E&N Operations Developing Greater Focus

Hello fellas, Jim's recent trains efforts have been focussed on synchronizing operations on his Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railroad...having the system flow like a well conducted orchestra. To assist him in this regard he developed a colour line chart indicating traffic flow throughout the session. To say the least, all operators were keen to put the railroad to the test.

Hey, that's Bob's Baldwin locomotive passing Jim's water tower in Ladysmith. Bob says he's got some work to do with the detail...handrails, weathering...etc

Having operated all jobs on the line before, I opted to let others select their jobs and I would take whatever call was left.

Man, was I pleasantly surprised to find that the freight from Esquimalt to Nanaimo was left for me. I hired Fred as engineer and we made up our train blocking cuts of cars for destinations along the route. At the various destinations, we performed drops and also lifted (and blocked) traffic en route. Tons of fun.

John (above) appears to be having a good time working the Ladysmith job. Hey, what's that clear tower near his elbow?

Jim's layout withstood the test of five trains being operated simultaneously. Due to a couple of narrow areas, we've agreed that some assignments should be handled by one person, not two.

At the halfway point in the evening, roles were cycled and everyone enjoyed the opportunity of taking on a different assignment.

The jobs on the layout include a freight assignment, a passenger train, the Ladysmith switcher, the Victoria Lumber Company assignment and the Chemainus log dump jobbie...all varied and equally interesting! Looking forward to seeing some scenery develop shortly! (grin)

Well, Jim...your train orders are developing well. The layout ran like a charm and all eight lads enjoyed their respective assignments. Can't wait to get back for the next session!

Cheers, Mike