Young Alex holds MT-1 at the Tuscarora distant signal, ready to enter the interlocking plant (Photo: Leonard J)
nice summer day on the Tuscarora – an aspect we’ll mention a bit later. Greg and I were thinking of a two-man run but got enough interest to bump it up to six. Of course, I got there two hours early and set up in thirty minutes (why do I do this (because I’m usually freaking before ops, I’d wager)). But the guys all came out and were ready to run. I spent some of the down time explaining to the new guys how it worked (yes, this isn’t simply a tiny 2×4 foot train layout). But of course, they’d have to see to believe.
Extra 5001, the first extra of the day, hauls needed empties up from Eastern consumers to the west-side mines (Photo: Sandwich King Pete F)
Some things that made the run a success. Greg had a bit of an adventure coming over (his story to tell, not mine) yet did not drop it on me at session-start. Only afterwards did he tell me his tale (as a host, I appreciate that). And Pete, who wasn’t even running with us, provided us with a sandwich tray gratis) Hey, with all these positive waves, maybe we can’t lose.
We also had a couple of newbies running with us. Leonard is a very new member, just joined, and Alexis a very new human (sorry, but when you are 65, anyone in their teens is like a mayfly). Both ran professionally, watching their signals and learning of convoluted Tusk methods. I was very gratified that my equipment was handled carefully and the jobs run with the focus required.
As for the experienced guys, Zach and I swapped positions – as dispatcher, he came up with a very sharp way to make meet orders even more flexible. And while Kyle played Tusk Tower like a harpsichord, he also suggested a better format for the timetable that I’m going to draw up and incorporate before the next session.
The only thing I can say is that my operators were “fair weather friends”, meaning there is still resistance to my random weather events. Sure, the first time we tried, we faced monsoon rains – my mistake. But now I am generating seasonable weather events based on logical service impacts. For the summertime heatwave we felt across Tuscarora from 5pm to 9pm, the only effect was to make the crews miserable, adding a ten minute delay to any switching operation (not move). Everyone was moving slow in the shimmering hell of railroad work. You’d think I was asking for a kidney, all the fussing I got.
Another freight rattles over the town’s single grade crossing while the Tuscarora God determines who to smite in the blog (Photo: Zach B)
If you think waiting for signals in Tuscarora is bad, you need to see the line for the tower bathroom. Civil Engineer Steve’s portrait hangs from the wall (Photo: Zach B)
Oh, and I said some silly things and made a mistake or two. If I so much as fart, everyone immediately shouts “That’s got to go into the blog”. Yet I don’t think anything was as serious as Conductor Greg waving his lantern to engineer Leonard to highball out of Easton, while Dispatcher Zach was glancing at his timetable and shrugging it off. Leverman Kyle looked at 612, ready to depart Tuscarora for Easton, holding on signal 14. “What should I do?” he asked me. “I’d let him go,” I replied. “It will be a teachable moment.” Alas, Zach overheard our unsympathetic banter and flagged the coal extra to a stop at the final Easton turnout, then issued the appropriate meet order. So we were denied a fiery train wreck. This is why we can’t have charred, mangled things.
A quick note – I checked the print forms and we’ve never had more than two “ONE order” clearance cards. I don’t know why only having two was a problem this time. I’ll print another pair up just so we’re not fussing over it. Either we were issuing more orders or briefer orders – I don’t know which. But it’s a takeway.
But that was fun. Everyone ran well and all the rampaging forest fires we should have faced came down on the next day’s session, after we clocked out at midnight, so who cares?
Good work, guys!
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Another light freight leans into the curve as it squeals around the tight Tusk turn on the inside siding (Photo: Alex B)
The levers are locked forward, waiting for the next train through Tuscarora (Photo: Zach B)
Really, if you need to refer to a wall map to know where the railroad runs, you probably shouldn’t be working Tuscarora Tower (Photo: Zach B)
Another Extra of MT’s rounds through our little Pennsylvania town, catching a green board, no orders (Photo: Alex B)