WAZU – Page 3 – Robert Raymond’s Blogtorium

March 24, 2025

OpsLog – WAZU – 3/23/2025

came into this session with determination. The day before we’d operated over at the Virginia Southwestern. Some of the operators were new, some timid, and some.. well, “some”. At one point we had four L&N trains in the CTC-controlled shared trackage, and two more snippy Southern trains trying to get through. Since I controlled the turnouts from the panel, I set up a pretty neat lap siding pass for two long coal trains to get around Kyle’s mine shifter. But the two crews were timid – even with warrants all the way to Atlanta staging, even with all turnouts set, […]

April 14, 2025

OpsLog – WAZU – 4/13/2025

y mini purred down tree-lined Lakemont, the recent session behind me. I drove quietly, no radio, no jumble of thoughts, but the wind rippling through the open windows. My mind was still as a pond, no plans or formulations. I wasn’t even thinking of a blog. Flatline. It was funny but the session didn’t disappoint me or thrill me. I didn’t consider the things I should have done (or words I shouldn’t have said). It comes down to one thing. That session was perfect. This comes on the heels of Kyle and me running over at the West Virginia Northern […]

June 23, 2025

OpsLog – WAZU – 6/22/2025

o I’m sitting at my favorite table in my favorite coffee spot, watching the vehicular frustration at 17-92 and Lake Highland. Odd start for a blog. As most of you know from my long conversations around the clubhouse, my home has some termite infestations. With the bug men coming on Tuesday, I needed to clear the last of the heavy furniture from the baseboards. For that, I’d need my brother. But of course, he couldn’t come out any other time than Sunday noonish sometime sorta. Which is, as you all know, WAZU-time. When I contacted Doc and told him my […]

July 28, 2025

OpsLog – WAZU – 7/27/2025

ne of the rockier sessions on the WAZU, still mostly on time but with rage and thunder to get us there. I still had fun, as did most of the other operators. Andy always puts on a good show and great lunch – I eat better than at home. I had the dispatcher’s seat (third time in a week) and the session started out well. Trains were rolling on their times and making their stops. Andy’s new system of posted turnout IDs made it easy to get the remote trains across the line (still, I was only diverging them when […]

August 25, 2025

OpsLog – WAZU – 8/24/2025

o we had a wonderful rainy-day run on the WAZU in the Pacific Northwest. It started off with Doc Andy attempting to one-up Bob Gross’s legendary lunches with his own personal Chef, Philippe “Bon-bon” Klauck, who provided us with a pulled-pork lunch with all the fixing, and homemade ice cream for the debrief. Used to be that I’d toss out a couple of sacks of oreos. Now, on the Tuscarora, I point to the club galley area and remind operators that everything’s a dollar. So yes, that culinary performance upstaged everything. Hard to think how we could top lunch. […]

September 29, 2025

OpsLog – WAZU – 9/28/2025

ne thing I’ve finally learned: There are places you shouldn’t jam coal into. I suppose a qualifier is in order here. Last LM&O session, I passed two hopper trains (loads and empties) on the smallest siding we have (way up in Harris Glen, the mountaintop where eagles soar and swamis meditate). I think we’ve done it before – if both coal movements head out at session-start, it’s natural they will meet there. But coal hoppers are tippy, the grade is steep, and the reach long. If anything goes wrong there, if a saw-by is needed, it goes sideways fast. But […]