How Many Here do Operations with Car Cards?


D

dthurman

Guest
I have been using car cards for quite sometime now. I really like how it adds to the challange of operating. How many others are doing this, or planning to. Also if you have any tips or modifications you have done to the system/method of car cards and waybills. Where you find your information to fill out a waybill.

Thanks!
 
I tried it once, but found it was too much of a strain on the imagination to make a few building flats scattered around the layout become industries that produce 10 carloads a day.
I think that it works for most people, just not me.
Matthew
 
I should probably elaborate. I didn't get past the planning stages where I was tring to think of a name and purpose for my unlabeled walls. If you have industries that know who they are and what they do, go for it.
Matthew
 
We used to use a very simple card system but are moving on to a computer operations program. I gotta get on those staging yards so we can do full operating sessions.
 
I'm developing a system that incorporates switchlists and waybills. Train crews use the switchlists when working. The waybills are handled in the back office by the freight manager (me.) It will hopefully be used for an active interchange group I am trying to set up. It involves a lot of paperwork, sorting, and MS Excel so it may not be for the faint at heart :D
 
I have that planned for my home layout and we are in the process of transitioning to that system at our club. Right now we have a clipboard full of switching sheets, but we know it is too hard to manage. It is also flawed in that at the end of the run, we are not set-up for the next run.
 
I have found the Car Card/Car Forwarding method is pretty forgiving on mistakes, also no paperwork once you have your cars written down, and your waybills done, imagine 200 cars, then X 4 for a waybill for each car. But once done it seems to be working well. I am wondering how people mix up the or setup the way they bring cars on and off the layout. I don't have staging, which I am VERY sorry I don't but even with staging, I doubt I would have enough room for all the cars.
 
dthurman said:
I don't have staging, which I am VERY sorry I don't but even with staging, I doubt I would have enough room for all the cars.
Click to expand...

There's not anywhere you could punch through the backdrop and add a yard? Just thinking out loud.
 
I have been mulling over adding 2 switches on the back track areas, one on each end, then extending it out. I have "permission" from the boss to expand, I just need to figure out how or where. Being semi-retired has cut my buying budget down a bit, but I think I may take up a part-time job, if they need me at my LHS :) they pay in trade... Hmm I can see a lot of overtime being required ;)
 
I use a a car card/waybill system that was introduce by Doug Smith back in the early 60s..However,over the years I refined this system to better suit my needs.The way my system works is if the car is being pickup empty the car card simply states"Return when empty to (say)CSX." I eliminated the empty waybill and just use the car card.Of course for a loaded or a empty for load car I use a waybill.. :D
 
Brakie said:
I use a a car card/waybill system that was introduce by Doug Smith back in the early 60s..However,over the years I refined this system to better suit my needs.The way my system works is if the car is being pickup empty the car card simply states"Return when empty to (say)CSX." I eliminated the empty waybill and just use the car card.Of course for a loaded or a empty for load car I use a waybill.. :D
Click to expand...

Brakie

Are you saying you use the waybill as a load waybill and after each turn, the card is considered empty? I hope that makes sense. If that's what you mean, I have considered that way also, it actually gives you an 8 sided waybill in a way.
 
I use the car card system. I did modify it in that I use 2 sided waybills, raher than the 4 sided ones. The first side is the 'car order' that captures the perspective empty car and routes it to the shipper for loading, and the opposite side is the 'waybill' for moving the 'load' from the 'shipper' to the 'consignee'.
I have six days(or operating sessions) worth of these 'car order/waybill' cards, and of course 1 'car card' for each freight car on the system. 1/6th of the 'bills' are pulled each day, and the traffic manager(me' tries to find empties that can be used. If I cannot fine a correct empty, the 'bill' is added to the next days pile(just like the prototype). It takes me about 15-20 minutes at most to 'setup' before an operating session(this is with about 100 cars on the system). After cars have been 'delivered' to the 'consignee', the 'waybill' is stripped and goes to the bottom of the pile.
What I like about this system is how easy it is for operators to use, and how 'forgiving' it is! I tried to 'computerize' the system(both with comercial software like 'Ship It' and with my own DB2 based 'Clipper' programs). I seem to wind up with more paperwork/computer time every time I tried it(and I am a computer person). Also, since my railroad is based in the 50's, 'on-line' computer based operation just did not seem to be 'right'!

