Getting Real column - 9
aspects of its construction. Regardless, they are intimately
familiar with operations on it, the owner’s vision for its opera-
tion, and all of the jobs on the railroad.
I’ve never had a dedicated crew who operated my YV on a reg-
ular basis, although there are many modelers here in the San
Francisco Bay area who have operated on it a number of times.
I don’t personally operate trains during these sessions. Instead,
I am the dispatcher, as needed and trouble-shooter. Keep in
mind that operation is not my main interest (which is research
and model building). But I still enjoy sharing my layout with
those whose primary focus is operations. It is entertaining.
Accommodating visiting operators, especially those who have
never visited my layout, means incorporating easy-to-under-
stand controls and logical operating practices. As part of this
6. This clearance card uses the same format as the
prototype.
6
MRH-Nov 2014
