Realistic operations
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The term Realistic Operations as it pertains to Model Railroading basically refers to the attempt by the railroad owner and his guests to run his model railroad as if it were a real railroad. In the context of this topic, the railroad owner is the individual or group that built the model railroad. Operators follow the orders of a dispatcher, moving their trains following the operating rules set by the railroad.
[edit] Operating Rules
The role of the dispatcher is to control the movement of trains on the railroad. There are several types of dispatching used and is based either on the prototype method or simply what the railroad owner prefers.
[edit] Time Table/Train Order
In Time Table/Train Order, or Train Order Operation, dispatching, the crews are given a timetable to run their trains. Special instructions will be provided by the dispatcher using a Form 19 for extra trains or if a regularly schedule train is going to be very late. When operating with TTTO, a scheduled train must receive a clearance card before departing it's origin station, and may never leave any station before their scheduled time without special written instructions, which must be copied to all other trains currently on the system. See More...
[edit] Track Warrants
With Track Warrants, the dispatcher reads the instructions to the train crew, who copies them onto their copy of the warrant. Track warrants vary for different railroads, but generally provide instructions for where a train is cleared to, any meet orders and any other special orders for the train. See More...
[edit] Mother May I
The Mother May I system is one of the more popular versions of dispatching, at least in the RiverRail group, where the dispatcher gives verbal orders over phones or radios to the crews. It is then the crews responsibility to remember these orders, and contact the dispatcher again when he/she has completed the orders. See More...
[edit] Headlight Rules
The Headlight Rules system of dispatching is seldom used on larger railroads, but can be used when there is no dispatcher for the session. Headlight rules basically means that you have clearance from your origin all the way to your destination, but you must watch for other trains on the system. Obviously on a larger railroad with multiple operators, this can be a difficult way to run trains. See more...
