About

This website is for sharing model railroad operations information, both general for anyone, anywhere, and specific for a small group of Central Massachusetts enthusiasts.  Our group includes owners of HO, N and Z scale layouts and quite possibly an O-scaler or two.

While there are many ways to operate a model railroad and many levels of interest, most ultimately choose to follow the operating rules that the prototype railroads used for timetable/train order ** operations.  Hand-in-hand with this approach is the use of a car-card/4-part waybill system to generate traffic.  Many of us have tried various other methods, including computer-based software systems that generate switch lists, etc., but, the tried and true methods pioneered by earlier and more experienced modelers are both practical and common.

Yes, creating car cards and filling out waybills is a long and tedious process if you own a few hundred cars.  However, one can start running operating sessions by setting up paperwork to run fraction of total rolling stock and treat undocumented cars and locomotives as “scenery”.

 So, stop dilly-dallying and just get started!

** The Timetable and Train Order system was the most common system to safely keep railroad traffic moving before the development of new systems such as Centralized Traffic Control (CTC), Direct Traffic Control (DTC) and the use of Track Warrants conveyed by radio.  The last train order form used by a North American RR was on September 3, 2012 by the Long Island Rail Road in New York.  Many model railroaders choose this system for both its historic significance and practicality.  It’s also simpler and less expensive than installing a working signal system such as CTC

History

This group started as an offshoot of “Quaboag Model Railroaders”, an East Brookfield HO club that started in 1997 with the main purpose being to provide a layout for display at the annual Amherst Railway Society’s “Railroad Hobby Show”.  Each year members would transport and assemble the layout, then break it back down for storage until the next year.  After several years passed a permanent home base was established in an old school building just off of Route 9 in East Brookfield across from Lake Lashaway.  This “retired” town building was available to the club for a minimal rental fee with the caveat that the club would hold monthly open houses about nine months of the year.

Then in 2013, along came Bill Barry, an avowed N-Scaler who appeared at an open house with his friend, and club member, Jim Beagle.  Bill had some DCC questions and was introduced to me because we both lived in Monson.  Dave, Jack, John F. and I eventually all “toured” Bill’s extensive layout and Bill joined our HO club.  Within a year or so, the aforementioned commenced holding ops sessions on Bill’s layout and eventually the one N-Scaler convinced the four HO scalers to switch to N.  The crew grew to the point that at times there would be more than a dozen of us showing up at Bill’s for weekly sessions.

This website was started when the group grew to the point where a roster with contact information  became necessary.  However, there are some names on the list who are no longer active in the hobby.

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train operations train operations train operations train operations train operations
train operations train operations train operations train operations train operations
train operations train operations train operations train operations train operations
train operations train operations train operations train operations train operations
train operations train operations train operations train operations train operations

Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson
Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson
Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson
Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson
Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson
Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson Monson

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