Jack – Robert Raymond’s Blogtorium

July 7, 2023

OpsLog – YVRR – 7/6/2023

fter dragging Jack Ferguson to one of my Tuscarora Sessions, he offered to host me on his own small railroad, the Yosemite Valley RR. Of course, he didn’t quite have operations, but sure, come on out anyway. And I was pleasantly surprised when Greg and I showed up and found out that he’d hustled up some actual trains, filling out their orders (and I’m touched – he adapted the TBL naming conventions). But yes, instead of us standing there oohing and aahing, he put us to work! It just shows (as it always shows) that there is a place in […]

September 12, 2025

OpsLog – YVRR – 9/11/2025

o it was going to be a busy day – up at 7am. A run over to TRF Hobbies in Melbourne to pick up a gift card for the club Christmas Party. Lunch somewhere (McDonalds, it turned out, but nice anyway). And that evening, I’d have to open the club for the HO committee because nobody’s bothered to get a key (that will change). Turns out while I was there, I mopped, swapped out a dead overhead light and cleaned the toilet bowl (ugh. Some of you need to fit sights on your peters for better aiming). So with all […]

January 30, 2026

OpsLog – YVRR – 1/29/2026

nother cozy little session on Smilin’ Jack’s Yosemite Valley Railroad, a neat little bedroom layout that simulates (sorta) SP operations in a California setting in an anytime (ninties?) period. John L and I have run with Jack several times in the past. The most notable thing about our growing abilities is our comfort with the timetable itself. The first time we ran, it was a lot of “now what do I do?” and “what’s next?”. Now, a couple of sessions in, we’ve learned the timetable. A long freight comes in. It is broken into three locals in the yard. These […]

June 26, 2026

OpsLog – YVRR – 6/25/2026

o this is supposed to be a blog about an op session. But I need to mention what happened before… TravelToOpsLog – After brunch with the wife at the local coffee shop, I hit the road at 11:30 am, heading to Jack F’s Yosemite Valley Railroad. I’d meet another member there for a small three-man session. I’ve run it before and it’s lots of fun. So before leaving the parking lot, I put in my earbuds (please disregard, any FHP-readers), fired up my audible player and hit the road. I was just settling into the story and picking up speed on […]