he only real problem of engaging in two operation sessions (one with the Orlando Society of Model Railroaders) and the second a Saturday Night Session, is the number of husband points it costs me (just wrote a check for 500,000 points). But it was worth it.

I wasn’t sure how many we’d get for a standard session on a Saturday night. A lot of us were still dragging from the three-and-a-half hour session we’d just gotten through. So there we were at Culvers, sucking down food and rebuilding our energy. And to my amazement, more members came, and more, until we had (by my guess) thirteen or so members there. And everyone was jazzed, looking forward to what we’d attempt shortly.

Everyone got there and – it makes me proud – everyone fanned out to see to their trains. We had two dispatchers (master-DSer Zach and cub-DS Mathew) and the big three yardlettes (Jeff and Wrong-Way Klauck in Martin, with Just-in-Time Steve in Calypso). New warrants were in the train boxes. I took some time to walk Joe S through 202’s run (he thought he’d “just watch”. Oh, no no no, Joe. It’s too late for that). Then I prepped up for my own move since I’d be on the line today – running Shelfton down to work lower Pittsburgh (and how much lower than  Pittsburgh can you get?). After than, we got the briefing and then we got down to running the living crap out of this division.

Since I had a pre-warrant, I hammered out of the yard (three minutes early, thank you for that call-out, Jeff (you nark)) and after setting brakes on that hill, I got right to work. And really, I just enjoyed myself immensely working the cuts in and out of that industrial site (Redwing is no longer curiously empty now). Joe rolled past, having completed his first yard stop. Gave him a thumbs up. Helped Terry back Ohio Flyer 2 into the very last station track. After he cleared, I spent my time enjoying my work, watching trains pass and doing that “Whoa, mule! Whoa!” with Zeus’ Amtrak (which kept drifting towards a closed turnout and a sad electrical fire). In fact, I had so much fun I sorted by cut before heading back. While waiting to enter Martin, I signed up for 452, ore east to the hungry mill.

Even with three four-axles, I had a hard climb up to Red Rock where I waited a while for a warrant. To pass the time, I right-knobbed my way in the mills, working Furnace 1 (happily Steve had forced someone to restock the empty limestone bunkers).  I got half a furnace run complete as the “Crisis at the Glen” (kinda like the Tragedy of the Commons but with trains) was boiling hot. I don’t know if Zach pulled rank or Matthew pulled mass, but somehow they worked together. The only loser was the Harris Glen local who spent the entire night watching the other kids have fun, unable to work his cut.

Finally I got permission to roll out of Red Rock for the summit. I got through the high-side Red Rock tunnel but stalled on the hill. With a lot of rail polishing, I finally got the nose of my train out of the portal like a timid mouse in a hole, allowing me to back down some helpers and couple up. And then – BANG! The train lurched forward.Turns out Christian decided that Red Rock was not enough and ran a stack train up the line, into the tunnel and smacking my caboose. After glaring my best old-man glare at that punk kid, I fetched out my caboose and three derailed ore cars out of the tunnel and took them (hand-sized for easy carrying) back over the Harris. Rolled up enough to rebuild and finally with lot of grunting topped the summit at the Glen, to find the skeletal crew of 941 still waiting to work. Still, Bruce was able to gasp a dying suggestion to run the helpers down the siding and put them away then and there, rather than carrying them all the way down to Lehigh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all that, I wondered what else would go wrong – answer? Nothing. Drifted nice and easy down the loops with those problematic ore cars, across the viaduct, through Lehigh and into Calypso where I dropped my loads. Finished up my furnace work and watched the survivors aboard 942 (cannibalisticly eating the limbs of their dead crew members) rattle past.

But overall, I’ll say this – running with everyone was just a blast (literally, in Christian’s case). Everyone was pleasant. We had crews expanding their abilities and taking on new positions. I saw numerous times when people helped other people and did what they could. Several people I chatted with said that it was one of the most enjoyable sessions we’ve ever run – just one part rail-action, and one part social-interaction. We always have things to learn and things to improve but really, the club is just doing it right.

More images below…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>>IN CONCLUSION, BUY A BOOK, OKAY?<<<