(Volume 26, No. 1)
PRESIDENTS SOAPBOX
We are at the beginning of a new Year and it would be unfair for us to let the old expire without recalling some of our accomplishments during 2001. For starters, the staging yard at the south end of the layout is becoming more functional with every weeks passing. In addition to serving as a staging yard, trains can arrive and depart from the yard and it allows for limited classification. David Young expertly designed an engine service facility module which was originally intended to be attached to the existing Davis Module but will be located next to this staging yard instead. The development of this module will also make the connection with a future return loop coming out from under the Eagle module.
Just to the north (west in railroadese), a new module is already attached and a new spur trade is branching off the mainline to serve four new industries currently being built. One of these will be the old Creamery, a.k.a. the Upper Snake River Dairyman's Association, which processed milk into cheese, butter and other dried byproducts from milk provided by local farmers (including milk drawn by hand by your President) for nearly 75 years. Next to it will be three other historic buildings; one will be the old Rogers Bros. Potato plant, the Garrett Freight terminal and the Idaho Cold Storage structures. All of these operated into the seventies and eighties so they may be "fresh" in more than a few memories.
Further up the line, some small details were added recently such as some freight items in the UP Freight house; a speeder shed, and some stockyards; the animals are still developing their color, Junior Member Ryan Lee built and located a very nice icing platform and around the comer, Ryan, Martin and Austin have developed a townsite complete with roadway. Soon making an appearance will be the Old Faithful bottling plant on Eastern and Maple. Materials provided by Old Faithful Bottling Co. will be used to develop period signage and vehicle decals.
Many other support tasks seemingly go unseen such as wiring maintenance and are easily overlooked when passing out kudos. Our thanks go to those who have assisted in these projects.
On a different front, we recently purchased a computer program called RailOp which will serve the club in several ways. For one, it will organize data such as a rolling stock inventory by car type, number, and owner, then use that and other data to generate car movements and define specific operating assignments. I have installed only the Demo version on the club computer so that we can become familiar with the features before installing the complete version. Some questions will require a resolution before installing the actual program, such as:
1. A name for the Railroad.
2. Reporting marks for the road name so we can have some private cars.
3. Final names for locations on the layout.
4. Actual or theoretical grades between locations.
5. Running times between locations.
6. An operating schedule, including frequency.
A complete inventory of location rolling stock will be entered and will include such information: as the builders date and car classification. The program will then only use car specific to our chosen operating period which can be changed as desired. All industry data entered will include the type and frequency of car(s) used to service that location. Other items called for will be the assignment of track numbers and length for all sidings and yard tracks.
We need to continue to recruit interested people through community interaction. Interpret this as a repeated call for more open houses and private showings. By making ourselves more available to the public sector, more of those interested modelers will come out of the woodwork.
Who among us cannot improve our modeling: skills? Nothing we accomplish in any area, is done without developing a certain level of skill or adaptation, by applying that principle to model building and using the appropriate materials and tools, we can surprise ourselves and create representative and credible items for display. Sharing information with others is part of the learning-teaching process.
Visit other clubs to observe their handiwork and generate new ideas for own display.
Expand your interest to include railfanning to learn more about motive power and railroad operation in general. Take up photography as a hobby; the newsletter editor will appreciate your contribution. Get more involved in the completion of the layout. The plan now on the table has identified some 20 new modules that need to be constructed and finished. There is ample opportunity for you. Happy New Year.
Leo Harker
Timetable
Here are some notes on Rail Op based on experience with the demo version of the program and attending a presentation by Doug Famer, the author, at the NMRA National Convention. Of course, the best way to find out about it is to try it. We'll be doing that soon.
One of the best things about Rail Op is the Help system. It is the only computer program I have seen where you can add your own notes to the Help screens if you have a particular thing you want to mention. The installed Help is good, too.
Leo mentioned some of the setup things we need to know. I went through the demo and here are some things from the one time setup:
1. Gauge of Layout - we will choose HO.
2. Name of layout - we will be open to suggestions. Bring them up at the business meeting.
3. Home Road Reporting Mark - this goes with item 2 - but it doesn't have to be UP.
4. Train direction - there are three choices here: Left- Right, East- West, or North - South. The actual UP is an East - West railroad (even though the part we are modeling looks like it is North - South).
5. Maximum train length - this is given in scale feet.
6. Command control type - we'll select None.
7. Weight units - grams or ounces are the choice here.
8. Weight, Tons/Ounce - This makes the information look more like the real thing, since it gives weights in Tons.
9. Maximum kernels/train - a group of 2 to 19 car dispatched as a single unit is called a kernel. This allows easier makeup of trains, and might be used for spine cars, drawbarred ore hoppers, etc.
When entering car lengths, either the prototype length in feet or the model length in inches can be listed. The program automatically considers the length of the couplers, so you don't have to add them. All lengths are then used as feet- both .car and siding lengths. This, again, gives a better feel for the prototype.
There has been some discussion of how to set up car types. One suggestion was to use the AAR system, which is already set up. However, that system may not be the best for our purposes. For Hopper cars, for instance, the AAR system considers load capacity - which doesn't matter to us. We may be better off considering length or number of bays.
Engines are rated in tons, using the conversion factor entered earlier. I have a dynamometer which can be used for determining the pulling power of engines, or the suggested method in the Rail Op program can be used. This is to put a long train (longer than the engine can pull) together, with known weight cars, and then remove one car at time until the train can be moved. When setting up trains, Rail Op automatically compensates for grades between the towns.
Locations are set up within cities. There can be many locations within a city. Each location will have a specific type of car which can be accepted by it, and a specified track length. We need to be sure all types of cars are set up to go somewhere, as otherwise there will be cars that don't move.
If a city is specified as having a switcher, the switcher will do the switching and the road train will only have to drop off cars there. Those cities will also be able to have an actual switchlist printed for the city.
Each train we set up will have a specific route. We can always add more later, as we decide on them.
At the end (or beginning) of an operating session, we can print out a list showing where all cars should be. If there are cars which are not in the right place, there are two choices. Either the car can be moved by hand, or the location can be corrected in the computer. This will mean we will have to return any cars to their correct locations if we move them between operating sessions.
There is a lot of setup involved in using Rail Op, but once the setup is complete it should make operation more interesting and prototypical. I have never operated with this particular program before, so I'II be learning too. Comments from each of you will be most useful in refining our operation
Doug Herrmann
Photos from Leo Harkers's Camera
Loading sugar beets at Aberdeen |
Blackfoot bridge |
Loads at Liberty |
Detail of loaded rotary dump car |
Blackfoot switchers at Aberdeen |
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Material Needed
You can do this too! If you have material for a future Eagle Tracks, please send it to the Editor. We need to have more of a selection for future issues. It would be really nice to have an excess of material to choose. Keep those articles and pictures coming!
Hazard Creek bridge