Easy Ops - Extra Steps

Introduction

This additional tutorial starts where we left off with Easy Ops - Step by Step.

Our original three steps to adding an initial Ops layer won't always be enough. Sometimes after running the layout for a while we may be able to visualize an improved operating sequence.

In the case of Brunoville we subsequently decided to add a single track Classification Yard to replace the passing track which is alongside the Grain Elevator siding. This is marked in blue on the adjacent image.

This will enable us to change the operating pattern from a single daily Peddler into a Fast Freight to the new yard which can then be followed by a separate local train to service the industries.

Step 1 - Editing the Brunoville locations.

Load a copy of the original Brunoville layout

Open the Ops ready version of Brunoville_v1_ops.rrw which can be found in the Advanced Ops Layouts/1 Shelf Size folder.

Before making any changes to the track we need to rewind the trains back to the original start position for Switchlist 1. This is important because resetting the layout at a later date would automatically revert to your original ops sequence and remove the changes you are about to make during the current update.

Reset Trains to Start Positions

To reset the layout to its default start position, open the Ops Central Advanced Tab, and select Reset Trains to Start Positions from the Development combo menu. You will need to confirm this in a separate dialog before the command is actioned.

We also recommend that you use Save As with a new filename after the reset to avoid overwriting the original layout later. Our new layout was saved as Brunoville_v2_ops.rrw.

We are now ready to modify the original ops plan.

Create the Class Yard

At Brunoville we have opted to reclassify the passing track, adjacent to the Wholesale Grocer and Grain Elevator track, as a Class Yard. This change will allow FixOps to generate Fast Freight traffic to the Class Yard from Staging and permit separate local trains to operate from the Class Yard and serve all the industries.

We start by selecting the Edit Track tool from the Build toolbar, and highlighting all the individual track segments which make up the curved track which is going to become the new Classification Yard.

Then right click on the selected tracks and choose Create new Location from the context menu.

Edit the New Location dialog to label and name the location, and use the Class combo menu to designate the location as a class yard.

Click OK to see a labeled location on the track plan.

If you want to peek you will also see that the new location is now listed on the Locations tab (not shown here).

On this occasion the label that we requested was originally placed somewhere near the centre of the rectangular area encompassed by the large curve which defines this yard. This is easily fixed by selecting the Edit Scenery tool and dragging the new text label into a more convenient position adjacent to the new track label.

Create an Engine Track

Next we need another New Location to store the switcher for the local train.

So we opt to use the short segment of curved track at the head of the adjacent siding.

The process is the same, highlight the track, select Create new Location from the context menu and then edit the New Location dialog.

Provide the new detail for the location label and name, set the class as XO reserved and ensure that there is a check mark in the box for a text label.

Then Click OK to commit the detail for this new location to the track plan and to the Locations grid.

This time our text label is fairly well placed and will be visible when the track highlight is removed, however it can still be easily repositioned further from the track using the Edit Scenery tool.

Step 2 - Adjusting the car distribution.

Adding cars to the new yard

Operating this layout with a Class Yard will require some extra cars to be placed in the new BY location. This will enable the first Fast Freight which visits the yard to pull these cars and return them to Staging.

All cars placed in this new yard need to be cars which could legitimately be present following the last operation of a local train. i.e. cars being returned to staging from the industries. So we need to add eight such cars here.

Open the Car Chooser (or Car Inventory Bar) from the Tools menu and drag the appropriate cars into the BY location. Take care to only select cars with aar codes which match those already present at your industries.

We also need to provide Brunoville with an engine for the local trains, so select an engine and drag it onto the BE engine track that we prepared for it.

Close the car chooser and consider the changes we have made. We have added eight additional cars to the layout by placing them in the new yard. Once the first switchlist has been generated, the first train to visit this yard will pick up these cars and return them to staging. So we now need to ensure that our staging yard has the capacity to accept them.

Provide space in Staging for the incoming train

We now need to be certain that the Staging yard can accept eight cars from the first train from BY but on this layout the S staging location only has the capacity to accept five more cars.

On some layouts it is relatively easy to extend the lengths of the staging tracks, or to add another track to an existing staging yard. Unfortunately this is not a feasible solution on this layout and we will need to reduce the number of cars in Staging to make space for the expected cars.

It therefore seems sensible to delete eight car types that will be replaced by the eight cars expected from the first Fast Freight train to arrive from the new BY yard. At BY we added 4 boxcars, 2 reefers and 2 grain hoppers so we need to remove a similar mix of car types from staging to counter this change.

To remove the highlighted cars, right click on each car in turn and select Delete Car from the context menu.

Step 3 - Using FixOps to update the Ops Central grids.

With sufficient staging capacity to accept eight additional cars from the new class yard, we are now ready to rebuild the Ops Central grids with FixOps. It would make good sense to click the Save button first to ensure your work is preserved until FixOps has saved a copy of the modified layout.

Caution: You did give this layout a new file name didn't you? If not use Save As to protect the original.

FixOps

FixOps will interpret the modified layout data and change the operating pattern on this layout from a single regular Peddler to a combination of a Fast Freight to service the new yard, followed by a Local Train to handle the distribution.

To start rebuilding the data launch FixOps from the command prompt dialog.

Rebuild Locations Grid

When the script pauses for editing of the Locations tab, your new BY class yard will already be shown for each industry in the ViaClassYard column of the grid.

There should be no need for further editing in this grid so Click OK in the small TrackLayer Alert to review the car orders listed in the Industries grid.

Rebuild Industries Grid

Your original edited car order data has been preserved in the Industries grid along with new data in the ViaIn and ViaOut columns for routing the cars through the new yard.

Click OK in the TrackLayer Alert to accept the new data and continue to the Sequence grid.

Rebuild Sequence Grid

The Sequence grid, which originally had only a single Peddler, will now show two trains, a fast freight to service the new yard, followed by a local train to service the industries.

This sequence will repeat indefinitely and has been tested over 50 switchlists.

Rebuild XO Cars Grid

Click OK in the TrackLayer Alert to continue to the XO cars grid which will now include the extra engine located at BE.

As there is no complex routing for the engines or caboose on this layout, the XO cars grid only only displays the current location of each car and its next destination - which is also its current location.

We have no need to edit this information so Click OK again in the TrackLayer Alert to generate the first Switchlist.

Rebuild Switchlist Grid

The Switchlist grid is "read only" and can't be edited but it is worth pausing to review the progress notes. These show that the layout is essentially ready for use and that the completed Ops version of the revised file has already been saved to disk.

Click OK to review the whole FixOps process in the Schedule window - not shown here.

Then Click OK again to close down FixOps and commence operations on your modified layout.