NEW HAVEN RAILROAD TRAIN SHOW & CONVENTION THIS WEEKEND!!!

Hope you can join us for the NHRHTA's big TRAIN SHOW AND CONVENTION, with lots of fun & frivolity this Friday and Saturday (including new NHRR model announcements from Rapido and BLI!) - and if you're a NHRHTA member, on Sunday you can see the Valley Local - as well as some really well-done NHRR-themed layouts!

As you'll see below, there is a LOT going on! So check out the details - and hope to see you there!!

Wordless Wednesday #500 - NHRHTA Convention!

 

Wordless Wednesday #476 - New Haven RR Convention This Weekend! Sept. 14-15

 

Wordless Wednesday #474 - Just over TWO WEEKS left!!

(and layout tours on Sunday - including the Valley Local!)

 

Friday Fun - NHRHTA Reunion, Sept. 14-15

 

I hope you'll make plans now to join us for this year's New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association Reunion & Train Show! Don't let the "Reunion" name fool you - it's open to ALL and only a couple of things are Members Only.

In addition to the train show, featuring a wide-variety of vendors, there will be a number of clinics & presentations, as well as never-before-seen footage of the New Haven RR.  And for the first time in years, there will also be a dinner that evening, featuring our own J.W. "Jack" Swanberg, author of "New Haven Power", who will be giving a slideshow of historic NHRR images.

But you'll need to make the dinner reservation in advance, by clicking here.

In addition to all this, NHRHTA members will also be able to participate in two new events this year - a Rare Mileage Special Train (which departs at 9:45a, so get there early) and a tour of the shop area, including behind-the-scenes information on the Valley RR and its equipment - including the most steam engines you'll see in one place in all of New England.

If you're not a member, it only costs $40 to join - that's only $20 per special event and you'll get 4 Shoreliner magazines for free :^)  Memberships can be purchased here.

Finally, if you want to make a weekend of it, there will be NHRR-themed layout tours on Sunday - including an open house here on the Valley Local! More layouts TBD.  And if you DO decide to make a weekend of it, we've provided a list of local hotels here (scroll down to the bottom).

Be sure to check out our Reunion website at www.nhrhta.org/reunion for additional details - as well as the latest up-to-date information.

So I hope you'll make plans now to join us! The special train leaves the station at 9:45am Saturday September 14, and the Train Show, clinics, presentations, and model displays go from 10-3. Shop Tour is after that, and Cocktail Hour and dinner follows.  So LOTS to do and see!

Hope to see you in September!

Weekend Fun: NHRHTA Reunion, Ops Session, Caboose Ride

Over the past few days, I took a break from my scenery progress to prepare a presentation for the Annual NHRHTA Reunion, and set up for an operating session. As a bonus - I capped off the weekend with a ride along the real Valley Line down to Saybrook from Essex, and I did it in style: in the cupola of a caboose(!)

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the Reunion, but I did remember to shoot the ops session. Here's RonP 'fanning his train (PDX-2) while his partner JimF (just off to the right) checks the paperwork. ChrisZ is holding down the right-hand seat of PDX-1.

TomD assembles the eastbound trains departing Cedar Hill Yard, while in the far distance 2 Bills (BillC & BillL) operated the Airline Local in Somerset.

Our 3rd(!) Bill of the session - BillS - worked the Saybrook Tower and performed Dispatcher duties. I thinks his expression proves he was definitely the right choice for this particular job.

I've been trying to get PaulC3 & JohnS over here for at least a couple years, but this day the planets aligned and I assigned them to the flagship of the layout - The Valley Local. Here they are coming southbound into Rocky Hill.

ChrisZ having fun at his first ever operating session! Or he could be smiling since it's his birthday (which I discovered much later). It's really cool not only that he chose the Valley Line as his first session, but that he wanted to spend part of his birthday with us. Very cool indeed!

Since we had a full crew, I was able to float around a bit, answering questions and such. But mostly, I got to sit in the "bleacher seats" (the basement stairs) and just enjoy watching the trains go by through Saybrook Junction.

After the session, we all adjourned over to Pizza Works - which, appropriately, is not only located within the old Old Saybrook freight house along the busy Shoreline/NEC, but also has a couple of operating model railroads upstairs. It provided the perfect ending to a fun, but pretty exhausting day.

I was able to talk JimF into staying over to save a long, late night drive back to New Hampshire, and after a nice long sleep we had breakfast at the local diner and then decided to head over to the real Valley Railroad to catch the Saybrook Special.

The first weekend of every month during the main operating season, the train backs south from Essex to just north of the wye in Old Saybrook. Here's the train sitting at the Essex Station waiting to depart.

