TLPTPW---Kingdom Edition

Congrats, Mikey.

Oooooooyyyyy.....

Actually, I'm surprised I don't feel worse this morning. I ran 3142 (and allowed other people to run it) both days of the weekend, and I issued more than 40 movement authorities. A few of those were to myself and only issued in my head, but I wrote most of them down in a little notebook. I guess my arms ache most of all, from pulling myself up onto the car so many times.

I started off at 10:20 a.m. on Saturday by authorizing myself to go from Yard 7 (track 71, which was unusual) to the Tail Track, reverse onto the Car Line, and into normal rotation. While I was doing that, the next order was "431, clearing 3142 at the Tail Track diamond, you are authorized out of Yard 6, into the Tail Track, and reverse on the Car Line to Station Track 1." Next came "431, you are authorized for an 11:00 departure to the Out Of Service limits, no meets east, you are authorized to operate in the Grove Block in both directions, no meets west to Signal 151 and call." The restriction was in case the diesel was ready to move to the train, but it wasn't. I authorized 431 to pass 151 and proceed to the west end of Schmidt Siding and return to 1. Then I had to authorize them to pass the Absolute Signal displaying Stop indication at the east end of Schmidt. Had to do that every time all day, and a couple of times Sunday (generally, the Sunday crews didn't go all the way into the siding and didn't need permission to pass the signal to come out).

At 11:35, I allowed 1605 to come out of Track 22, into Station 1, and shuffle over to 2 onto their train. At 11:55, 8537 wanted to come out of 43 West and go to 50th Ave. Then they made a couple of trips from there through the South Yard Connector to the south yards. For the first of those, someone else was running 3142 and I had to tell him to hold at Barn 9 North.

At 12:03, I authorized 1605 for a 12:15 departure for the same trip 431 had made, except I didn't restrict them to 151 and they short turned at West Switch, just taking headroom into Schmidt.

At 1:00, I sent 431 for another trip, then had to call and amend the order to restrict them to 151 again because Track Department wanted to take the tamper out on the Main west of East Switch, and take the Main out of service between East Switch and Olson Road. I allowed this, although they took their sweet time getting clear of East Switch and into their limits. Then I told 431 to return to 1 via East Switch. 1605's engineer (the General Manager) walked down and threw the east 1-2 switch for 1 so 431 could come in, then sat and waited until they passed and threw it back to 2 for his own upcoming trip.

About 1:50, Track Dept. wanted to wye their machine. I gave them authority to short turn at West Switch, into the West Wye, onto the Car Line, and, clearing 3142 (which I had to get on and move myself) off the East Wye and 1605 out of 2, out to the Main and back into their limits via East Switch. 1605 got an order for a 2:00 trip to the OOS limits and return to 2 via East Switch.

1:55 15 out of Yard 9 and through the South Yard Connector to Yard 11, then at 2:00 switching authority out of Yard 11 on the Car Line, meaning I had to to tell myself to call them each time I was ready to depart Electric Park.

At 2:20, Track Dept. finished for the day and went back to Track 24, putting the Main back in service.

[3 hour break in the middle of typing all this]

431 made a trip at 3:00. 1605 made a trip at 4:00. Then came my biggest flubs of the day, which I was coached through. 1605 had a Take the Throttle trip, which they wanted to do at 4:50, with 431 doing a cleanup trip at 5:00 for any visitors who were left. So, the orders (as corrected):

1605 is authorized to depart at 4:50 p.m. to the Out Of Service limits. No meets east. Authority in the Grove Block in both directions. Westbound, meet 431 at Johnson Siding, then short turn at West Switch and return to 2. Student conductor repeats it back to me. That is correct. Engineer repeats it back. That is correct.

431 is authorized to depart at 5:00 p.m. to Johnson Siding and hold the main. (Normally, this would be easier, but the Manual Blocks messed it up.)

I had to wait by the base radio in the depot to hear 1605 release the Grove Block and acknowledge it. Then I could add to 431's order. 431 has authority to operate in the Grove Block in both directions to the Out Of Service limits. Westbound, no meet at Johnson, meet 1605 at Signal 81, then proceed to the west end of Schmidt Siding and return to 1.

