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Switch Lists
Below are the switch lists that I use for my ops session. The forms were setup on an Excel spread sheet based closely on the prototype GNRR forms. There are three separate switch jobs, the North Local, Elizabeth Yard Turn, and the Marble Hill Local. You'll notice each one is a little different as to how it is formatted.
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With the North Local #101, cars are staged in Elizabeth Yard ready to depart. The cars listed are what an Engineer would call a "Wheel Report" which lists each car in order from front to back and where it is to be set out. The second part of the switch list, each industry is listed from South to North and the cars that are currently at that industry. Cars to be picked up are listed in the "Block to" column as CSXT ELI, as that is where GNRR interchanges all their cars. If the car at the industry still has the same industry name listed in the block to column then it is not picked up as it is still being loaded/unloaded.
The Elizabeth Yard Turn Job #102 begins in Tate Yard with the cars scheduled to be interchanged with the CSX listed as CSXT ELI. The crew pulls those cars and builds their train. They then head south to Elizabeth Yard (staging cassette on the layout) where they drop off their consist on the siding in Marietta prior to entering the yard. The crew then picks up the outbound cars from Elizabeth Yard to take back to Tate. After they pull those cars from staging, then they set out the inbound cars on that track. Once they return to Tate, the switch list indicates which track to place the cars on in Tate Yard.
The Marble Hill Local starts out with the crew pulling cars in Tate Yard for the local. The cars listed in the Block To column for Georgia Marble and Imerys are sorted out from the cars on Tate Yard Tracks 1 and 2 and are set out on the arrival/departure track. Once they have the cars, they head out to switch the industries in Marble Hill. The switch list indicates which cars at the industry are to be picked up in the Block To column and are listed as CSXT Tate. The list also indicates what track they are to be placed on once the crew gets back to Tate Yard.
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Once I had the switch list set up and formatted, it is easy to make a new one. I just over type the new car information into the appropriate spots and print out a new switch list. I have a 8:1 fast clock that I use to record the set out and pickup times for each car switched. The North Local job takes about an hour to complete which translates to an eight hour day on the fast clock and about what the prototype takes to do a similar job.
Download the switch lists
Excel Spreadsheet
PDF Spreadsheet