Operating session #27 took place on Saturday 9/19/2026. The session started at 6:40 AM railroad time, and ended at 2:55 PM railroad time. This was a extra session for the Roundhosers, with 5 crew in addition to myself. We ran at a 3:1 clock ratio. We had one new crew member and the rest being regulars. The primary purpose of the session was to give the layout a good workout before the upcoming Amrail Ops weekend session next week.
Here were the assignments for the session, morning of Thursday 9/24/1959:- 6:00 AM ATSF/P&E/C&IM/P&PU dispatcher on duty. Dan J, all session job.
- 6:00 AM ATSF Pekin switcher on duty. - Dan J to start, then Frank S, all session job.
- 6:00 AM PPU yard switcher on duty. Mark V, all session job.
- Clock on at 6:40 AM
- 6:45 AM ATSF Eastward extra local freight from East Yard. Mike A.
- 7:00 AM ATSF #14 Eastward passenger from Pekin. Steve C.
- 7:45 AM ATSF #47 Westward green fruit express from ATSF staging (Streator). Bill S.
7:30 AM8:00 AM PE #94 Eastward freight from East Peoria. Steve C.- 10:00 AM ATSF #48 Eastward through-freight from East Yard. Bill S.
- 10:15 AM CIM #6 Northward freight from CIM staging. Dan J.
- 10:15 AM ATSF coal extra from ATSF staging (Streator) to Pekin. Dan J to start, then Steve C.
- 12:05 PM PE #11 Westward passenger from PE staging (Bloomington). Mark V.
- 12:20 PM ATSF #17 Westward mail and express from ATSF staging (Streator). Bill S.
- 12:50 PM PE #95 Westward freight from PE staging (Bloomington). Dan J.
- 1:20 PM ATSF Eastward coal empty extra from East Yard to ATSF staging (Streator). Bill S.
2:00 PM PE Pekin switcher on duty.Did not start due to lack of crew.- 2:00 PM PE #12 Eastward passenger from East Peoria. Mark V.
- Clock off at 2:55 PM
ATSF train orders issued during this session, morning of Thu 9/24/1959:
| Order # | To | Body | Complete |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C+E Eng 2105 at East Yard | ENGINE 2105 RUN EXTRA EAST YARD TO STREATOR | 5:52 AM |
| 2 | C+E No 47 at Streator C+E No 14 at Pekin | No 47 ENGINE 300L MEET No 14 ENGINE 83L AT ROANOKE. No 47 TAKE SIDING. | 6:25 AM |
| 3 | C+E Extra 2105 East at Morton C+E Extra 1101 West at Streator | EXTRA 1101 WEST MEET EXTRA 2105 EAST AT MORTON | 9:21 AM |
| 4 | C+E Eng 1101 at Streator | ENGINE 1101 RUN EXTRA STREATOR TO EAST YARD | 9:23 AM |
| 5 | C+E Eng 1166 at East Yard | ENGINE 1166 RUN EXTRA EAST YARD TO STREATOR | 12:45 PM |
No PE train orders issued during this session, afternoon of Thu 9/24/1959:
| Order # | To | Body | Complete |
|---|---|---|---|
No CIM train orders issued during this session, afternoon of Thu 9/24/1959:
| Order # | To | Body | Complete |
|---|---|---|---|
Final thoughts:
- The layout ran well. The completion of installing frog juicers on every* turnout frog on the layout has eliminated any hesitation as locomotives cross some of the previously unpowered turnout frogs. * = Every turnout frog other than those in the "temporary" staging yard.
- A few of the UT4D throttles acted a bit goofy as the voltage in the batteries got lower. For the Amrail ops weekend I need to make sure every UT4D throttle gets a fresh 9v battery to prevent shenanigans.
- We started the session with 5 crew, which is one short of optimal. We had a person needing to leave early so were two short by the end. This resulted in some crew members going from train to train without a break. The P&PU switch crew also ended up having to run some of the P&E trains. I ended up also starting the runs of a couple of trains until crew were available. I need to remember to plan for and stage fewer trains when I'm short of crew.
- The session was a success and I think everyone had fun.
- I'm looking forward to hosting a bunch of out-of-towners next weekend for an op session for the Amrail Ops event