Not only is the southbound trip relatively "rare mileage" for the train, but the Special also includes this ex-PRR N-5 caboose which we were able to ride for the trip down and back.

As often as I've seen the Saybrook Special from the ground (it literally passes right over my street and through my backyard), I've never ridden it as a passenger (I have, however, fired it). And the last time I was in this caboose was Railfan Day 1986(!)

Here's the End of the Line for the present-day Valley Railroad - Milepost 0, just north of Mill Rock Road in Old Saybrook. Amtrak owns the wye.

 Though I shot this video on a different day, it gives you an idea of what the Special looks like from the ground, northbound at Connolly Drive, Old Saybrook.

And here's Connally Drive not from the ground, but from the cupola of the caboose!

My buddy JimF - who doesn't seem like he's having a good time at all. %^)

Speaking of cabooses, I remembered to get a shot of the recently-restored New Haven NE-5 caboose on the way back. The C-540 was for many years an office at Landon Lumber Co in Madison, CT. But Landon graciously donated it to the Friends of the Valley Railroad who did an absolutely amazing job of restoring it to its 1950s appearance.

One last shot from the cupola as we entered the Essex Station area.

What a great way to cap off a wonderful weekend. But it was a little bittersweet since our friends Mike & Mel couldn't join us for the weekend as originally planned. Mike was involved in an accident a few weeks ago and is still recovering. Hopefully they'll be able to join us again very soon - and now that we've reconnoitered the Special, I expect we'll all be on the caboose next year!

Having completed its run south to Saybrook, here's the 11 am train departing Essex northbound.

Booty from the 2019 NHRHTA Reunion

Valley Line Ops Session - October 7, 1949 (9/8/2018)

While my primary era focuses on the Autumn of 1948, my ops sessions can run from 1947 through 1949 (well, 1947 is tough until I get more steam locomotives finished). So my operators can readily tell what year it is by what engines are running. For the session I had this past weekend, with the local freights being all diesel-powered, the date was October 7, 1949.

I was a little nervous about how the layout would operate, especially since 1) it's been a while since I've operated, and 2) this session would be primarily for folks that were coming from out-of-state for the annual NHRHTA Reunion. It also took me longer than usual to set up, since I'm a bit rusty. Yet another reason to have sessions more regularly and closer together . . .

I needn't have worried though. By all accounts (in addition to this one detailed account :^), the layout ran great. It's pretty well dialed-in at this point, thankfully. No major issues - or any issues really - and the resulting punch list is very short. Heh - speaking of shorts, I'm going to tweak the wiring on the liftout between the Saybrook wye and Essex that decided to start shorting toward the end of the session. And I want to change the programming on the latest additions to the motive power fleet. But that's pretty much it.

Oh - and I want to get going on a LOT more scenery and structures! As much as I enjoy operations - and devote a lot of my hobby time to setup and sessions - it's SO much nicer to operate through completed scenes. So I definitely want to get more of that done.

So, without any further ado, here are some photos I was able to take before and during the session (thanks to BillS, who took over as the Saybrook Tower Operator).

This is what operators first see as they come down the basement stairs - Saybrook Jct, and most importantly, the Crew Register which they must sign before going on-duty and getting their paperwork.

Speaking of paperwork(!) - this session I tried dividing it up between clipboards given to the operators that would hold their job card, locomotive/engine card, wheel report, etc (seen on the stairs) - and clipboards holding subsequent train orders that the agent would hold until needed (seen hanging on the side of the stairs). This experiment was a fail - way too confusing for everyone. So next time, I'll probably just put the orders in the bill boxes rather than have operators have to see the agent for them.

There's something strangely satisfying about seeing all the trains staged for an up-coming session, ready and rarin' to go. So much anticipation.... Here's the "west end" staging yard, representing New Haven and points west.

And here's "east end" staging, representing New London and points east. Note the debut of orange & green ("layer cake" scheme) DL-109s and PAs (thanks again Ted and Bill!)

Things are just a bit crowded at Saybrook Jct at the start of the session, with PDX-1 (eastbound Shoreline local, operated here by Bill Chapin and Bill Lupoli) and PDX-2 (westbound Shoreline local, operated here by Mike & Mel Redden) in town at the same time. Yet-another-Bill, Bill Schneider keeps things running smoothly at Saybrook Tower.

While PDX-1 is a fairly easy job ("all" it does is come from Cedar Hill Yard/New Haven, works Saybrook, and then terminates in Fort Yard/New London), it is responsible for handling cars swapped between it and PDX-2. The swapping tracks (tracks 5 & 7) are on the north side of the double-track main, next to the tower, so PDX-1 has to wait for windows of opportunity between mainline trains to get across the main to do its work on the swap tracks. Yup - that extends the time that PDX-1 is in town. Somtimes, by a lot.