I waited at the depot until 1605 was in, then radioed the 94 switch to line for 1 for 431. Then I sent myself to bed. I had to call Car Dept. to ask where they wanted me to park 3142, since I could see that 71 was otherwise occupied. They told me to leave it outside on 63 and leave the handles inside. Fine with me. I also allowed 431 to go to bed back where they started, inside on 62. 1605 was shut down and left on the train for Sunday. Then I handed off Dispatcher to one of the Car Dept. guys and signed out.

'ello Annie :-)

Good morning everyone. :-)

CONGRATS Mikey!!!!! :-)

Rather than bore you with ALL the details of Sunday (although there are fewer of them), I will give you one important incident and a fairy tale.

Important incident: the student conductor on 1605 gathered his crew for the crew briefing before they started for the day, and I went to issue their first order in person. When I said "authority to occupy the Grove Block in both directions," the engineer pilot -- who is also the general manager of the museum -- questioned me on why I said it that way. He thought just giving authority for the block was enough and the direction was irrelevant. I said I thought it was in the rule book that way. When they returned from their first trip, he called on the radio to say he'd looked it up and I was right.

Fairy tale: once upon a time, on a beautiful Sunday in May, a streetcar motorman pulled up to Depot Street and opened the doors to let most of his passengers off and more on. A passenger came back and told him his trolley pole was off the wire. The motorman, who already had the reverser key in his pocket, set the brake to full emergency and got off the car to look for himself. At first glance, it seemed fine, but he went closer... and found that the little wheel on the end had come off the wire and the wire was stuck in the wheel's hub. He tried pulling the pole down, but not too hard, not wanting to break the wire or pull it off a hanger. He got on the radio and called the Car Department, explaining the problem. The conductor of 714 came over and adivsed the motorman to chock his wheels. Then two guys from the Car Dept. arrived on a golf cart and tried to pull it. They decided they would drop the substation, killing the 600VDC power in the trolley wire throughout the museum, and go up on the roof. They motored off again in their golf cart, returning a few minutes later, driving with one hand and holding a ladder on the roof with the other. Meanwhile, the motorman had advised the few passengers on the car that there was a technical problem and it would not run for a little while. One of the Car guys leaned half of an extension ladder against the side of the car and climbed it, carrying a step ladder up with him. He asked the motorman to raise the other pole for extra grounding. He carefully set the step ladder on the roof and climbed up it to examine the wheel. Coming down again, he asked for the large screwdriver. Unfortunately, the motorman didn't see exactly what he did with it, but soon the wire was loose and he was examining the wheel for damage. He came down with his ladder, took down the other ladder, and advised the motorman to wye the car. The Car guys loaded up their ladders again and putted away, saying to wait at least a minute after they turned on the power before moving.

The motorman, who was also dispatcher, gave 714 an order for a special movement: immediate departure, meet 1605 at East Switch, short turn at East Switch, meet 1605 again at West Switch, short turn at West Switch, and follow 3142 back into Station Track 1. The conductor went off to explain this to his motorman and unchock his train (he had also lowered his poles when the sub was off). The streetcar motorman boarded the car and moved it against the current of traffic to Central Avenue, threw the switch to let himself into the West Wye, and pulled down to wait for 1605 to come in. Meanwhile, they were asking for permission to put the 94 switch on hand because it wouldn't throw on power, but the Signal Dept. guy showed up and got it to throw. The motorman asked the Signal guy to line him off the West Wye next, then into 1, with 714 following. He pulled down to the east berth and accepted a few passengers for another trip around the Car Line, departing for it once he had issued 714 an order for a normal trip to the Out Of Service limits (which the real conductor of 1605 had taken to reading back as "the Outer Limits," his student having run off to join a switch crew). And the motorman lived happily but wearily ever after... until the Big Bad Superintendent said he wanted to talk about it.

Back in reality, when I was ready to put the car to bed, I again asked the Car guys where to put it and they said deep in the Tail Track, leaving room for 714 (two cars) to get to the yard. I fervently hope the four chocks I put under it held. I think if it had rolled down and hit the bumper I would have heard about it by now. It would be a bigger issue for the Superintendent to want to talk about.