Jim Bernier
 
David,After I remove the waybill from the car card the car is empty and can be return to the nearest interchange or return to the yard for forwarding to the railroad/corporation that owns the cars.
Like this..Click on image to enlarge.
 
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I have my car cards/way bills made up but have yet to get the layout to the point that an op session would be worthwhile. In the mean time I play with the cards so when the time comes I will have a better idea of what I am doing and how they work. I like the idea of carcards/waybills it puts it all together and organizes your movements. As you can tell it is all new to me and only time will tell if I love them or hate them.
Terry
 
Oh boy Brian, your on unsettled ground there! I actually came up with while sitting at work, taking a bunch of receipt tape from my register and writing it down as I thought of it. I'll see about going into detail with it tomorrow. It'll probably need a whole thread for it. It is VERY intensive in paper and time.
 
Seth

You mentioned an interchange group. Sounds very interesting. I have been tossing around the idea of joinging or seeing if there is a group that I could exchange my plants loads with their industries. Can you give any more details? Not sure if I like the idea of more paper work ;)
 
I have in my pocession a computer program that prints out the waybills for use in each session. A friend of my wrote it almost 20 years ago before anyone else was doing it.
You, of course have to input into the computer, all your locations like yards, interchanges, Industries, both shipper and consignee, the cars, and if you want, the loads they carry, (a car can carry several different types of loads depending on car type). If you input enough destinations, loads etc, it can be many sessions before a move is repeated, if ever. You can also do things like use proper AAR designations for your cars, along with reporting marks and numbers. If you're into it you can even assign a "charge" for a setout at an industry and at the end of a session, find out if you made any "money"
There is a lot of work to set it up, but once done the computer keeps track of all cars. At the end of the session, the "dispatcher" marks the movements finished as complete, and the computer updates locations. The waybills are then thrown away. The computer prints out 4 waybills per page so the paper use is cutdown somewhat.

We used this system on a layout when I lived in mobile, and found that it was very easy to use once set up. The key to it was marking the waybills movement as complete and reporting this to the computer. Otherwise the car wouldn't be availble for use until it was. A "shuffle" program was also added to it to prevent the movements from being repeated very often.
 
Hmm

All good ideas, only thing for me, is, I was hoping to be more paperless once all the car cards are done, and the waybills filled out. I use the 4 cycle bills, and if I need additional "turns" for a car, I just give it another 4 cycle waybill and number it 5-6-7-8 I not sure if I want to print out a switchlist and waybill sheet for each session, the trouble I can see is if you "don't" run by the computer even 1 session, you have pretty well fubar'd yourself, unless you respot all the cars. I do a lot of 1 man shows, so maybe the car card is more in line with a session like this. I can see the larger clubs, were people aren't so inclined to get grab a throttle and run. I DO LIKE the setout charge idea. That brings a little more realism to the table.
 
Folks,

I'm a big fan of car-card-and-waybill, having developed ops sessions utilizing them for several layouts. There's a thread over on the "other leading brand" site that I began as a "Get Started in Ops on a 4X8" that turned into a CC&WB thread.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=46614

I use both hand-written waybills and those generated by the Shenware Waybills program, which has worked really well for me.
http://members.aol.com/Shenware/waybills.html

Regards,

Byron
October Newsletter on-line now
 
cuyama said:
Folks,

I'm a big fan of car-card-and-waybill, having developed ops sessions utilizing them for several layouts. There's a thread over on the "other leading brand" site that I began as a "Get Started in Ops on a 4X8" that turned into a CC&WB thread.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=46614

I use both hand-written waybills and those generated by the Shenware Waybills program, which has worked really well for me.
http://members.aol.com/Shenware/waybills.html

Regards,

Byron
October Newsletter on-line now
Click to expand...

Byron

Why not get a clinic started here? I think it would do well. Also it more then likely would get it's own section? I love operations. Reading it over at "the other place" right now.
 
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