This month sadly we lost a long term Round Robin Member, I have a achieved few things that included: Role of Hornertown Yardmaster, Operations Version 6, Car Card Boxes, NMRA Meeting, Ops Sessions, Tasks completed & scheduled.

Vale Chris Adams

Our Monday Round Robin Group lost a remeber on 19 March. Chris was 79 years of age. He will be sadly missed at all our gatherings. I am grateful for his assistance with bemchwork, wiring, scenery and operations for over a decade.

Hornertown Yardmaster

I have come to the conclusion, that the role is too challenging for most of my operators. My most experienced yard operator, Wayne, has agreed to undertake the role while I rethink how to integrate Yard Jobs into the normal operations without a full time yardmaster.

Operation Version 6

I have commenced the major review to create the new Version.

Concept

On my first pass through concept planning, I have allowed more time for some activities. The effect is to include a fifth session to work through the full roster. See the concept below.

Preliminary Train Scheduling

I have plotted the preliminary Train Graphs and some minor adjustments to start times has been made and here are the links:

These graphs will be updated ad the finalised versions of the sessions progress.

The final drafts will gradually become available here in the Links section.

The next tasks are to: Develop Operator Summary V6 S1-5; Running Sheets V6 S1-5; Develop Job Cards V6 s1-5; and Develop Control Panel Check Sheet V6.

Draft Session 1 Draft Documents

Operator Job Groupings

Mainline Train Movements

All Train Movements

Job Cards

Draft Session 2 Draft Documents

Operator Job Groupings

Mainline Train Movements

All Train Movements

Job Cards

Hornertown Car Card Boxes

I had an issue when keeping the car cards for two consists we on a departure track separate.

Peter J had some car card boxes no longer required on his EVNGR railway and offered them up at the last op session and I grabbed them.

Car Card Box

Modified to work on my layout to hold first out and existing second out

NMRA Meeting

Earlier this year I went through the NMRA Achievement Program assessments (Gerry Hopkins I finally did it - you prodded me a few years back when you came to visit!). At this month's meeting I was presented with five certificates.

They are now mounted

My Ops Sessions

I held two sessions since my last post, and we had some fun see below.

31st March

There were two late withdrawals due to health issues so I ran a modified program involving tarin cancellations and Wayne who was to be a mentor becoming an operator.

We are still rusty from the lack of ops sessions, but we got most things done and had fun which matters.

Denis with Wayne in the background

Peter S

Peter J

Barry Ummm what are the next moves...

Afterwards we enjoyed afternoon tea and the usual debrief and social chit chat

23rd April

The crew was: Barry (on the control panel) with Operators Alex, Denis, John, Peter S and Wayne. We ran Version 5 Session 3.

We gathered in the crew room prior to the session.

L>R Denis, Wayne, Alex, John, Barry & Peter S

4 operators chose their individual jobs cards sight unseen from me in the crew room and Wayne was to be the Hornertown Yardmaster.

We started on time and things initially went very well until we had a coupler failure on the MTH Sunset Limited car set, 3 cars from the Locos. The McHenry coupler head failed completely on a hidden section on a grade coming out of staging We ended up taking the back half off the track. I now have a maintenance job to replace all the couplers in the cars to Kadee’s. Obviously, the subsequent movements were cancelled.

Barry had a reasonable day but unfortunately caused three mainline derailments due to timing of setting turnouts - all of them involved large steam locos which can be a pain to rerail especially at reach or at complex junctions!

We finished the program & all tasks at Hornertown Yard were completed too.

Afterwards we enjoyed afternoon tea

Looks like a busy time before my next session on 5th May

EVNGR Ops Session 24th March

Peter J hosted the Op Session on Barry, Denis, Peter s, Wayne & I attended. We had some fun running Peter J's new operating plan but some short circuit gremlins started popping up around halfway through. Eventually after noticing a small amount of smoke from a turnout we had to call an end to the session and retired for afternoon tea.