Announcement

**Rick_A** · 05-28-2010, 08:40 AM

To All:

An up-date on what has been going on around here. We are making progress in setting up the car cards and routing cards for operations. To satisfy the industries we currently have on the layout and keep the layout in balance car wise, we will need to generate 602 way bills to start things off. I sounds like a lot, but we are using Shenware to generate the way bills so it should not be that painful to do.

We had a minor set back a couple weeks back. We have a space heater located in the layout room, someone got cold and turned the heater on high to warm themselves up, however they failed to shut the heater off when they left at the end of the evening. So the heater heated up the room for 4 days, and caused heat kinks on a half dozen switches in the area of the layout that was closest to the heater.

I'm sorry I didn't get pictures, some of the kinks were pretty narley looking. Once the heat was shut off and the room cooled down a couple of the rails went back to normal, but we found a few more messed up switches. Last night we managed to repair the switches in place so the layout is back up and running and life is good again.

Rick

**Rick_A** · 05-28-2010, 08:41 AM

To All:

An up-date on what has been going on around here. We are making progress in setting up the car cards and routing cards for operations. To satisfy the industries we currently have on the layout and keep the layout in balance car wise, we will need to generate 602 way bills to start things off. I sounds like a lot, but we are using Shenware to generate the way bills so it should not be that painful to do.

We had a minor set back a couple weeks back. We have a space heater located in the layout room, someone got cold and turned the heater on high to warm themselves up, however they failed to shut the heater off when they left at the end of the evening. So the heater heated up the room for 4 days, and caused heat kinks on a half dozen switches in the area of the layout that was closest to the heater.

I'm sorry I didn't get pictures, some of the kinks were pretty narley looking. Once the heat was shut off and the room cooled down a couple of the rails went back to normal, but we found a few more messed up switches. Last night we managed to repair the switches in place so the layout is back up and running and life is good again.

Rick

**Rick_A** · 06-27-2010, 05:36 PM

An update:

After 8 years we had our first operating session. Our train line-up was abbreviated due to having only 3 tracks available at both staging yards, plus we had a limited amount of rolling stock available because the majority of it is still going through standards.

We also used Track Warrants for the first time so there was some training time involved, but those that had never used track warrants before picked them up after they wrote their first or second warrant.

We operated for 5 hours, we did two sessions, after the first session we had a short meeting to run over what went well and what didn't and what corrections we need to make, then we had the second session. Everyone had a great time. There were pictures taken, and I will post them once I receive them.

Rick

**chooch.42** · 06-27-2010, 06:30 PM

WOOOO-HOOOO !!! What you've been working for,(for how long?) is finally happening! A reward, richly deserved...enjoy!!!...post the PICS - then BACK TO WORK! Congratulations, all, on your perseverance. Bob C.

**MarkF** · 06-27-2010, 08:46 PM

Congratulations to your club Rick! It is amazing to think that your up and operating already. You guys have made tremendous progress over the past couple of years, and after all of that hard work, you certainly deserve to have some fun. I do hope you took some pictures so that we can all enjoy the fruits of your labor.

**Rick_A** · 07-01-2010, 02:55 PM

Here are some pictures from last Saturday's op session, sorry but not too many were taken.

Greg and Andy (Background) are copying a track warrant for the first train on the line-up, #24 an Eastbound hot shot intermodal. Bob with his back to the camera looks on.

Here is #24 leaving Albany staging and about to enter Tallman which is the start of the modeled portion of the layout.

And #24 emerging from the highway over pass between Tallman and Irvinville. The second unit was giving the crew trouble and had to be changed out at Irvinville.

Mike in the dark shirt and Norm in the GN shirt are getting ready to copy a warrant and leave Lyons with train #313 a westbound manifest.

Here is the lead unit of #313 crossing Thomas Creek between Shelburn and Brewster.

Matt is the first trick Lebanon yardmaster, he is going through the car cards to see what he has in his yard.

**anbhurst** · 07-01-2010, 06:07 PM

Good pictures, Rick. Looks like the crews are getting into it!

quote:

Originally posted by Rick A

Here are some pictures from last Saturday's op session, . .

**Rick_A** · 07-02-2010, 04:26 AM

Everyone had a good time.

**MarkF** · 07-02-2010, 06:09 AM

Some great picturers of the overall layout too! I can't believe you guys already have some scenery started, and it looks good. You guys get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time.

**Rick_A** · 07-02-2010, 06:40 AM

Mark:

The scenery is being done in three small areas on the layout, in those area's we know we will not be re-arranging any track so the scenery crew is free to work there.

Our next op session is tentatively set for July 31st, I will remember to bring down my camera and get some shots of the activity.

Rick

**Rick_A** · 07-31-2010, 08:26 PM

We had our second operating session today, we had two sessions, we operated a total of about 7 hours. I snapped a few shots from the first session, since I was the crew caller and also the answer man for any operating questions I didn't get too many shots, but here is what came out.

The first photo is a shot of the new Willamette Grain Growers Elevator at Shelburn, the Shelburn local with the RS on the point has finished his work and is ready to go westbound back to Lebanon Yard, but is waiting for a westbound manifest heading for Albany.

This is a westbound G45L unit grain train at Irvinville headed for Albany.

Here is the same Grain train headed into Tallman with an Eastbound manifest waiting on the main.

The same two trains at west Tallman.

Here is the eastbound train that was waiting on the grain train in Tallman on the move starting up the grade at Irvinville.

Here is a nearly empty Lebanon Yard.

Here is a shot from the west end of Lebanon yard looking east as an eastbound manifest thunders by on main #1.

Well, that's it, some of the shots weren't the best cause I was shooting them on the run so to speak.

Rick

**dlwrailfan1** · 07-31-2010, 09:15 PM

Great progress on all fronts guys. Since you are modern, glad to see track warrants in use. I have operated a few railroads with them and they are great to use and easier to learn than train orders.

Keep us posted!

**Rick_A** · 08-01-2010, 06:59 AM

We are having growing pains with the track warrants too, but the learning curve is much less than with Time Table and Train Orders. Its all a work in progress.

Rick

**Rick_A** · 09-11-2010, 06:52 AM

An up-date:

We are still getting our operating scheme tweaked.

One area that has changed since our first operating session is the staging(Mole)area.

Here is a shot of what it looked like at our first op session back in June.

Here is a shot of what it looks like now.

With nearly of our car fleet through standards we added one set of shelves, and will probably need a second set of shelves because the row of cars next to the staging tracks are sitting on staging tracks.

**Rick_A** · 11-10-2010, 07:16 AM

It's been a while since there has been an up-date. We are going to have operating sessions on the 22nd and 27th of November, hopefully we will get some pictures posted of that. We also have a small portion of the layout nearly complete scenery wise, if I can remember to take my camera to the Club tomorrow evening, I'll take an eye candy shot of that area and post it.

Model Railroad Hobbyist e-zine is going to come by and do a feature on us I believe next month for their February 2011 issue I think, that will be fun.

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