Monday, July 4, 2011 Lethbridge

6:50 am

The temperature is +8 C, with a high predicted of +26 C.

From the Environment Canada website: Today Sunny. High 26. UV index 8 or very high. Tonight Clear. Low 11. Normals Max: 25°C Min: 10°C.

10:30 am Model Trains

I have just finished running Train #701, the Distillery Row Local, westbound from Coaldale to Jasper. This was a relatively easy run with setouts at Wild Rose, Queenston and Prairie Dog. None the less the switching involved was still quite interesting as I had to work around a number of cars that were already on some of the sidings.

I am beginning to realize that it take between 1.5 and 3 hours to complete the running of one train. This does not include the time it may take to form the initial consist. But each session is a delight. The combination of my track layout plus the switching lists that are provided by the Ship It! software make for a very interesting time. This is a lot more fun than simply running a train around an oval. I will try to maintain a schedule of 2 to 4 trains per week.

There is still one more train to run before I complete the operations for Session 1. But I am already beginning to think ahead to spending more time with the Ship It! program as I try to change some of the parameters for both shippers and consignees of the many industries on the layout so that the actual reports indicating which trains should pickup and setout which cars in order to have something approaching an optimum set of moves.

I am also interested in using a software package (free) (but it costs something to buy the interface device) that will make it possible for me to reprogram the decoders in the locomotives to vary the operating characteristics (i.e. sounds, lights, speed parameters).

I checked with a shop in Calgary and they said that I would have to order the wireless computer interface device directly from MRC. Done. Now to see when it arrives.

[Addendum 8:15 PM] I have completed the runs for all 10 trains for Session 1. The last train was #400, the Distillery Row Through train travelling east from Jasper to Coaldale. It was a smooth trip with some nice switching moves at Wild Rose. The diesel RS-3 locomotive CN 7847 is parked in its stall at the turntable and caboose GTW 77942 has been turned around and placed on an empty consolidation track in the Coaldale Yard.

A rough estimate for the total amount of time to complete a Session is about 10 x 3 = 30 hours. And it is 30 hours of total immersion in the scenario. I love it!

The next logical step is to run Ship It! again and produce a new set of orders for Session 2. On the other hand this is a good time to take a break from operations and spend some time making adjustments to some of the parameters within Ship It! in order to obtain a better overall level of performance/efficiency in the various car/train movements.