Nice blog header shot of X231 heading down to Martin for a car swap (Kyle S)

alking across the weedy gravel of Bound Brook yard, stepping over rails and making my way to my waiting train. My brakeman is up on the nose running board, hanging out the X271 number board, slotting in the white flags. We’ve got a fast extra freight to Cincy. As I climb aboard with my no-orders clearance card, I gotta smile at the newby dispatcher -he cut me the order yet didn’t insult an old hogger like me by telling me to hold for 202 to arrive (which would have been a touch insulting). I’d have bet that a first-time DSer running Time Table and Train Orders would cork it up by now (I would have bet on it (I should have arranged for a pool)). But no, he’s got it. My first train switching out to Carbon Hill was a bit of a bunny-hopper but otherwise went flawlessly. So yeah, I finally get to run under TT&TO instead of just dispatching it.

Once 202 rattles past, I’m out the door, high-stepping it down the line. Coming up on the viaduct, there’s the distance signal for BETH interlocking – green! So I’m even more impressed – the cubby called ahead and  set me  up with Bethlehem so I didn’t have to stop and call-box the towerman. High green on the home signal – I was waiting to see if they were going to yard me but I’m lined for the bypass.

My only concern is freight 247, somewhere to my left in Calypso Yard.Hitting a yellow board into Bethlehem station, I see a distant red and nod. That makes sense. 247 is due out soon – run him ahead of me so I don’t get on his time. But even as I slow for it, the signal goes green. The fug? They are putting me out in front of the freight, literally on his time? Well, it’s interlocking so TT&TO rules don’t apply. Shaking my head, I go into run 4, back up to track speed.

Leaning around the  long curve around the tower, I see 247 edging up to the yard departure signal. Dammit, he’s going to be riding my butt down the interlocking. Glance up at the tower -Leverman Johnston is on the phone with the DSer, talking this move out. Behind him, I can see none other than his parents – it’s evidently Family Day on the railroad. Running along the river, blast furnaces looming over the high bank, I see a yellow. According to the timetable, 247 should be meeting passenger 66 here shortly. So maybe that’s the plan -hold us both for the meet and run me up ahead. Seems confirmed by the interlock-exit signal ahead – red. But still, my mind is troubled by a specific rulebook entry.

Rule 86: Unless otherwise provided, an inferior train must be clear at the time a superior train in the same direction is due to leave the next station in the rear where time is shown.

In other words, you should be at the next timetabled point before the following train comes into that section. This means that if I’m being held in front of 247 for the 13:30 meet in Lehigh between 247 and oncoming 66, the moment it clears us both, I’m on 247’s time. Zach should know this – it’s a very real thing on the Tuscarora (which he’s also started to dispatch). We have to provide train orders to run extras on a superior train’s time. Well, once I stop at the red exit signal, I’ll find a call box and ask the tower what the heck we’re going to…

The signal goes green!

Harris Glen – the best place on the LM&O to catch a saw-by or, if you are lucky, a wreck. Note the cool train order signal in the foreground. (Jim M)

Are you kidding me? You are kicking me out before the meet? It’s 11:45 now. 66 clears Harris Glen in … let’s see .. one hour: 12:45. That means my two-engine set needs to pull a moderate freight up a 3% grade, around a helix turn, and get in the clear in one hour.

I put my bar into run 8, gathering momentum as I roar across the viaduct, cursing the DS who is squeezing me between varnish, a following freight and a rulebook violation. Up through the first tunnel, through the long sweeping turns and then slamming into the spiral tunnel. Checks the camera monitors. I’m slowing… slowing. Crawling. My throttle is at 90%. Spin it all the way up. Then I climb under the layout to see what’s happening. My two units are spinning but moving – walking speed. I’m wondering if I’m going to “drop hand” and push, but then they seem to get their traction back and gradually start to inch the speed up. Climbing back out, I watch them go through the helix, slowly. They lose a bit of speed as they come out on the sharp upgrade just out of the tunnel. Ahead of me, I see the eastbound train order signal drop – 66 is getting the board. Is he close? Time is 12:37. Still moving walking speed, my brakeman swings down and runs ahead to throw the turnout onto the siding. And there is the station operator, standing with his own flag, gesturing for us to stay on the main.

Dilemma: Follow his verbals and take the main into a blind meet? Or go with the rulebook and take the siding? I ram the window back and gesture to my brakeman to put us down the siding. As we go by, Operator Jim yells up – “I think you’d fit better on the main.” Feeling like Papa Boule (anyone seen The Train?) I ignore his flag gestures and go up around around the blind turn on the siding. Backing off the throttle to keep from running away as the grade levels. Ahead of me, the train order signal rattles up – seems like the dispatcher was covering his bets by keeping the board down to hold 66. Now that someone in the station is calling me in the clear, they are bringing the signal up just in front of the train, saving themselves a releasing clearance card. I slow down, pass 66 on the roll, regain the main and continue on down to Pittsburgh where I’d have an interesting meet with 244.

66 approaches Harris Glen, watching his signal drop for orders, then raise for no orders just as an extra rounds the blind curve. What’s he thinking? (Zeus H)

I’ll admit this – I cleared Harris but forgot to throw the turnout back to the main, derailing 247 in my wake and buying more time. Okay, that one was on me but, yes, things were hectic.

Breaking from the epic narrative, I’ll say that what we did on Saturday was one of the best TT&TO sessions we ever had (and perhaps one of the most interesting sessions on the line, even with warrants). We had a lot of support folks (Matthew gets a mention for running tower, station operator and Calypso yard, making his parents proud). Everyone ran quietly, everyone was focused, everyone had fun. Zach did a stellar job dispatching and was able to use my TT&TO DS program with very few issues. Outside with my near brush with a violation (again, thanks to railroad management for the squeeze), the only serious rulebook violation was Zeus. Flustered with engine problems with 66 in Bethlehem, he tried to make up for several hours of delay, running fast to staging and his changeover to 68. Zach had 247 (who’d survived my sabotage) holding for an overdue meet in Zanesville and was going to give him a “68 Run 2 hours late” to let him run up to at least Carbon Hill. However, 68 didn’t pick up the orders stating this in his originating departure. Zach had called me in for a consult on this and I agreed to it. Walking back out to run a furnace job, I saw 68 burst out of the Cincy tunnel. Told Jim (as Zanesville operator) to hold off on that order and tell Zach 68 was running without papers. So, like all experienced dispatchers, Zach got to rip up an order that would have been a nice move because of the engineer’s goof. Happens.

I’ll note this – as a Monday morning quarterback – when you set out orders that allow a meet point to be moved in any way, you need to get the order FIRST to the most restricted train (in this case, 68). Even if you’d written it, he’d not come in an picked it up. Just something to note to make you even more of a fifth-level TT&TO dispatcher/magic user. But overall, good job.

Zeus works X902 in Shelfton. It would look better if your units were rusted out and doing sunset service switching the cuts (Luke L)

So that was our fun Saturday – the session left everyone grinning like dogs over in Culvers. Kudos to everyone who participated, management and crews alike. I know a lot of people we out of their comfort zones on this (between Lehigh and Harris, I certainly was). But it was a great  session, one of the best. Looking forward to the next one!

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Kyle aboard 244 gives a toot and a nod to Kyle on Extra 231, and example of hot-seating. (And photoed by Kyle S as well) (A KyleCo Production)

A dream-run of the Zanesville extra comes to a conclusion. Zach game me a nice run (Jim M)

What is it with English tea-kettles today? Anyway, evidently Extra 503 stops in Martin so gnomes can board to mine gold somewhere… (Luke L)