How a session goes
Take a look at the notes on the layout diagram. The work at the
two scrap yards was about as simple as it gets, swapping loads
for empties. Even so, the first 55 minutes of the session were
spent here. It took about 20 minutes to swap out a load for an
empty at Trujillo and about 25 minutes working the two indus-
tries on the switchback (which required particularly slow speed
running and the use of fusees for the grade crossings).
The rest of the time was spent on the remaining industries,
running down the main, brake tests, and pausing to review the
paperwork. Note that there were many industries that were
NOT worked. The two scrap yards, Trujillo Foods, and Family &
Son would be switched every session.
For you operators out there, give conscious thought to how
often you will be operating alone, how often you will be oper-
ating with guests, and your desired session length for each situ-
ation. Armed with that information, design your car spot count
towards those target time periods.
Layout Size Using Op Session Timing - 4
Lance Mindheim is the owner of The Shelf
Layouts Company
) , a
designer and builder of custom model rail-
roads. He has also published several books
about model railroad design and construc-
tion, which are available from his website.
MRH-Jan 2013
