignment, switching, & set outs,…

Pat

I try to capture B&O operations through Cumberland MD in the early 1950s on my 3R O layout. I made a schedule based on reprints of real B&O materials I obtained from the B&O RR Historical Society and a public 1949 timetable. The 10 daytime passenger trains that passed through Cumberland are all included in my schedule. While my passenger cars are not models of actual B&O cars yet, my trains contain the right number, types, and order of cars based on a 1950 B&O Passenger Train Consist Book. I find it exhilarating to watch a 12-car passenger train that represents one that actually ran. I selected 15 scheduled freights from the freight schedule, again, daytime through Cumberland. I included their LCL Timesaver service and a set of eastbounders and westbounders (sections of 94 and 97) from various western points to various eastern points. There is a lot of fun switching in Cumberland (again, based on a B&O Freight Working Book), and a few passenger trains have route switching in Cumberland as well. To make up the ten passenger trains from my 25 passenger cars requires a bit of terminal switching, also fun and purposeful. Although coal trains made up the majority of B&O tonnage, they were all extras, so that's how I run them, too.

The layout is a twice around with stub-on-wye terminal. Cumberland is 7 tracks wide: main, passing siding, two doubled-ended tracks for arrival/departure yard, and 3 single-end body tracks, stolen directly from Armstrong's track planning book. The terminal yard is 12 tracks: 5 dedicated to freight are staging only, 1 wye tail track, 5 dedicated to passenger, and one track that flops between passenger engine ready track and Baltimore Pratt St. switching. The main line is about 1.1 scale miles long and is single track with 4 passing points including Cumberland.

I designed the layout before I decided on the B&O focus, so I get my physical plant is more suited to the parallel Western Maryland than its multitrack B&O competitor.

So far, I have run solo using a sequence schedule. I have considered group operation, but have not tried it yet.

I second the comments about reliability. Derailments, stalls, uncoupling destroy the fun. I am still working on those.

I do plan to add local freight to the scheme at some point. I have sidings at my towns of Hancock, West Cumbo, Shenandoah Junction, Cumberland, and Pratt St. Baltimore. In my opinion, a lot of the model railroad writing on operations focuses on the local freight. I have found it more energizing to give my mainline trains operating purpose.

The Carbondale is a passenger rest stop with a small Harvey house. Passenger cars are exchanged for trains going south or west from Chicago and NYC. It is an around the wall layout with double main and limited switching sections. Some limited freight to service Carbondale and to re-ice refrigerator cars. Oil. coal and water is available to locomotives which cause some waiting time for crews.

@CAPPilot posted:

I posted this plan above almost two years ago.  Since then, I have started using a system where I randomly pick a freight car and use a spinning wheel to determine the destination for the car to make things more interesting.

The system is a little different than the one described in Eugene Villaret's book "Realistic Revenue Operations For Model Railroads."  I pick a card from a card deck that describes the car type and possible loads, then I use the spinner to determine the destination of the car based on its load.  There are 13 possible destinations on my layout (more when I expand it), but some are only good for boxcars while others need a hopper or tanker.  Maybe 15% of my freight cars have cards.  It gets interesting if I pick a car in the middle of one of a classification track that needs to go the public delivery track.

Another scenario is building a local on one of the classification tracks in the correct order to drop the cars off (and pick up cars) while going around the loop.  I will use the outer loop as a single track mainline and the inner as a passing or run-around track.  This can take hours and multiple sessions.

Other times I open a beer and loop run on the two loops.  Actually, this has been my main operating action lately as both my hands are still healing from a fall.

Be safe running your trains.

An operating limitation for my late 1940s era layout (steam to diesel transition period) is the lack of mainline steam engines with an operating front coupler.  Models of PRR switchers currently available like the A5, B6, and C1 have front couplers, but steam engines that could be used for locals like the H6/8/9, L1/2, maybe even an M1, don't have an operating front coupler which make them useless for switching (well, okay. If all the switches were trailing point switches then maybe you could use them).  I currently use my road switcher diesels, VO-1000, NW2, and H10-44, to do my local runs.

Anyway, it would be nice if Lionel or MTH added an operating front coupler to their smaller non-switcher steamers.

I have added operating front electrocouplers to several PRR locomotives.  These include a pair of Williams L1s 2-8-2's, a Weaver L1s 2-8-2, a Weaver H10s 2-8-0 and a pair of 3rd Rail 2-10-0's.  The process involves a Dremel.   

You need to open up the front a bit to provide for coupler swing.  On all of these PRR locomotives, removing the inside vertical straps holding the pilot steps and thinning the pilot beam did the trick.  The couplers are screwed to the top of the front truck and swing with the truck, like a 3-rail Diesel.  They work great on curves of O54 or wider.  Performance on O42 curves is variable: some locomotives are fine, others derail the front truck.

I started with a Williams L1s that I bought for $200, then tried the Weavers, and finally the $800 3rd Rail's.  I can take and post some photos if there is interest.

