es, so this is it, my last session for 2025 (unless someone calls in the next few minutes and I’m grabbing my throttle bag and running for the car). Anyway, I thought about going over to the clubhouse and running a quick session by myself. But I opened the invitation up – looks like everyone else was busy and I got one guy – Shemp. But that’s fine.

This is the thing. This year, I ran in room-packer club sessions with 30+ people all working in tight harmony to get through the simulated day. I ran on structured layouts that run under solid scripting. I ran on club layouts where they are just trying to learn this aspect of the game, fumbling through the year until they actually have halfway decent ops developing. I’ve dispatched, I’ve run locals, ore trains, fast freights, everything but lowly, dirty yard jobs.

I’ve designed operating layouts for friends. I’ve been asked to give clinics on operations for the coming year. I’ve got two dispatching sessions I’ve been requested to do next week. And, of course, I’ve written a bunch of OpsLog pieces, one for each of the sixty-seven or so sessions I’ve attended this year.

But, you know, even with all the huge layouts I run on, just running a casual Tuscarora Branch Line is just good, easy fun.

So Shemp ran the freight job and I handled the tower. Originally his Lehigh switcher was going to take point on this effort but it failed early in the 1am Drill job. Even after switching out his engine for one of my PRR locos, the drill (where you take the initial inbound string and sort it out) fought Shemp over every move. I was working turnout lever six, back and forth, while Shemp shunted across the Tenmile Creek trestle and the Browns Creek bridge – of the six cars, they were all individual shunts, no double-cuts or better. So our first hour was a rough go.

But after that, things smoothed out. The loco crew could focus on their job and the switching held few gotchas – all routine moves. Shemp noted that he didn’t miss those interfering coal drags and the dispatcher was not passing orders – the train order signals displayed green all day. And I gotta say that Shemp really has improved on his switching abilities – I didn’t see anything he could have done better.

The session ran just under an hour and a half, perfect for a lazy New Years Eve day. In the end, I let EM-2 head straight in since we don’t need to stage for another session and everything’s going back into the box. That makes it easy with the final run driving in normal fashion up the LM&O branch, heading out without having to set the train facing out for another go.

Anyway, thanks for running, bud. I really enjoyed working the levers, writing the times in the station logs and moving through the railroad’s day at an enjoyable pace.

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Below are some of my favorite Tuscarora Shots of the year.

Leverman Leonard gives a wave from Tusk Tower as another MT hopper move goes through. (Photo: Leonard J)

The End

Reverend Jim leans way, way out to hoop up some orders as he passes the tower (Photo: Zeus H)

“Remove funny bone…” (Photo: Zeus H)

My brilliant idea – use the wiggle-by track to run around a tank car filled with explosive vapors. What could go wrong?

A busy day at the junction, the Martin train getting ready to follow the coal into town (Photo: Zeus H)

Westly tipple tops another load. The prep plant st Emerald Mine played a key role (Photo: Pete F)

Shunting cars, it’s what the Tuscarora family of ops sessions are all about.

Looking over the fence, I’m not sure if I want to know why a tank car is getting shifted through Levine Scrap & Metal.