Ops session, where to learn?

[peteski]

Hi Charlie,

Thanks for your reply.  I'm in Northern NJ right across the river from NYC.  Alas, hobby stores are non-existent but there are several clubs around (almost all HO).  I have been a lone wolf so network is nil.  But last Friday I decided to stop by the local N-Trak club and attended their meeting.  It just happened to be that I caught this month's so I don't have to wait.

Wow, it sure opened up a lot of possibilities.  Most likely I will join the club as it's fairly inexpensive and they do exhibit at train shows around the area and I'm hoping they may do some op sessions when they are displaying to the public.  They are also N.   Win! 

Very good!
Which NTRAK club is it?  I wonder if they are one of the clubs which joins the NTRAK layout at the Springfield show?

Once you join that cub and get more familiar with the members there is a good chance that some of the members either have a home layout or know people wit himie layouts where they do ops sessions. Then there is a good chance you coudl ask to be invited to the ops sessions.

I live in Eastern Massachusetts and on the Thanksgiving weekend we have a Tour de Chooch -  an open house featuring many home layouts. While during that weekend the hosts just run the trains for the enjoyment of the visiting public, many of them host regular ops sessions at other times. A visitor who is interested might be able to get themselves invited to those sessions.  Maybe there is a similar open house event around northern NJ?

[MK]

Jim,

Nice start there.  Unfortunately my pike is no where near as big as yours and the tracks are pretty much laid.  What I am hoping for is op sessions on someone else's layout.    Thus my mention of perhaps joining a club.  I have always been a lone wolf and according to Lee, it seems like my existing layout can be use for some simple ops sessions by myself.  My biggest concern is going to an ops sessions and ruining the fun for everyone else! 

Pete,

It's the Northern NJ N-Trak club.  A VERY nice bunch of guys, at least from what I garner when I attended their meeting.  I am hoping that coming out of the "lone wolf" mold, I will be able to expand my contacts and connections and tag along to an ops sessions.  Even if I don't run a single train I would be very happy just to observe!

They did bring modules to Springfield but they decided on T-Trak modules and they had a pretty big display in the back of the Young building so they were not joined up with the rest of the N-Trak folks in the BLC building.

[peteski]

Jim,

Nice start there.  Unfortunately my pike is no where near as big as yours and the tracks are pretty much laid.  What I am hoping for is op sessions on someone else's layout.    Thus my mention of perhaps joining a club.  I have always been a lone wolf and according to Lee, it seems like my existing layout can be use for some simple ops sessions by myself.  My biggest concern is going to an ops sessions and ruining the fun for everyone else! 

Pete,

It's the Northern NJ N-Trak club.  A VERY nice bunch of guys, at least from what I garner when I attended their meeting.  I am hoping that coming out of the "lone wolf" mold, I will be able to expand my contacts and connections and tag along to an ops sessions.  Even if I don't run a single train I would be very happy just to observe!

They did bring modules to Springfield but they decided on T-Trak modules and they had a pretty big display in the back of the Young building so they were not joined up with the rest of the N-Trak folks in the BLC building.

They are a nice group.  for the last couple of shows we have NTRAK layouts in 2 buildings and the T-TRAK layout in a 3rd building. They are well attended.  I was part of the BLC setup but I visited the other 2 layouts too.  You won't regret joining that club.

[mark dance]

On a slightly different tack, many NMRA regional meets include operating session components.  I suggest checking out a few of those.  In addition to the clinics, layout tours and other worthwhile events, the op sessions will introduce you to "how others do it" which is a great help in deciding what you like and don't like.  You'll also meet lots of great people.

Up here in Vancouver we draw people from all over the North America several times per year.  We have operating events associated with the annual Vancouver Train Expo in November and the Railway Modeller's Meet (of BC) which this year is just around the corner in May.  Both events have ops suitable for beginners.  In fact at the last RMM(ofBC) meet, 2 of the C&W's 8 crew had never operated before and one had never held a throttle!  We also have recurring and spontaneous invitational meets/sessions which tend to be for people who take ops a bit more seriously...if you can ever take playing with trains seriously!  The layout owners in Vancouver all welcome new operators...selfishly, new operators are eventually the source of new layouts for us to operate on!  So lots of ops going on, you just need to know where to look.

If anyone on TRW in the Pacific Northwest is curious about Ops, the May RMM meet would be a great start.  We have 10 layouts (3 N scale not that that is significant for ops) operating over two nights including a "intro to TT&TO" session.  The ops part of the Meet is very popular and fills up quickly so early registration is advised. http://railwaymodellersmeetofbc.ca/

{end paid political announcement }

md