~ Andy
It has been ten years since we started building the layout. We're not done, but there is enough completed track work to allow us to run some trains. After working much of Christmas break getting the Chessie staging yard powered and switch motors installed, we were ready for our first operating session. Charlie had also entered a number of freight cars and locos, as well as industries and siding lengths, into the JMRI software, so everything was in place for this milestone. We have heard from a number of people that it is wise to operate your layout before doing any scenery in case you discover any glitches or track problems, so this was a chance to do just that, The session went well - here are some photos. ~ Andy
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On December 30th with school out for Christmas break, Charlie and I attended the regular Wednesday evening operating session at Roy Ward's West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railway in Ruffsdale, PA. It was only our second visit to operate Roy's layout, but this time we had a much better perspective as we get closer to operating our own Pittsburgh Mainline layout. Roy's basement layout is approximately 24' x 24' and operates with the MRC DCC system, using a written train order system and car cards. The most unique aspect of his layout is that the dispatcher is actually located in a separate outbuilding, completely removed from the layout and totally dependent on radio/phone communications with the crews and yardmaster, as would be the case on a prototype railroad. See our October 2012 blog post for photos of this stand-alone dispatch office. We enjoyed great operations and fellowship, and we appreciate the invitation to participate. Below are some photos. ~ Andy Thanks for including us Roy! Your scenery is fantastic and I did not have a single problem with track work, the locomotives or electrical connectivity the entire evening - everything ran like clockwork. Roy told me "This isn't the first layout I've built, but it is my last." Why mess with perfection???
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December 2023
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