Shot of one of the westbound Shoreline passenger jobs, powered here by "layer cake" DERS-1s (and their first time on the layout!)

Having completed their work in Saybrook, the PDX-2 crew works the town of Essex, just a few miles north on the Valley Line.

Meanwhile, Tom Derwin holds down the west end staging, operating the many Shoreline trains according to the actual prototype timetable (though on a 4:1 fast clock).

BillS takes a break from his tower duties to watch as a long freight passes through Saybrook westbound.

Meanwhile, "way up north" on the Valley Line, first-time Valley Line operator Ted Culotta and veteran Jim Fellows work the namesake Valley Local in Middletown.

The Two Bills - Lupoli & Chapin - work the Air Line local in Mill Hollow.

Randy takes a break from holding down the fort (Fort Yard, New London/staging, that is) to show Bill something on his phone.

Grab shot of an eastbound passenger job running through Saybrook, taken from the "bleacher seats" which provide an amazing vantage point (i.e. "the basement stairs).

The westbound continues on....

Despite how stressful they can be (all of my own doing, frankly), I really enjoy hosting these ops sessions. It's great to be able to hang out with friends and take a little trip back in time to do some railroadin'. It's also the best way to make sure your layout stays in shape - lord knows that if there's gonna be any problems, they'll show up during an ops session!

They're also a good opportunity to experiment with different approaches. This time, I'd hoped folks would "visit the agent" to get subsequent train orders and such. So I prewrote those order and put them on clipboards, sorted by train, on the wall next to the tower operator. Success was spotty, so I think for the next few sessions I'll just put orders in the bill boxes at the proper towns until my crews get used to using them.

This time I also tried having one crew do two locals. PDX-1 is a fairly short job and I don't like giving that to folks that have traveled so far to operate. So this time I put our "New Jersey contingent" on the Air Line local (HDX-12) as well as PDX-1. Turned out, they completed both jobs in about the same time as it took our longest job - HDX-7/The Valley Local - to finish. So that all timed out really well. Combining these jobs also reduces the number of folks needed to "fully staff" a session - and that means a little less crowding in the aisles.

One of the coolest - and, frankly, just lucky - aspect of my ops is that they're "scaleable." In other words, I can operate the railroad with as few as one or as many as 11 persons. I've only had 11 folks once and it was a bit crowded. And, admittedly, it takes a minimum of 7 people to operate ALL of the trains (including the Shoreline trains) - though I could get by with 6 if I continue to combine PDX-1 and HDX-12 (but I think I'd still want 7 - so the Valley Local/HDX-7 could have a two man crew. Otherwise, it gets pretty lonely). But even operating by myself, I could just do one of the locals and save the remainder for "the next day." That provides a LOT of flexibility - and means that I can have a session any time, without having to worry about crew call response.

So far though, I haven't had any problem getting folks to come have fun operating the Valley Line. But that may have something to do with the treats that the Missus always manages to provide - though being able to adjourn to a local pizza restaurant located, in all places, right in the old Saybrook freight house right next to the still-busy Shoreline (!and which has a huge operating layout) probably doesn't hurt either.

So, another great session. Things are running really well and, since my punch-list is thankfully getting smaller as a result, it looks like I can focus less on operations and more - much more - on scenery and structures, so these smooth-running trains have something more interesting to run through than plywood and foamboard!

Ops Session - 9/9/2017

The Annual Reunion for the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association was moved up again this year and as has been my habit the past couple of years, I opened up the Valley Line to give folks visiting from out-of-town the chance to operate.

This time around there were a few changes/innovations from the most-recent ops session, which occurred just a little over a week previous. I was going to try one-man crews, but it turned out I had enough of a response that that only worked for one local. Even the Shoreline trains were fully staffed thanks to Tom - and good thing: turns out there was no way BillS would have been able to make it back & forth between "Points West" and "Points East" in time.

In order to cut down on the work the "desk jockey" has to do, I offloaded the Agent/Operator duty to a new "Train Register" located at each station. Now crews, instead of physically walking over to the desk to report their # of cars and get their work in town, they sign the register, note their cars, and take the switchlist and/or orders that are clipped to it for them.

Train Register, with work clipped for PDX-2.
This is in Saybrook - a town where two locals interchange cars. Other towns are served by only one local, so there's only one unlabeled binder clip that would hold their work/orders.

Currently, all that is on a small clipboard hanging from a cup hook in each town. I thought I'd be able to get away with that long-term, but operating a bit myself afterwards I concluded that I really need to install bill boxes asap. Now, "all" the guy at the desk has to do is operate the mainline switches as the Saybrook Towerman. With all the traffic through Saybrook, that'll be enough to keep him busy!

