Clinchfield Railroad

     My layout was built with operations in mind. I tried to replicate actual scenes and towns along the line. I use the Clinchfield Railroad Timetable from 1973 for the basis of my operations.

     I constructed a portable Dispatchers panel that uses magnets to keep track of the train movements. The Dispatcher is located in another part of the house and uses radios to communicate with the train crews. I also use a fast clock and a closed circuit tv to operate the layout.

     The Dispatcher fills out a Train Sheet during operations and the train crews use the Car Card and Weighbill system to route cars on the layout. I have all of the cars on the layout routed prototypically using actual shipping records obtained for my time period.

     I hold Ops Sessions on a regular basis and they usually last about 3 hours. I use the Digitrax DCC system and have sound decoders in many of my locomotives.

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