The CSWRR is located 15 miles from Palmer, Alaska and welcomes visitors to stop by. Please call ahead first, (907)746-6414, or e-mail the CEO.
The Consolidated South Western Railroad
Story

Palmer, Alaska

Pictures of the Consolidated


The Railroad

So let me try to describe the scenario which I have created to bring the CSWRR into it's existence. First of all, it is based on the Santa Fe railway in Southern California, specifically from Victorville to Corona, California, and in a time period around 1985. Then under the imaginary conditions that the Santa Fe and Union Pacific spun off their railroads from Barstow to Los Angeles to be formed into a consolidated subsidiary of the two which is now owned two thirds by the Santa Fe and one third by the Union Pacific Railroad. The operation of the railroad is as an independent subsidiary and with all equipment supplied by the parent roads.

To continue with the scenario, UP trains now operate over what was the Santa  Fe Third Subdivision into Los Angeles, which was completely double tracked (years ahead of time). The CSWRR offices and Dispatching Center are located in the San Bernardino Depot. The Santa Fe Second Subdivision is only representatively modeled.  While the UP line from Riverside to LA and the San Diego line are there, they are not part of the model or operation. With this as the conditions for existence, I will now describe the modeled CSWRR and it's operations.

Construction of the CSWRR was started in September of 1995 after approximately seven years of planing and new home construction.  The Railroad is housed in the 30 by 40 foot basement of my home.  While there have been several minor changes, there have been no major changes to the original plan and none are expected. 

Physically, the CSWRR is an HO scale, 350 foot. double tracked main line, with staging yards at each end, Barstow on the East and Los Angeles on the West and a major yard, San Bernardino in the middle. There are 8 double crossovers and 4 single crossovers, and all but 3 of the single crossovers are controlled from the CTC Board. The modeled portion of the railroad runs from Porphyry (near Corona) to Victorville. One major feature of the CSWRR is Cajon Pass, which may require the use of helpers. To give the CSWRR the flavor of the actual railroad, only the station names from prototype have been used. While some industrial names from the area have been used, the use of names of regular CSWRR operations participants are often used to honor them.

The railroad is powered by a Digitrax Chief, Digital Command Control (DCC) system, 2 additional boosters and any number of compatible throttles, including radio control. The control of the main line switches and track occupancy are controlled and displayed on a Central Train Control (CTC) Board similar to that used on the prototype in the 1985 time period.

The railroad is regularly operated on a once a month basis, on the second Saturday evening of each month. Other special operation sessions are also held and a two day open house is held in September. The operation is timed using a computer and the trains controlled from a Dispatchers Train Sheet. All trains are operated as Scheduled Extras with the session running around 3 hours and 30 minutes. Staging is regenerative, so trains entering into a staging yard are ready to be used again later without any further action.


The Operation of the CSWRR

The trains which are operated in the Operating Session, for the most part did not start out the way they are now. As in a real railroad, the trains are adjusted to meet the needs of the customers which it serves. While the operation still somewhat resembles the prototype, many adjustments have been made to accommodate other changes on the railroad.

There are 19 main line trains which originate in either the West Staging Yard (Los Angeles) or the East Staging Yard (Barstow).  The complexity of these trains range from simple to fairly complex to accommodate the varying levels of operator skill.  These trains then do various switching chores in the yards and some selected industries along the line.  The crews for these trains operate over the railroad from one staging yard to the other and the run time ranges from 15 to 40 minutes.

There are 5 locals, 2 of which originate in the B Yard, 2 originate at May and one originates on the SP Staging. The expected run time for these locals is from 30 to 60 minutes.

The A and B Yard Jobs run for the entire three and a half hours of the Operating Session. The A Yard crew, also switches the East San Bernardino industries and operates the First District Local. The B Yard crew sets-up most of the car flow over the railroad and switches the West San Bernardino industries.

The Helper crew is called as needed during the session to help trains up the hill from San Bernardino to Summit.

