Car Forwarding on the 4th Subdivision -- Part Four: Switch Lists

In this final car forwarding post, I am discussing switch lists, which, somewhat ironically, are how I first started with operations.

GN switch list form I created
 in Word and used in a
Seattle modular group 

To start with a definition: switch lists are widely used railroad forms used to plan and record car movements. While used in a variety of different ways, all switch lists have spaces to identify cars and destinations - the essence of car forwarding.

Prototype switch lists are nearly universal, used by railroads from their beginnings until the 1990's. Typically the form would be printed on card stock with one form using a half sheet vertically at 4.25 X 11 inches. By using a switch list, the conductor would have one sturdy and convenient sheet to work from, leaving the waybills in the caboose. Examples can be found online such as this Great Northern prototype Form 55, found at the gn-npjointarchive.org, incidentally, a great resource for researching all things Great Northern or Northern Pacific. Examples of prototype switch lists can also be found at railrodiana sources: train shows, swap meets, specialty bookstores, or eBay.


To create switch lists, one can just photocopy blank ones, either prototype ones or the generic one available to subscribers on the Model Railroader web site (How To>Track Planning & Operation> Operating paperwork for David Popp's New York, New Haven & Hartford layout). I found that it was relatively easy to create my own authentic looking switch list by utilizing Word features such as tables and text boxes. I included a simplified list of AAR car types on the form. When I was satisfied with my version, I took it to the copy center and had it copied onto "buff" card stock.

Just as switch lists were used prototypically in a variety of ways, they can be used in different ways by model railroaders. As a member of a modular group in Seattle, my first experiences in operations were with switch lists. During "slow" periods when our layout was on display, I would identify switchable "industries" from the group of modules at that show and add rolling stock to spurs to be picked up. Then, I would list appropriate cars for the industries in the order of the destinations on my switch list. I would also include the pick-ups in the list or as a separate list at the bottom of the form. Then I would make up the train in the yard and run it based on the switch list's list of cars to set out and pick up at the various industry locations. While having trains continuously running around our layout for display was our main goal, I really enjoyed sneaking in some operations during  "down time" such as in the late afternoons.

Switch list on the 4th Subdivision

Now, with my GN branch line railroad in the attic using sequence operations, I am still using switch lists. While car cards determine the destinations of my rolling stock, I find that switch lists are helpful in planning the action. As seen in the photo, I am using a slightly smaller version of my switch list (two-up horizontally) and mini clipboards to hold the paperwork. One example of the use of switch lists in my current plan is at the following point in the sequence:

Step 5: Road Switcher sets out and picks up for Box Spur, Elevator Spur and Team Track; returns to yard with Pick Ups from Greenrock Turn.

I list the set outs and the pickups on the switch list, planning the action; in this case, two cars to set out and three to pick up. My car forwarding system using both car cards/way bills and switch lists was somewhat inspired by David Popp's videos on MRVP. Here is one with an overview of the process (including an introduction to the use of switch lists) that can be viewed for free without subscribing: Switching the Southbound.

Switch list example from
Tony Koester's book

Another way that model railroaders can use a switch list is to aid in yard sorting. As I don't have a substantial yard on my railroad (yet!), I am using an example from Tony Koester's Kalmbach book: Realistic Model Railroad Operations-Second Edition to demonstrate this usage. His process is to first list the cars in the order that they arrived in the yard on the switch list. Then, as yardmaster, designate yard tracks for different destinations (and trains) and notate on the switch list (based on information from waybills). In his example, track #1 is "propers" (to be delivered in town). Track #2 is "shorts" (to be delivered within the division). Track #3 is "throughs" (cars going beyond the division). Then, using the switch list, the cars are blocked into trains, ready to be sorted into station order.

Both prototype and model railroad switch lists are versatile and useful forms that can be an essential part of car forwarding. Switch lists provide a simple introduction to car forwarding for a beginner in the operations "game." Even for an "old head," or one striving to be one, switch lists have the potential to be powerful tools.

Adding a sound decoder to a Bachmann Gas-Electric Doodlebug -- Part 1

The Great Northern "doodle-bug" 2320 is a regular runner on the 4th Subdivision, but it sadly has no sound. Adding a sound decoder to it has been on my to-do list for a while, as seen in this previous post.

At the Railfest show in Kirtland, Ohio this past weekend I picked up a Tsunami 2 TSU-1100 P. N. 885004 "For Baldwin and Other" decoder. This decoder includes files for a "Galloping Goose," Dual Whitcom, and GE Cummins prime mover sounds, any of which would be more or less appropriate. I also purchased an 810140 Current Keeper and an 810078 speaker to complete the install. In talking with other members of Division 12 (Brad White, Mike Hauk, and Doug Sandmeyer) while we manned our table at the show, their consensus was to tear out the Bachmann board, as it does not have a great reputation, and start from scratch. The one caveat they all suggested was to use the existing eight pin and light board to identify the wire sources and mark them with paint or tape, rather than cutting wires willy-nilly. Today, I canvased my parts bins and found some LEDs and resisters that may be an appropriate choice as well as some shrink tube. It looks like I now have the materials on hand to tackle the project. So, the decoder install adventure begins.

