nother busy day on the Tuscarora. I thought we were going to have four people but because of sweeping Covid fears, the father/son team I invited had to cancel. And that left me with 50% crew. In a normal ops session, a disaster. But the modular functionality Tuscarora Branch Line can run as easily with one as it can with four. So with Greg (my long-time engineer who has been with this project from the start) we set all signals to green, coupled in the mini-tower (which lets an operator easily run the layout) and began. He ran the local switchers and scheduled freights. I ran the coal extras and dispatched. And off we went.

I gotta say that when we run it, we’re like a true team. With four, the dispatcher and tower operator don’t talk directly to the crews. But with two of us, it’s very casual “Can I run a light engine movement through?” or “Can I cross the main?” We knocked out a very simple session in about 2:15, which isn’t bad. I might run it tomorrow night, just a one-man go. We’ll see.

A push into the power plant occurs in the background while the Tuscarora Local works the Inner Industrial Tracks

Anyway, the layout continues to perform beyond expectations so I’m happy with it. See you after the next session!

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