OpsLog – LM&O – 1/22/2025

OpsLog – LM&O – 1/22/2025

Jim sets the tone for the evening; words to operate by.

o I was lucky to make it at all to the session tonight. After attending to “family issues” (the same way the Titanic’s sinking was noted as “shipping concerns”) I got there windblown and frozen with a half-hour to spare. I’d signed up for ore loads east and ore loads east it was going to be.

On the dispatcher desks were Phil and Pete, Phil for a return visit to bedlam and Pete as a newbie DS. Okay, since I didn’t have time to think this out, giving Phil a five minute clinic on how my dispatcher panel works was probably a big (Titanic-size) mistake. The program works well but yes, it does have a couple of sharp edges. Thinking this over, we should have set the full magnetic board up and allowed the two dispatchers to work side by side. With would have solved a lot of hand-off problems we had at Red Rock (the high-speed collision issues, well, that was on the them). And those headlight emergencies, we had a lot of them. I was involved in two.

I did appreciate that President Shannon took a damn-the-torpedoes approach when I posted that I might not make the session. Of course, nobody knew how to turn on the club heat (I got the trimmers shoveling the coal bunkers and the building warmed right up). With the clocks set to a leisurely 8:1, the dispatchers chained to their chairs, the trains manned and everything sorted out, off we went.

Overall, a good night (if you are not a perfectionist). I got 452 over the summit and never dropped a wheel (though while throwing a siding turnout while meeting John’s Tropicana train at Red Rock, I went to to the wrong panel and blew a turnout right under Jim T (this is a common occurrence and perhaps needs some signage or possibly a beating).

I’m just in my happy place (Photo: John C)

Martin Yard at its high-water mark. The East End Yardmaster fades into the distance (Photo: Zach B)

The thing is, on a layout this big, I can’t tell you everything that happened (in the photos people posted afterwards, I saw collisions I wasn’t even aware of). But there were a number of great efforts – Zach and Chris did double-duty, running things and being supervisors. Steve B worked Shelfton and found a number of sidings inoperative (since ballasting was going on the month before, a track wire might have come loose). He finished the job with nary a squeak, which was great since I was grinning ear-to-ear on my runs. Reverend Jim kept the calm (literally, with his flashy shirt). A lot of people rolled up into new jobs and got through things. I did see a lot of people helping other people. Always commendable.

Still, it’s always a bad sign when you go into staging to run 271 (the last fast freight) out and see only one train sitting there (opposing 298, which annulled). This means that every train on the railroad was still out there. Well, at least we get a lot of trains in the photos.

I’m still laughing at the moment when I found the aforementioned 271 couldn’t pull up the Loop. While I was backing the helpers down, Christian went on duty at Carbon Hill, pulling the loaded coal train together. Of course he was in Ohio and I was in Pennsylvania, but that didn’t stop us from casually chatting as we both saw to our work. As we both pulled out, he noted “Well, I guess I’ll be meeting you somewhere in a little bit”. East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. Or so Kipling wrote. But if you mean “train” because of a speech impediment, then yes, it seems they do. At least our dispatchers think so.

Cut to Martin Station where passengers group on the icy platform, waiting for their overdue trains. Shimmering down the track 1 rails, the headlights of mineral 414 flicker, its horn vibrating down the flank of autorack 152, standing on track 2, being switched out by the yard crews. Suddenly comes the squeal of brakes as freight 271, fast and non-stop, attempts to become slow and stopped. It’s also on track 1, coming head-on towards the coal run. We managed to brake just before the station, Promontory Point fashion. Then we both climbed down from our cabs and shook out our overalls. Yes, one of those nights.

Christian and I share a poignant moment. We almost shared front ends. Dispatcher Phil won this point (Photo: Christian M)

And another point for Phil (Photo: John DV)

I’ll note for the ore detractors (because they claim ore too often de-tracks) that not only did I clear the hill without a single non-dispatcher-related problem, Greg ran the counter move to Wierton (and derailed twice pushing them into the docks, but then again, he also admits that they should be shoved home in two short cuts, not the entire train). Don’t go looking for trouble, right?

I did drive home with a smile, and have Phil and Pete for providing me with a night of train running (as well as a lot of blog content). But man, waking up at 4:45am for a silly early-morning medical test, getting summoned to Daytona for mom-issues, and then racing back to make it (all in the howling cold) wore me out. Usually the cats will wake me up at 5am every morning to be fed. But no, either they couldn’t shift me with their antics or decided to spare me and let me sleep in, I didn’t blink awake until 8:30am.

My first waking thought was “I got a blog to write”.

And here it is.

>>>BUY A BOOK<<<

A string of empty hoppers thunder under the Pittsburgh spans and Jim runs them home for another load of black diamonds. (Photo: Jim M)

Engineers compare their warrants to find fault. Pete scores this point. (Photo: The Oreo-eating John C)

The yard crew works the Tropicana train. What the heck, they end up working nearly all trains! (Photo: John DV)

WHO’S WHO IN LM&O OPERATIONS

(Photos by John C)

Pete F thrives on danger, a real Action Figure!

Steve B works Shelfton. Well, about half of Shelfton.

Leonard J works 904 over to the Pittsburgh Brewery. Looks like he and his crew broke into one of the cars.

John discovers that his pictures come out this end, not the other. Please be careful with firearms, John. Just sayin’.