Sierra Railroad 1955

Modeling the Sierra Railroad in Twain Harte, CA

Waybills

The following is a review of 12 Waybills that were used in June 2007. The 12 are typical of the Waybills that are used in a Session but do not cover all the possible moves that are made during an Operating Session. The Waybills are randomly generated by a computer program called “SWITCHER” that was published in Model Railroading in 1990 as a shareware program. Over the years the program has been extensively modified to better meet the needs of our operating session. Currently there are 347 locations/spots for cars in the system, this includes Yards, Interchanges, Sidings and Spurs. There are 264 cars in system, which is a capacity of 76%. Of these 264 cars 180 Waybills are generated for each session.

The Waybill gives the Train Operator the following information

  • Car Type and Reporting Remarks
  • The location (LOC) of the car at the beginning of the session
  • Three lines (PICKUP, VIA, and TO) that give additional info as to which train or Yard will handle the car on its way to its final destination
  • The final destination (DEST) of the car at the end of the session

 

Example #1

sample waybill #1The CIL 858 Box Car is located in the Merced staging yard in the SP Eastbound Frt. The actual Waybill will be in the Train Order packet for the SP Frt. The Frt operator will drop all Waybill cars in Oakdale. The SP Oakdale operator will spot the car on the SP Interchange Track so that the Sierra Yard Operator can add the car to the Sierra Frt #6. The ‘PICKUP’ line also indicates that the car will only go as far as HH Jct. Once the Sierra Frt #6 is made up the Sierra Yard Operator will call for a crew. The train will be turned over to crew along with all the Waybills for Frt #6. The Operator of Frt #6 will drop the car off at HH Jct at the direction of the Hetch Hetchy Operator. The HH Operator will add the car to the HH Frt #2 which the Operator will run to Groveland. The handwritten destination of ‘Mather’ tells the Operator where to put the car in the train going to Groveland.

 

Example #2

sample waybill #2The NS 28044 Box Car is located on the ATSF Interchange in the Sierra Yard. The actual Waybill for this car will be located on the Waybill holder on the Fascia at Sierra Yard behind the Ft #6 label. The Sierra Yard Operator will add this car to the other cars for Sierra Frt #6. Once the Frt #6 is made up the Yard Operator will call for a crew. The ‘PICKUP’ line tells the Sierra Frt #6 crew that car will be going to Jamestown where Sierra #6 terminates and becomes Sierra Frt #7. The Sierra Frt #6 operator will bring his train into Jamestown at the direction of the Jamestown Yard Operator. Per the ‘VIA’ line the Jamestown Yard Operator will put this car into the Sierra Frt #10 which runs to Tuolumne. Once Sierra Frt #10 is made up a crew will be called. The car will be blocked along with other cars going to Standard. At Standard the crew will spot the car at Standard Frt since there is no yard crew in Standard. Frt #10 with any remaining cars will proceed towards to Toulumne.

 

Example #3

waybill_03a.jpgThe car GN 2529 is also located in the Merced staging yard. The Waybill will be in the Train Order packet for the SP Eastbound Frt. As before all Waybill cars on this train will dropped off in Oakdale. This car will be leaving Oakdale on the Sierra Frt #8 which is the afternoon Sierra Frt. The car should be delivered to the SP Interchange after the Sierra Frt #6 has departed. The Sierra Yard Operator will start making up Sierra Frt #8 once Sierra #6 has departed his yard. Once Sierra Frt #8 is made up the Yard Operator will call for a crew. Per the ‘PICKUP’ line Sierra Frt #8 will take this car to Jamestown. The crew for Frt #8 will arrive in Jamestown at the direction of the Jamestown Yard Operator. Sierra Frt #8 terminates in Jamestown. Per the ‘VIA’ line the Jamestown Yard Operator will put this car into the Hill Job Extra East (HJXE) train that runs from Jamestown to Fassler and back. Once made up a crew will be called for the HJXE. Also per the ‘VIA’ the crew of the HJXE knows that this car will be delivered to Sonora. At Sonora the car will be spotted (‘TO’ line) at Hales and Symons (‘DEST’ line)

 

Example #4

sample waybill #4The SP 73402 Cattle Car is located at Warnerville per the ‘LOC’ line. Sierra Frt #8 will be picking up this car per the ‘PICKUP’ line. This line also tells the Frt #8 operator that the car will be delivered to Keystone so it should be blocked with any other cars going to Keystone. At Keystone the ‘TO’ line and the ‘DEST’ line tells the Sierra Frt #8 operator to spot the car at Keystone Cattle.

 

Example #5

sample waybill #5The TC 7736 Box Car is located in the Jamestown Yard. The Waybill for the car is located in the Waybill Holder on the Fascia in Jamestown behind the Hill Job #10 label. Per the ‘PICKUP’ line the Jamestown Yard Operator knows that this car will be delivered to Tuolumne and should be blocked with other cars going to Tuolumne. Since the Hill Job #10 terminates in Tuolumne it will be up to the crew of Frt #10 to spot the car on the Tuolumne Storage track.

