Model Railroad Operations: Preparing for an Operating Session

The amount of time and effort that goes into designing and constructing an incredible layout is no doubt obvious to the eye, but it may just surprise you how much planning goes into the model railroad operations as well. Impressive layouts not only have realistic scenery, but they also operate much the same as actual railroads.

Model Railroad Operations

In this segment of the Reading Railroad series, Allen Keller asks Jim Hertzog several questions regarding the preparation of the operating session on his model railroad.

First, Allen asks Jim about the operators of the Reading Railroad and how many he needs on a given day. Then, he asks Jim about the scheduling of the layout, more specifically about how he was able to create a schedule that successfully worked with the extensive interfacing and sequencing on the Reading Railroad. Finally, Allen asks about the number of trains Jim runs per operating session and questions how he pulls off such heavy traffic on the layout.

Jim wraps up the discussion by saying, “A good crew always pays off.” After spending hours of staging and hundreds of dollars for motor power and equipment, it is important that the model railroad operations are taken seriously. If you are looking to improve your skills, Jim and many other MRA instructors provide additional tips and tricks for your layout operations.