Bob, please do post your coupler conversion

Thanks for reactivating this excellent thread Art!  I've been collecting a while and my goal is to build an operations-oriented layout in the near future.  I actually built one with my brother when we lived with our parents, that was designed to fulfill the operating scheme described in Eugene Villaret's book.  Villaret does a good job of distilling operations down to a short and understandable read.  We did complete a few operating sessions (and a lot of loop running!)  Unfortunately it was destroyed by a flood less than a year after it was built.  Then I moved to the Land of No Basements.

I've read all of the books by Armstrong, Chubb, and Mallery, but there's a limit to how prototypical anything can be in 11.5 x 18.  I don't want a timesaver or point-to-point; continuous running of two trains is a given.  So if a realistic portrait isn't possible, I'm thinking instead of a caricature that captures salient, recognizable features of prototype railroading while incorporating the fun and exciting elements of a cooperative strategy game.  I want to make the experience less "dry," even if it's not 100% prototypical.  My goal is to engage friends and visitors outside the train hobby, with variety and a lot of interaction among the train crews and dispatcher.

I intend to incorporate an element of randomness with drawn cards.  Perhaps not for specific cars / cargoes, but to establish scenarios that the crew has to fulfill.  E.g., "Move a work train to Jenkintown. Track 1 out of service until further notice."  Depending on the rolling stock in use, there could be an element of deck-building, i.e., cards would be added to the deck that award a bonus for the use of a specific loco.  Often imagination will be required.  For example, I'm not about to string O-scale catenary.  But if a card calls for "electrification," steam and diesel would be replaced by electrics, etc.  I'm even mulling the idea of modular scenery.  Imagine a "gentrification" card, where either before or during the session, a farm or industrial scene is replaced with houses and a passenger station.  Variety is important.  Unless you're doing Fastrack on the floor it's impractical to alter the track plan.  But the idea is that every loco in the collection has some prototypically-inspired roles, and every session presents unique challenges.  If the crews make a good-faith effort, bystanders would observe a varied and fairly realistic pageant of trains that lasts the duration of the operating session.

I've searched, but haven't come across more than a few pages written by others about this approach.  I even asked on the Forum a while ago whether anyone here is a strategy board game fan that would like to collaborate with me in developing the concept.  If you're interested, my email is in my profile.

Despite the huge investment in time and cost to build our layouts, I've seen many fall quickly into disuse because their potential for "operation" (prototypical or otherwise) is too limited.  The trains must have a sense of purpose.  What I end up building may not be fully prototypical, but at least it won't be boring!

I've been thinking about operating sessions and feel that there are several different possible components.

The most commonly talked about is the car card system designed to make up trains and switch cars realistically.   This works well and is a lot of fun, but it can turn out to be a lot like work when things bog down.   Issues can be track work problems, un-cooperative couplers,  poor descriptions of cars or not having unique car numbers, confusion with new comers, and etc.   Anything that causes operations to pause or stop is a major enjoyment killer.

Another aspect is running trains bi-directionally on a single-track mainline.  This sets up meets, uses of passing sidings, scheduling, routing, and etc.  The same would be true on a double-track mainline, but there are more options.   This replicates the movement of trains between towns and yards.  I think that there is a thrill or adrenalin rush from running a train down a track and not knowing when, where, or if you will meet a train traveling towards you on the same track. 

Running complete trains and being scheduled to start and go somewhere.  Passenger trains fall into this category for most of us.  You can schedule name trains like the Santa Fe Chief to go from Chicago to LA with scheduled stops in larger cities.  Then  have local passenger trains that stop at all stations or commuter trains doing the same thing.  If these trains are sharing bi-directional mainlines with freight trains and other passenger trains it gets interesting very quickly.

A hybrid that includes all of these components would be the ultimate.  The biggest caution I think is be mindful not to make it so complicated that it isn't any fun.  If your track plan is hard to learn, have cheat sheets to help.  If your signals are so realistic that they are hard to understand, try having color cards that explain them.  What's the easiest way to couple and uncouple your cars?  Don't run too long of sessions, take breaks.  Don't take it or yourselves too seriously, it's supposed to be fun.

Art

I recognize the benefit of having an operations style layout to promote and maintain interest, and my layout is evolving in that direction, but I have a long way to go.

I have 2 interconnected and independently powered main lines, 12 independently powered sidings, one of which is a long passing siding, and 16 remote control 022 switch tracks.

During the past 3 years I've limited my purchases to northeastern fallen flag railroads, including numerous NY Central models of trains that ran on The Put, and I have accessories, industries and other features consistent with The Put, but I'm not limited to The Put because I also like the Pennsy, the B&O, the New Haven, the Boston & Albany, the D&H and other northeastern railroads.

I would describe mine as a long narrow around the walls switching layout with some operations features, not an advanced operations layout limited to models of only 1 railroad with way bills, in which freight train consists are assembled never using the "hand of God."

I can comfortably run 2 trains simultaneously, but prefer to run 1 train at a time because I find it more relaxing. No one besides myself runs trains on my layout, but I enjoy having visitors and an audience.

Arnold

@Ken Wing posted:

Bob, please do post your coupler conversion

Look for a short illustrated article on adding front electrocouplers to steam locomotives in an upcoming issue of OGR magazine.