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Waybill Systems For Train Operation
A reader with the nickname “Tbone” has a question for others in the hobby:
“I’m tired of just running trains around my layout. I now want more purpose for my system. I understand a little about how waybills work but need more input. What computer programs and/or other means do modelers use to operate and justify their layouts?”
2 Responses to Waybill Systems For Train Operation
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I have just gone thru exactly this. I found that I needed to add a yard to my layout to even allow some freight movements to work.
I also now realize that you have to rethink, rebuild your layout, if freight traffic is included eg sufficient siding/spurs and runaround tracks are essential.
R.
The answer is partially in your question. As R. put it, you have to “make sense” of your train movement. To brake the “running around” effect, you need to give a purpose to hoe your trains move. For exempe, say that you have a wood mill somewhere on your layout, you could have a furniture manufacturer somewhere else. The wood produced by the wood mill has now somewhere to go. At the other end, the furniture manufacturer has now loads of wood coming in and manufactured good to deliver (also by the carload). You could also use a yard through wich the loads could be “carried out” of the layout as an interchange with another railroad. The more you know about way real railroad operate, the more choice you have as which way you want to manage you railroad.
Good reading…
LG