First REAL Operating Session

A fellow Cub Scout Leader and friend of mine, Jack, stopped over several weeks ago to drop of some scout papers and asked to see the layout. I showed him my embarrassing progress and he offered to help. Over the weeks I managed to get a second Digitrax DT-402 infrared controller, a little more scenery done (like around Dailey Coal & Fuel), create my own Employee Time Table (which I'll post sometime) and generally get the trains to run.


On Thursday, he came back over to run trains. It was a blast! We both had a great time. Jack thought "running trains" would be driving them forward and back. I had a plan to actually operate the trains. First he ran an eastbound train through the layout to get a feel for the throttle and then a west bound through freight. I had him take a local over to East McKeesport and spot some cars while I made up a couple of trains in the Irwin Yard and ran a couple of mine runs to Westmoreland Coal Company (WCC) Mine No. 4 in Hermanie. Jack was doing pretty well when I checked on him. He had a particularly difficult tank car to spot at the West Penn Power siding and I was impressed he was able to hook the engine up and push it back. He was a little sheepish when he said he pushed it back with his hand!

Below, Jack works the PRR-P&LE interchange in East McKeesport.

So Jack learned the game "challenge" of operating trains and I learned some really valuable lessons on the PRR Irwin district.

1. It works. Two people operated trains and rarely got in each other's way.
2. The P&LE crossing over the PRR mainline is confusing to novices - hard to tell how to get from one track to the other. Have to point this out before I send other newbies there to spot cars in East McKeesport or pick up or drop off an interchange.
3. The IR receiver is in the worst spot possible! I kept blocking Jack's line of sight, since the IR receiver is right where the Irwin yardmaster is always standing! 
4. Jack also had a great idea for my mountain problem which view block separating Irwin, the east staging yard and Hermanie.
   

Oh, and on the second local he took to East McKeesport, he spotted the hopper car behind the tank car on the West Penn  Power siding ... without using his hands!
Looking forward to another operating session or two before the end of the year!