“my crew members will find them annoying” to “I’m afraid
there will be a revolt during my operating sessions.”
I’ve found the opposite to be true. Adding equipment locks has
given me the opportunity to replicate a key function of pro-
totype railroading. The interaction between crews and locks
provides a unique but essential task to the operating session.
Using locks isn’t a hassle or a burden, but rather helps create
a slower and more relaxed pace. This helps place less stress
on the operator, the owner, and the operating session. And
since time is equal to distance on a model railroad, your layout
seems much larger than it was before locks were added.
While it may seem like locks would work only on smaller, more
switching-oriented layouts such as my IAIS Grimes Line, even
5
5: These boxes contain controls that operate the grade
crossing signals in the distance. Crews will unlock the
boxes and turn on the signals before crossing, then
shut off the flashers and relock the control box.
