Layout Briefing-Milwaukee Road- Dubuque/ Iowa and Dakota divisions
This layout is my vision of a section of real railroad
brought to life by the guests operating the model trains. I ask you to work, to bring that vision to
life for us.
A. Creature comforts
1. Hang
coats on hooks on wall by bathroom
2. Bathroom
is under stairs
3.
Refrigerator in corner by coats- sodas 50cents
4. Place
drinks only on shelves, none sceniced areas of the layout or lower staging on
ballast.
5. Smoking
outdoors
6. Name
tags
B. Running Trains
- Uncouple
with uncoupling sticks in bill boxes
- Carefully
rerail cars to protect fragile grab irons and stirrups (Intermountain/Red
Caboose cars)
- Push
cars to clearance point as marked with white dots on ties. (avoid sideswipes)
- Value
of equipment- brass locos, passenger and freight cars can make train worth
several thousand dollars. Many
scratch built/ urethane cars with many hours of labor invested.
- Turnout
frogs are electrically connected to the position of the switch points. When coming from the back side of a
switch, can cause a short if route is not lined.
- If a
short is heard, immediately pull back the engine carefully with your
fingers.
- When
train is in a siding or unattended, unplug the throttle.
- At end
of run zero out throttle (select loco 00).
- Switch
stands are marked with green or red on handles. Green is normal route.
When leaving a siding realign the turnout for the mainline route.
- Calmar
staging- superintendent to assist all arriving and departing trains
- Most
throttles can use either knobs or buttons for speed control. Buttons offer more exact control.
- Bad
order equipment- write the defect on a post it and put with the car card.
- Trains
typically run with 2 man crews: one engineer and one conductor with paperwork. Trains can be about 25’ long.
- Do not
block highway crossings unnecessarily.
- When
operating sound equipped engines please sound bell and whistle where
necessary for crossings, yards, depots and for flagmen.
- Yard
Limits established at Dubuque, Spechts Ferry Marquette and Calmar. Trains are not flagging in these
areas. All trains except first
class to proceed expecting to find the route blocked.
C. Paperwork – train packs
consist of:
1.
Train card- tan color-tells you starting and terminating points and where work
is to be done at intermediate points.
Only work where told by written instructions.
2.
Red message cards- add or delete work of a train. Follow as directed.
3.
Engine card- white- make certain you always have one for your
train. When engine is tied up at
roundhouse, place in engine box by roundhouse.
4.
Car cards containing waybills in each pocket. There is no waybill turning. Staging is
color coded.
5.
Caboose card-pink. Make certain it is in the train pack when
leaving the terminal.
6.
Check car cards carefully due to similar numbers and similar
reporting marks (URTX-reefers vs. UTLX-tanks) (there are almost 100 URTX
reefers on the layout).
D. Layout
- Represents
northeast Iowa. Dubuque Division
is along Mississippi River. Iowa
and Dakota division climbs to highlands in northern Iowa.
- Similar
town names, but different trains and locations
- Calmar/
East Calmar (staging/ town with industry)
- Turkey
River/ Turkey River Junction (town/ branchline junction)
- Marquette-south
yard/ South Marquette (yard/ industry area)
- Use 2
to 1 slow clock
- Dubuque
division-operators stand in river.
Bluff track is to the back and River track is to the front
- Signs
on facia
- Direction
orientation
- Town
and track names
- History
of layout-important dates
- Data
about structures
- Timeframe
is early October in 1954. Harvest
season is ongoing, slaughterhouses are in full production and coal mines
are at full output.
- Observe
train order signals where installed.
If at stop, contact dispatcher.
- time
of day
- trains
on layout
- New trains to be run
- assignment
of dispatcher and yard jobs
- Dispatcher
- Marquette
west Yard
- Marquette
south yard
- Marquette
city job
- Marquette
roustabout
- Spechts
Ferry
Ted Schnepf