jdtrainman
06-06-2004, 01:29 AM
Tonight's session on the East River revealed some possible problems with the route that need further investigation....
Eastbound train coming from Walton Jct. ended up routed "wrong way" at Cowan. As I see the route map in AE this is a left switch which meant that the train SHOULD have been routed to the tangent side of the switch and end up running "right handed" on the double track. As a result we nearly had a cornfield meet at Narrows! (we "narrowly" escaped this thanks to the quick action of the NS Dispatcher at Roanoke...)
My first question is this: Has anyone else run this route to check it out prior to calling up a session on it? I think that this should probably be a prerequisite for scheduling a session but I can also hastily add that our operations are probably a VERY good way to identify problems that may have not shown up otherwise in other operations or testing! Thoughts folks?
Second: I noticed that it looked like we would have a good turnout for this session but only 3 people actually took trains. In model railroading circles it is considered sufficient cause to be dropped from the call list if you don't show up without marking off of a session where you've committed to operate.
Third: Regrettably, I had to boot two listeners tonight from the server. One user had voice-activation enabled and would not (or could not) get it disabled. Consequently we ended up with considerable audio looping and the user was booted as a result. Another user had to be booted for sending a massive string of text messages that were completely unrelated to the operation (in fact they weren't even related to train simulator or even railroads at all!). Folks, we need to stay focused and these things are a big distraction.
Fourth: Please listen carefully to your dispatcher. If the dispatcher asks you to copy a slow order, track bulletin, etc. WRITE IT DOWN! Most experienced dispatchers will not grant you clearance without an accurate read-back of the warrant, order, or bulletin... By using this procedure the real railroad ensure that there is no miscommunication. We should be doing likewise.
Finally, to echo and expand upon Lee Kinnamon's comments from a previous M&M session...
Let's stick to the called trains and run those first. If there is extra time or extra operators we can add special trains, MOW, hi-rail cars, etc. Can we consider agreeing to operate the SCHEDULED trains as a first priority?
From MY perspective I don't know what equipment you're operating. I can't see your screen. Even if you're using a default consist you can still function as one of the scheduled trains. Stick a post-it note up on the monitor with your alias engine number on it so you'll know when the DS calls you by engine number. (The real railroads have the engine number either painted or done with an engraved sign on the locomotive console for the engineer and conductor to see.)
Accidents do happen on the real railroads. Saw one firsthand today on the UP where a pickup truck was just a little too close at the crossing and got clipped by a westbound train. If you derail (when I'M dispatching) I'd prefer to deal with it as the real railroads would. Others would prefer that you do frequent saves and simply leave derailments out of the picture.
Should we be (or do we NEED to be?) a little more specific about what we expect in our sessions???
Thoughts/comments appreciated....
Main question: Is East River a good candidate to keep calling sessions upon? (I haven't had a chance to run it as the laptop's registry got scrambled today and I've spent most of the afternoon/evening re-installing Windows XP so couldn't actually run a train on my own while Dispatching....
JBD
Eastbound train coming from Walton Jct. ended up routed "wrong way" at Cowan. As I see the route map in AE this is a left switch which meant that the train SHOULD have been routed to the tangent side of the switch and end up running "right handed" on the double track. As a result we nearly had a cornfield meet at Narrows! (we "narrowly" escaped this thanks to the quick action of the NS Dispatcher at Roanoke...)
My first question is this: Has anyone else run this route to check it out prior to calling up a session on it? I think that this should probably be a prerequisite for scheduling a session but I can also hastily add that our operations are probably a VERY good way to identify problems that may have not shown up otherwise in other operations or testing! Thoughts folks?
Second: I noticed that it looked like we would have a good turnout for this session but only 3 people actually took trains. In model railroading circles it is considered sufficient cause to be dropped from the call list if you don't show up without marking off of a session where you've committed to operate.
Third: Regrettably, I had to boot two listeners tonight from the server. One user had voice-activation enabled and would not (or could not) get it disabled. Consequently we ended up with considerable audio looping and the user was booted as a result. Another user had to be booted for sending a massive string of text messages that were completely unrelated to the operation (in fact they weren't even related to train simulator or even railroads at all!). Folks, we need to stay focused and these things are a big distraction.
Fourth: Please listen carefully to your dispatcher. If the dispatcher asks you to copy a slow order, track bulletin, etc. WRITE IT DOWN! Most experienced dispatchers will not grant you clearance without an accurate read-back of the warrant, order, or bulletin... By using this procedure the real railroad ensure that there is no miscommunication. We should be doing likewise.
Finally, to echo and expand upon Lee Kinnamon's comments from a previous M&M session...
Let's stick to the called trains and run those first. If there is extra time or extra operators we can add special trains, MOW, hi-rail cars, etc. Can we consider agreeing to operate the SCHEDULED trains as a first priority?
From MY perspective I don't know what equipment you're operating. I can't see your screen. Even if you're using a default consist you can still function as one of the scheduled trains. Stick a post-it note up on the monitor with your alias engine number on it so you'll know when the DS calls you by engine number. (The real railroads have the engine number either painted or done with an engraved sign on the locomotive console for the engineer and conductor to see.)
Accidents do happen on the real railroads. Saw one firsthand today on the UP where a pickup truck was just a little too close at the crossing and got clipped by a westbound train. If you derail (when I'M dispatching) I'd prefer to deal with it as the real railroads would. Others would prefer that you do frequent saves and simply leave derailments out of the picture.
Should we be (or do we NEED to be?) a little more specific about what we expect in our sessions???
Thoughts/comments appreciated....
Main question: Is East River a good candidate to keep calling sessions upon? (I haven't had a chance to run it as the laptop's registry got scrambled today and I've spent most of the afternoon/evening re-installing Windows XP so couldn't actually run a train on my own while Dispatching....
JBD