It has been years since I installed a decoder, and I have never hardwired one. So, for me, the first step was to do some research. Among the many Soundtraxx videos on YouTube was this one on installing a similar decoder in a K-27 that gave me an overview of the process.

The first step in the video was to remove the tender shell, so my first step was to remove the shell or body of the doodlebug. Using a chisel bladed hobby knife, I slipped the blade between the shell and the frame along the underside. I slipped toothpicks into the open gap to hold it open while popping the other tabs to remove the shell.  In the photo, the toothpicks roughly point to the four tabs I found located on each side. Working slowly and carefully, I was able to remove the shell without any damage. Upon inspection I found several issues. One, that I knew about going in, is that the figures in the coach compartment are too "tall" and need to be reconfigured. It appears that although it should be relatively easy to identify wires, one wire to the back truck had broken at some point previously and I will need to re-solder it. Finally, it looks like the speaker I bought at the train show is going to be too large for the space behind the motor where I planned to locate it. I may need to add a different speaker to my new shopping list along with a pencil-tipped soldering iron and solder more appropriate for electronics.

That was it for the first day of this adventure. The next step is to identify and tag/flag all the wires as I prep to remove the Bachmann board and plan placement of new components.

Car Forwarding on the 4th Subdivision - - Part Three: Car Cards & Waybills

Adding several cars to my roster while revisiting my car forwarding techniques has led me to create several new car cards and waybills. In this post I will try to be less esoteric than my last post while explaining how I use car cards and waybills.

GN gondola brought up to standard, weathered, with a
scratch built load, and accompanied by its paperwork.

First of all, I'm using Micro-Mark's Car Routing System Starter Pack (#82916) instead of getting involved with some of the more realistic waybill systems popularized by Tony Koester among others. With this system, one starts by filling in a yellow car card and folding it to form a pocket for each piece of rolling stock. The information on the card includes kind of car, car initials, and the car's number. One can also include the AAR Code, a description, empty car return information, and, as I have done, the car's build date.

The second phase of paperwork is the waybill, in this case a "four-cycle" waybill. The waybill contains information about where the car is going and where it is coming from. The "consignee" is where it is going, the "shipper" is where it is coming from. The "lading" is the contents (including the possibility of "MTY" or empty). Based on the amount of research done, these all can be more specific or more general. Starting with these new additions to my roster, I am using two other lines on the waybill form. One addition is to use the routing line to indicate "sure spots" such as "door #2" or "loading dock track." On the via line, I will indicate how the car is entering or leaving the 4th Subdivision; at this point, whether it is going to or from the rest of the world through the Lake Terrell Yard or the NP interchange. 

As mentioned, these are four cycle waybills. That means that between sessions the waybills are turned. In my example waybill, cycle 1 is the empty gondola traveling from Lake Terrell Yard (west staging) to Nooksack Lumber and Shingle (east staging until Nooksack is added). Between sessions, the waybill is turned to expose cycle 2, which is the gondola with a load of 18' 8" X 8" timbers being shipped to Dunn Lumber in Seattle (west staging). I have not finished the third and fourth cycles, but they could be a load of pipe traveling from west staging to Slease Supply in Willow Springs for the third cycle and then returning empty to staging for the fourth cycle. In addition to the waybills I have two overlay cards that slip into the pocket in front of the waybill. One, printed on blue paper is a "Blue Flag, Do not move! Loading/Unloading" card. The other, printed on green paper, is a "Car on Hold" overlay. It signals that the car can be moved, but it must be re-spotted. These overlay cards keep the cars at their current location for an extra session. Okay, the cars are at their current location, where should the car card and waybill paperwork go?

Five compartment bill box for Willow Springs (Interestingly, two
of the cards are misfiled in this photo.)

Bill boxes, the location of the car cards and waybills when they are not moving with a train, make up the third part of this system. For many operations-based layouts, a bill box with three compartments, located at each town or industrial complex, is divided up into set-out, hold, and pick-up. I am using a different system popularized by David Popp on MRVP and explained in more depth at the Quaker Valley Railroad website. In short, each track that could potentially hold cars has a name and a compartment in a bill box. The process is fairly simple: the crew read and heed; if it reads to that track, don't pick it up; if it reads to somewhere else, it is ready for pick up. The cards go or stay along with the car. 

Car routing on the 4th Subdivision utilizes one other piece of paperwork, switch lists, that will be the topic of another post.