How often do you run your trains?

[Warflight]

I'm curious... I don't have a layout yet (working on it) so when I run my trains, it's usually some EZ Track tossed on the bed, and run around for a few hours (I usually get all of my engines going around the track... all except the Jupiter... IT KNOW WHAT IT DID!) so I only really run them maybe once every three or four days.

So, I'm curious... how often do you folks run your trains... do you have a layout? If you're still building a layout (I hate to say "unfinished", because a layout is never really finished, but you know... no scenery yet) do you take time to run your engines, and trains on it?

[jbrock27]

... how often do you folks run your trains... do you have a layout? If you're still building a layout (I hate to say "unfinished", because a layout is never really finished, but you know... no scenery yet) do you take time to run your engines, and trains on it?

When and as often as I can get to run them.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

[dutchbuilder]

My former bedroom has become my trainroom.
I have a three tear layout with 0n30.
The lower layout is south American.
The middle one is the Rozeburg & Waterway RR.
And the top one is reserved for the D&RGW.
Maybe you wander where I sleep.
A sleeping place is a place where you close your eyes and you don't need a dedicated room for that.
I made a high sleeper above my lath in the radio room.
O, and I run my trains whenever i feel like it.

Ton

[Trainman203]

I operate something almost every evening .  Although , my layout is long and runs between rooms. I might only switch one town on one division on any given evening . Other evenings I'll pull the interchange on either end, switch the customers' spurs, make up an outbound local and run it to the next community.

We are in the middle of the beautiful springtime here  in Louisiana, so daytime operation won't happen until 100 degree days keep us inside for the summer...... not very far off.

[rogertra]

I used to run a full schedule once a week however, since I broke my hip and now with some eyesight problems, I rarely operate the railway as I cannot read the car numbers without difficulty.

The following refers to how my major yard is operated.

I operate my model railway as prototypically as possible.

I run most trains to a timetable, the exceptions being the way freights, which run as scheduled extras.

All freight cars and vans (cabooses) have a car card and waybill (CC&WB)  Freight car waybills give four "loads" and destinations, the van waybill says what train the van is assigned to.  The yardmaster (switcher) is responsible for assigning freight cars to the correct trains.  The YM is also responsible for switching all local industries overnight when local switching is carried out.

In the case of steam locomotives they all have a car-card and waybill telling the roundhouse onto which originating train the locomotive is regularly assigned.  Through trains, originating in staging,  already have assigned locos which I take care of before the session starts. The way-bill also tells the roundhouse foreman when the steam loco assigned to be taken out of service for one operating session simulating boiler washout day.  The roundhouse foreman then uses his discretion as to what loco to temporarily assign to the train(s) usually assigned to the loco in for boiler washout.

Passenger cars do not have CC&WBs as their formations and assignments never change.

That just about sums it up.

Roger T.

[Warflight]

WOW! That all sounds AWESOME!