A favorite layout of mine to operate is Ken Borowski's Clinchfield Blue Ridge Sub. If you have never heard of it check out:
http://www.clinchfield-nscale.com/.
Ken has a beautiful, well planned layout. The problem was I moved from MN to Nevada, but I still wanted to be involved in ops. I talked about it with Ken and we figured out how I could dispatch an ops session from Vegas. Ken sent me digital copies of all of the dispatchers paperwork. Instead of using radios to talk to train crews we used our cell phones and texted all of the train orders. We simplified the communications to where we could get a lot of info across in a minimal amount of text. I'll get some screen shots of the texts to show you, here is a sample between an operator (H) and the dispatcher (K)
H: XN at Bostic SCL 2020/3604, 22 MT, Caboose 1067
K: After CRR 916 clears, clear Main GM
H: Copy OS Bostic
H: OS Marion
H: OS Kona
H: Holding M at GM
While that doesn't look like much, it let me know the crew (H), Lead loco (SCL 2020), train size (22 empty coal cars), and caboose # (1067) this is all info I need to record on the dispatchers sheet. on the iPhone it also shows me text time, which I will record to track progress and use in giving track authorities. I can see where he is and I can see when SCL arrived at the limits of its authority.
I dispatched an entire ops session without ever hearing a single word from the crews. All told the session went great and I look forward to doing it again.
The crews also enjoyed it because they didn't have to write down the dispatchers instructions. It was all there to look at if they forgot something (like if they were to take a siding or hold the main at any given spot. They also said it was nice not having all the extra radio chatter, so they could sit and have conversations as things went along.
So if anyone want to be involved in remote ops, I recommend giving this a try, it was pretty cool.
