o what to say?

Andy did his best to set up a better session, an improved session. His remote cameras are clearer than before, that horizontal interference gone.

And his radios – big change there. With the ear pieces (not buds), you can now comfortably follow the conversation on the line. Where once it was a scratchy, crackling hell (with some family jamming us with their domestic trivialities) we now actually had comfortable, solid communications. While there was still a little stepping-on action, it wasn’t too bad. It was more like watching a railroad video with the dispatcher soundtrack added.

Zach dispatched and Jeff C got a chance for career day (watching a DS in action) and he decided it was not what he pictured his life to be – big surprise for all of us. Oh well – more reason that I’ll be able to keep attending – this democratization of dispatching reduces my power. So good news to me. Maybe I’ll get bonded.

For my bit, I got a chance to run the Attalia Turn. I stood there for twenty minutes before the session, plotting my moves only to find out that that pulpy, wormy hill concealed the fact that the double-ended spur I was planning to use was actually two stub spurs (I found that out when I backed into the hidden bumper). With that wench in my plans, I had to go to plan B, which, unfortunately, I didn’t have. I fussed around and with the traffic coming through, was told to beat it until later. When I did come back, I realized that the place is too full and has too little track (those Georgia Pacific cheapskates). Add into this some duplicate cars, some multi-pull moves and a lot of people asking me for a BJ (don’t ask, no, really), it was not the time to solve that Rubik’s cube. I did get it done but it was rather episodic; do the initial switching, come back later and do more switching, then come back later and finish the job and drive to another siding, then come back later to drive it back to Pasco. Perhaps there should be a rule that once a crew goes on duty, they remain on site until they are done. It’s okay that delay their return until late-afternoon – one can imagine that they came on duty late on day one and finished early on day two, tying up their train at midday. Either that or pay me mileage for my car.

Our big problems, as I saw them (and now that I don’t have the radios to bitch about) are the number of people who leave turnouts open. It’s kinda like the old jokes about legos on the floor of a dark room. It just hurts. Realign your switches, guys. It’s a pretty serious railroad rule.

I’d have to add that I was still getting used to my new throttle. While I like it and it handles so nicely, the creeping problem is a dangerous design flaw. By the end of the session, I was dispatching trains off the knob when not using them. Too many times, they slunk off when my attention was elsewhere. You either need to turn off the throttle or dispatch. Too easy to bump the knob. Too easy to run a turnout and burn an engine out.

But really, it was the usual high-speed modern mainline affair, with trains flashing back and forth across the Pacific Northwest scenery (well, in our minds, anyway). It was nice to hold a moment of silence for Sparky, and to see Fallen-Flag Wells again. Thank goodness Leonard came and rounded out the crew. Young Logan was there – we spotted him on three frames of the security footage. He wasn’t there long. Maybe, Doc, you need to consider skill levels before throwing newbies on difficult turns. I mean, just thinking aloud.

But thanks for having us out. Always a fun session.

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The Happy WAZU, where trains flow across golden landscapes (Photo: Leonard J)

And the unhappy WAZU, where oil flows across a dead landscape (Photo: Kyle S)