To add interest and variety, there are also several Extra trains which may be operated in the session if time allows and the Dispatcher wishes to do so.

The Dispatcher (DS), over sees the operation of trains over the railroad and usually works the entire Operation Session. The DS position is a fast moving job, requiring split second decision making and uninterrupted attention.

The Operations Coordinator is a fancy name which I have given myself, the host. As the Operations Coordinator, I call crews, provide instructions to crews as are required and stand ready to solve any problems out on the road which might arise. The Operations Coordinator also monitors progress of the session on the Computer.


The Method of Operation

My goal from the start was to provide a simple, easy to follow method of operation for the CSWRR. This has been done by what I call "Cook Book Operation". Instruction sheets are provided to all crews, giving them a simple to follow, step-by-step instructions of their duties. These instructions are kept simple, in general, cars are handled in blocks or by car types. Individual car numbers are only used on locals and then only when there is more than one car of a specific type. If any problems arise, the Operations Coordinator (me) is available to provide the necessary help. While the operation is tolerant of some errors which can actually add some variety, I have been shown that too many errors can create problems.

The Cook Book Operation used on the CSWRR has taken me several years to develop. To run the session, I have developed a computer program which calls the trains, then records their actual start and stop times.  After the session, these times are entered into a Run Time chart which compares the actual run time for this session to the run times of other sessions.  One of the most challenging problems has been to develop a run time to be used to schedule trains.  This is especially true when a crew is delayed and a train greatly overruns the scheduled time.

The Cook Book operation that I have developed for use on the CSWRR has been able to keep up with the changing requirements and operator desires. One major advantage with the Cook Book operation, is that a new operator can catch on very fast and be operating trains on their own after one or two assisted trips over the road. This seems to be working as is evident by the number of operators which show up at the monthly Operating Session.

The Business Car Alaska and the Prez travel around the world visiting other Model Railroads, People and Places, representing the CSWRR wherever they go.


The Consolidated South Western Railroad
Story

Palmer, Alaska

Pictures of the Consolidated


The Railroad

So let me try to describe the scenario which I have created to bring the CSWRR into it's existence. First of all, it is based on the Santa Fe railway in Southern California, specifically from Victorville to Corona, California, and in a time period around 1985. Then under the imaginary conditions that the Santa Fe and Union Pacific spun off their railroads from Barstow to Los Angeles to be formed into a consolidated subsidiary of the two which is now owned two thirds by the Santa Fe and one third by the Union Pacific Railroad. The operation of the railroad is as an independent subsidiary and with all equipment supplied by the parent roads.

To continue with the scenario, UP trains now operate over what was the Santa  Fe Third Subdivision into Los Angeles, which was completely double tracked (years ahead of time). The CSWRR offices and Dispatching Center are located in the San Bernardino Depot. The Santa Fe Second Subdivision is only representatively modeled.  While the UP line from Riverside to LA and the San Diego line are there, they are not part of the model or operation. With this as the conditions for existence, I will now describe the modeled CSWRR and it's operations.

Construction of the CSWRR was started in September of 1995 after approximately seven years of planing and new home construction.  The Railroad is housed in the 30 by 40 foot basement of my home.  While there have been several minor changes, there have been no major changes to the original plan and none are expected. 

Physically, the CSWRR is an HO scale, 350 foot. double tracked main line, with staging yards at each end, Barstow on the East and Los Angeles on the West and a major yard, San Bernardino in the middle. There are 8 double crossovers and 4 single crossovers, and all but 3 of the single crossovers are controlled from the CTC Board. The modeled portion of the railroad runs from Porphyry (near Corona) to Victorville. One major feature of the CSWRR is Cajon Pass, which may require the use of helpers. To give the CSWRR the flavor of the actual railroad, only the station names from prototype have been used. While some industrial names from the area have been used, the use of names of regular CSWRR operations participants are often used to honor them.

