Seeking guidance from the Operations gods

[dnhouston]

My wife recently gave me the Micromark car-card set (cards, boxes, etc.) and as I try to determine how to set everything up, I'm thinking my layout needs some help in the operations department.  The layout is currently mostly "plywood prairie" so at this point I'm open to almost anything.
I'm modeling a small branchline in southern Colorado / northern New Mexico between Denver and Santa Fe.  The trains are small (5-6 cars) consisting of an engine, 3-4 cars and a caboose.  The layout is set in the early 1950's and uses primarily steam.  The plan was to run operations as a point-to-point with the locals starting in Driftwood, going out to either side and then coming back.
Here's the current layout:

The tracks in yellow are elevated about 4" higher than the rest of the layout.  (There are no diamonds)
The track in red is only there for roundy-round running, for Operations it should not be used
There are a total of six (6) staging tracks stacked three on top and three on bottom.  The bottom represents Santa Fe and enters at Driftwood at the purple section (denoting the Interchange track).  The upper staging represents Denver and runs the whole length of the yellow tracks and enters the layout at the town of Jasper.
My original idea was to have trains come in from staging, pickup/drop off at the Interchange track and then exit to the other staging.  Then a local would pickup the cars, deliver them out to the various locations and bring back any ready to go off-layout which it would leave at the Interchange track.
I also planned for a passenger train that would come through and drop off/pickup from the main station in Driftwood.  Then a doodlebug would run the passengers out to the smaller stations around the layout.

Here are my questions/concerns:
1) Do I need a yard?
2) Am I focusing too much traffic on a single small location that will cause a traffic jam?
3) I've never attended an operating session (I know I need to  : )  What are the obvious pitfalls/problems that you can see?

Thanks,

[John]

You don't need yards, but they sure do help even a 2-3 track yard would be good .. just to shuffle some stuff around .... also, some extra staging wouldn't hurt ..

some links to start

http://www.gatewaynmra.org/designops.htm

http://www.gatewaynmra.org/operate.htm

[conrail98]

There's also some good insight on the LDSIG site also, http://macrodyn.com/ldsig/wiki/index.php?title=How_to_plan_ahead_for_operations,

Phil

[seusscaboose]

timely links for me as well.

thanks

[wm3798]

I'm a big proponent of yards and staging, but my style of operations is more contingent on these elements.

Basically, the trains arrive from staging either east, or west, come into the yard to get worked, then carry on to the opposite staging yard.

In between, the yard takes the cars that get dropped off, and build the various locals that service the on-line industries.

A simplified example of a 4 cycle waybill goes like this:

1.  Origination:  West Staging (Connellsville) >  Destination On-Line industry

2.  On Line industry > West Staging (Bowest)

3.  West Staging (Bowest) > East Staging (Baltimore)

4.  East Staging (Baltimore) > West Staging (Connellsville)

That keeps things moving around, reduces the repetition of what cars show up in which trains, and also keeps any one destination from getting over loaded.  But it does require a yard and staging destinations to make it work.
Lee

[conrail98]

Lee, that's very similar to the cycle described in the latest Dispatcher's Office from the OpsSig, http://www.opsig.org/doff/aotq.shtml. The layout I operate on monthly was the basis for the concept described in the article. While it gets into the gritty details of setting up the system, some of the concepts used to establish it should be taken into account when designing the layout,

Phil

[dnhouston]

Thanks for the links guys.  I have a lot of reading ahead of me before I do anything.

[cv_acr]

David: how many trains do you plan on running at a time? Just one (solo operation)? Two? Three? Four?

If just one or two very small trains, traffic jams shouldnt be an issue. If one train is switching and another needs to pass, the first train should clear a path for the second.

[Brakie]

Let's see if I can help.


1) Do I need a yard?
 Yes if you're going for point to point with 2 separate trains..Where you going to hold cars till the through freight picks 'em up on the main line?

2) Am I focusing too much traffic on a single small location that will cause a traffic jam?

That's why a yard will help smooth operations.

3) I've never attended an operating session (I know I need to   )  What are the obvious pitfalls/problems that you can see?


None that I can see..Just remember to plan your work and work your plan.