 

Example #6

sample waybill #6The SP 46527 Woodchip car is located at Meinke Jct Icing on the SP line that runs from Merced to Stockton. The actual Waybill will be located on the Waybill holder at Meinke Jct. The Eastbound SP Peddler will pick up car at Meinke Jct per the ‘PICKUP’ line which also tells the train operator that car will be delivered to Oakdale. In Oakdale the car will be dropped off along any other cars destined for Oakdale. The SP Oakdale Operator will send the car to the Sierra Yard Operator over the SP Interchange track. The Sierra Yard Operator will add this car to the Sierra Frt #8 train he is making up. The operator of Frt #8 will see that this car will be delivered to Chinese per the ‘VIA’ line. At Chinese the operator will spot the car and Snyder Woodchip -E (empties) based on the ‘TO’ and ‘DEST’ lines.

 

Example #7

sample waybill #7The ATSF 245385 Box Car is located at Tuolumne Freight in Tuolumne. The Waybill for the car will be located on the Waybill holder on the Tuolumne Fascia. Hill Job #9 is a Westbound Freight that runs from Tuolumne to Jamestown. The Tuolumne Yard Master will add this car to the other cars in Tuolumne going out on Frt #9. Once Hill Job #9 is made up the Yard Master becomes the operator of Frt #9. Per the ‘PICKUP’ line the Frt #9 operator knows that this car will go to Jamestown and will be past onto the Sierra Frt #7. After arriving at Jamestown the Frt #9 operator will turn his train over to the Jamestown Yard Master. The Jamestown Yard Master will include this car in with other cars on Frt #7 heading west. The crew for Frt #7 knows that this car will be delivered to HH Jct per the ‘VIA’ line. Once at HH Jct the Frt #7 operator will spot the car at Hetch Hetchy Frt per the ‘TO’ and ‘DEST’ lines.

 

Example #8

sample waybill #8The SP 178499 Box Car is located at Fassler Plywood in Fassler. The Waybill for the car will be located on the Waybill holder on the Fascia in Fassler under the HJXW label. The Pickering Yard Master will picked up this car and any other for the Hill Job Extra West and leave them on a siding in Fassler. When the HJXW arrives in Fassler from Jamestown the operator will pick up the cut of cars and head west towards Jamestown. Again from the ‘PICKUP’ line the operator knows that the car will go to Jamestown and at Jamestown will be added to the Sierra Ft #5 per the ‘VIA’ line. The HJXW will be taken over by the Jamestown Yard Master after arriving in Jamestown. The Yard Master will finish making up the Frt #5. Once ready the Frt #5 operator will take the car all the way to Oakdale per the ‘VIA’ line. Once in the Sierra Yard the operator will turn the train over to the Sierra Yard Master. The Sierra Yard master will switch this car over to the SP Interchange where the SP Oakdale Operator will add to other cars heading to Merced. Finally the SP Eastbound Frt will pick up these cars on its way to Merced.

 

Example #9

sample waybill #9The OSL 12750 Cattle Car is located at Keystone. The Waybill for this car will be located in the Waybill holder on the Keystone Fascia. As Frt #7 arrives in Keystone the operator will pick up the car and add it to their train. From the ‘PICKUP’ line the operator knows that the car will be delivered to Paulsell. At Paulsell the Frt #7 operator will only set out the car on the siding. The Atlas Rock Switcher will spot the car at Paulsell Cattle per the ‘DEST’ line upon its return from Oakdale.

 

Example #10

sample waybill #10The SRR 144 Rockhopper starts the session in Groveland on the staging track. The car is part of the HH Rock West train that will be brought down to HH Jct by the HH Jct Operator. Once at HH Jct the HH operator will set the this car out on the siding along with other westbound Rockhoppers heading for Atlas Rock. Per the ‘VIA’ line the car will be picked up by the Sierra Rock West train. The Rock Train operator will take the car to Paulsell and then down the branch to the Atlas Rock Co where the car will be spotted.

 

Example #11

sample waybill #11D&H 18891 Box Car is located in Warnerville at Warnerville Grain. The Waybill for this car is located on the Waybill holder on the Warnerville Fascia. The operator of Frt #5 will pick up the car and per the ‘PICKUP’ line will deliver the car to the Sierra Yard in Oakdale. The Sierra Yard Master will move the car to the SP Interchange track where the SP Oakdale operator will pick up the car and spot it at its final destination of A L Gilbert. The additional hand written information gives the SP Oakdale Operator door spot location. In this case the car will be spotted at door spot #1 at A L Gilbert. The A L Gilbert spur is entered from the right and the vertical line to the left of the #1 indicates the end of the spur . If there was no vertical line on either end it would indicate that there is more than one industry on the spur. The door spots are only provided for the industries in Oakdale.

 

Example #12

sample waybill #12The CRR 5477 Box is located in the Sierra Yard at the Sierra Team Track. The Sierra Yard operator will pick up the car and set it out on the SP Interchange Track. The SP Oakdale operator will add it to other local cars heading to Merced on the SP Eastbound Peddler per the ‘TO’ line. Once picked up by the SP Eastbound Peddler the car will be delivered to the Merced staging yard.

 

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