The railroad is powered by a Digitrax Chief, Digital Command Control (DCC) system, 2 additional boosters and any number of compatible throttles, including radio control. The control of the main line switches and track occupancy are controlled and displayed on a Central Train Control (CTC) Board similar to that used on the prototype in the 1985 time period.

The railroad is regularly operated on a once a month basis, on the second Saturday evening of each month. Other special operation sessions are also held and a two day open house is held in September. The operation is timed using a computer and the trains controlled from a Dispatchers Train Sheet. All trains are operated as Scheduled Extras with the session running around 3 hours and 30 minutes. Staging is regenerative, so trains entering into a staging yard are ready to be used again later without any further action.


The Operation of the CSWRR

The trains which are operated in the Operating Session, for the most part did not start out the way they are now. As in a real railroad, the trains are adjusted to meet the needs of the customers which it serves. While the operation still somewhat resembles the prototype, many adjustments have been made to accommodate other changes on the railroad.

There are 19 main line trains which originate in either the West Staging Yard (Los Angeles) or the East Staging Yard (Barstow).  The complexity of these trains range from simple to fairly complex to accommodate the varying levels of operator skill.  These trains then do various switching chores in the yards and some selected industries along the line.  The crews for these trains operate over the railroad from one staging yard to the other and the run time ranges from 15 to 40 minutes.

There are 5 locals, 2 of which originate in the B Yard, 2 originate at May and one originates on the SP Staging. The expected run time for these locals is from 30 to 60 minutes.

The A and B Yard Jobs run for the entire three and a half hours of the Operating Session. The A Yard crew, also switches the East San Bernardino industries and operates the First District Local. The B Yard crew sets-up most of the car flow over the railroad and switches the West San Bernardino industries.

The Helper crew is called as needed during the session to help trains up the hill from San Bernardino to Summit.

To add interest and variety, there are also several Extra trains which may be operated in the session if time allows and the Dispatcher wishes to do so.

The Dispatcher (DS), over sees the operation of trains over the railroad and usually works the entire Operation Session. The DS position is a fast moving job, requiring split second decision making and uninterrupted attention.

The Operations Coordinator is a fancy name which I have given myself, the host. As the Operations Coordinator, I call crews, provide instructions to crews as are required and stand ready to solve any problems out on the road which might arise. The Operations Coordinator also monitors progress of the session on the Computer.


The Method of Operation

My goal from the start was to provide a simple, easy to follow method of operation for the CSWRR. This has been done by what I call "Cook Book Operation". Instruction sheets are provided to all crews, giving them a simple to follow, step-by-step instructions of their duties. These instructions are kept simple, in general, cars are handled in blocks or by car types. Individual car numbers are only used on locals and then only when there is more than one car of a specific type. If any problems arise, the Operations Coordinator (me) is available to provide the necessary help. While the operation is tolerant of some errors which can actually add some variety, I have been shown that too many errors can create problems.

The Cook Book Operation used on the CSWRR has taken me several years to develop. To run the session, I have developed a computer program which calls the trains, then records their actual start and stop times.  After the session, these times are entered into a Run Time chart which compares the actual run time for this session to the run times of other sessions.  One of the most challenging problems has been to develop a run time to be used to schedule trains.  This is especially true when a crew is delayed and a train greatly overruns the scheduled time.

The Cook Book operation that I have developed for use on the CSWRR has been able to keep up with the changing requirements and operator desires. One major advantage with the Cook Book operation, is that a new operator can catch on very fast and be operating trains on their own after one or two assisted trips over the road. This seems to be working as is evident by the number of operators which show up at the monthly Operating Session.

The Business Car Alaska and the Prez travel around the world visiting other Model Railroads, People and Places, representing the CSWRR wherever they go.


The CSWRR is located 15 miles from Palmer, Alaska and welcomes visitors to stop by. Please call ahead first, (907)746-6414, or e-mail the CEO.