Secondly, it's been difficult in past sessions for the crews to keep track of the cars they have to hand off to each other. Since I don't have car cards or waybills, I needed a better alternative to just expecting they'd transcribe the info from their switchlist to another (for the receiving crew). So - at least for now - I've created a "Car Transfer Form":

Crews can use this form to keep track of the cars they know they need to hand off and either give it directly to the crew receiving the cars, or leave it for that crew to pick up later (on the clipboard or in the eventual bill box) if they're not in town at the same time. It's admittedly a bit contrived/non-prototypical, but it serves as a plausible stand-in until I can get around to doing waybills.

The final idea was to stagger the start times of the locals. Last session, it got a bit crowded in Saybrook with two locals in town at the same time, not to mention all the Shoreline trains going through. While that's perfectly in keeping with the prototype, it makes things a bit, um, "snug" in that area. Thankfully, it's also in keeping with the prototype to have the locals arrive in Saybrook at different times - which, in turn, means staggered starts.

But I've been hesitant to institute this innovation since it would require some folks to hang around waiting for their work to actually begin. But it turned out, since some of the guys were on the Reunion Dinner Train and arrived later in the evening anyway, we got to try it. It worked a bit to reduce congestion - but not as well as one-man crews will, I suspect.

So with all that as prologue, on to the session!

Bill C, Tom D, and first-timer Bill L at New London/East End staging - Tom was the east end mole and the "Bills" were crew on PDX-2 out of New London up to East Haddam and then on to Cedar Hill.

BillS was working the East End - all smiles since he doesn't have 4 guys on 2 crews to compete with for aisle space - yet.

Mike, having just arrived to crew PDX-1 solo, waits his turn to sign the Crew Register.

PeteL and another first-timer DonM work the Air Line Local (HDX-12) in Somerset.

2nd timer JimF and yet-another-first-timer DaveI all by their lonesome "way up in the chilly north on the branch" (i.e. in the other room with the windows open) working the Valley Local (HDX-7) in the Dividend section of Rocky Hill.

BillL switches the westbound Shoreline local (PDX-2) while Mike - on the eastbound Shoreline local (PDX-1) switches the house track in Old Saybrook.

More action at Saybrook Junction: PDX-2 (a.k.a. The Haddam Local) heading north up the Valley branch on the east leg of the wye while one of the many Shoreline express trains flies through town westbound.

Meanwhile up in Middletown, the crews of the Valley Local and the Air Line local coordinate their switching and car swapping. Good thing there's a nice wide aisle here. . .

. . . unlike at East Haddam, where the aisle is somewhat - er - narrow. This is where the Valley Local (on the left) and the Haddam Local (PDX-2, on the right) swap cars.

It was another really fun night with lots of laughter and a bit less stress than last time, due entirely to having the crews deal with each town agent via clipboard rather than in person. So I was able to enjoy the session a bit more - and even got to take these photos! As for the "laughter" part - well, I'll leave it to BillS to post his video of the Boston-bound Yankee Clipper. Let's just say, it didn't go quite as planned . . .

We had the usual minor glitches that every session seems to have - the occasional short (which, thankfully, was typically caused by human error and didn't shut down the layout), some confusion over the paperwork (I - admittedly - tend to have more of it than average), and some mechanical issues (mostly "prototypical" in nature - broken couplers, wonky engine operation, a derailment). But all in all - and at the risk of jinxing it - the layout is operating really well.

So, with all that in mind, here's my punch list/goals for next time:

• Try one-man crews. It'll be interesting to see the trade-off between reduced congestion and added work for one guy (he'll have to man the throttle as well as manage the paperwork). I may keep the Valley Local as a two-man crew though, since it'd get awful lonely "way up north" all by oneself.
• Related to the paperwork handling - install bill boxes. I've purchased 10 of those longer narrower ones (described here) since they seem more versatile and can hold more.
• Be on the lookout for ways to reduce the paperwork a crew carries - e.g. perhaps the content of the Job Card can be on the fascia at the towns where ops tips would be helpful and maybe the Loco Card info (function key assignments) can be taped to the back of the throttle.
• Speaking of paperwork, tweak the notes for the mainline moles to make it clearer which notes pertain to "Points West" staging and which pertain to "Points East" staging.
• Further adjust/dial in the DCC settings on my engines, especially momentum. I'm still learning how best to do this so it's a lot of trial & error. Any help or guidance to good resources would be appreciated!

I'll be hosting a guest ops session during the NER convention in November, so I'm hoping to get a LOT more operations under my belt between now and then. In the meantime, and as always, please feel free to weigh in with feedback/tips/suggestions!