kay, so I’m told if you can’t say anything good about someone’s dispatching, don’t say anything.

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<crickets>

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Is that long enough? What’s the statute of limitations on this?

Robert Raymond goes into Emergency. Look at all those facing trains! (Photo: John DV, Dispatcing: Kyle S)

I will mention that my first train into Umatila (ordered to the siding, and precious to me, given the long wait to get that warrant) had me on approach to find a bank of headlights from two facing trains (it looked like an alien mothership, so bright) shining at me in the early morning hours. Only that checkbox 4 (watch for trains (plural) ahead) kept me from claiming a righteous collision.

But don’t trust what I said. Let’s ask the group of people below what they think of the “warrant torrent”…

This is either a picture of cold, doomed soldiers at Stalingrad, or engineers waiting for warrants (Photo: John DV)

Enough on that. It was still a fun session. Mike ran very well (it was some of his smoothest train handling to date. Or so I thought until I realized that he was in the other room). All in all, we had good yard guys, everything got switched well (though Strecker did blow his explosive bolts and leave a string of cars behind). Good to see some new faces there, too. Maybe we can swell the ranks of the WAZU.

The big thing was that, even with the waits and cold and radios and general operation confusion, the new guys took to it quickly and needed no hand-holding (though it might have saved some fingers from frostbite). But it really came down to the fact that with all these difficulties, everyone still was courteous and operated as a team. I saw people throwing turnouts for others, rerailing each other’s cars, generally treating each other with more respect that each other deserved. While the session was difficult, it was fun and I think everyone will be back for more.

It was a very gentle and polite descent into madness.

And yes, Doc, I’ll even fix your silly clocks for you.

Great fun!

>>>YEAH, AND HERE ARE MY BOOKS. BUY A STACK AND FUND THIS SITE!<<<

I guess there is a story behind this one. I don’t know – I was in the other room waiting for a warrant (Photo: John DV)