Whenever a train is ready to depart from its originating station the air brakes, must be checked, bearings should be monitored, etc. Sometimes problems are detected which delay departure. But often, the conductor/engineer is issued a Clearance Form and allowed to proceed on schedule. We don’t have compressed air, hot boxes, etc. But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t take a few minutes to pretend before getting underway.
Below are a few sample cards to introduce a level of realism. The idea is to pick a card from the deck each time a train is ready to leave its initial station. (This process could be extended to other stations along the way if desired by the session host.) Keep in mind that if you are using, for example, a 4 to 1 fast clock, an hour delay is only 15 minutes – go get a cookie and a beverage before heading out.
Model Train Operations 