Extra Trains: Pop-up Extras

 When using TTTO to control traffic, trains not on the Time-Table are called “Extras”.

On the AIR all coal trains run as extras. (Yes, I could have established a schedule, and every coal load moving in the appropriate direction, in the yard at the time of this scheduled trains departure time could be included, but I thought this would be more trouble than it was worth. Model railroad YM’s ALWAYS try to get just one more car into a train. They often forget a scheduled train is coming up. They often forget to put cars into up coming trains…).

On AIR 1 mine runs returned with loads. These loads were weighed and classified. When 25 loads going in a like destination we’re accumulated they were built into a train, and this train was parked in the Pettigrew “A” yard and the dispatcher was notified of its presence. Coal trains received the symbols CXE or CXW, Coal Extra East of Coal Extra West.

On AIR1 we had a rule, “The dispatcher required one hour (real time) advance notice of an extra”, and generally if a loaded coal train (CX-Coal Extra) was ready before the lunch break (The half way point in each session), we tried to run it. If a CX was ready AFTER the lunch break, we let it sit until next session.

The one hour rule was also in effect at Littlerock Yard. As a general rule, trains were not originated at Littlerock, but if cars for a particular destination were accumulating, they could be built into an extra train. A way around the “one hour rule” was to run the cars as a following section of a scheduled train.

-BUT-

the whole point of this one hour/next session rule was to eliminate the VERY unprototypical existence of the “Pop-Up Extra”. Real railroads planned all traffic FAR in advance. A Pop-up Extra on a prototype railroad was a train with 24 hours advance notice at least. Think about problems of crewing a Pop-up? Unlike on model railroads where available crews are hanging around the dispatch room, distracting the dispatcher, prototype train crews are at home sleeping most likely, or performing the myriad of daily tasks they need to catch up on because they have been away from for three or four days, if they are lucky.Locomotives need to be serviced and made ready. Locomotives on the prototype come out of service for federally mandated maintenance. No available locomotives, now what?

If you are a diligent and efficient yard master, many layout owners reward you with pop-up extras full of junk to screw up your plans. If it is beginning to look like I do not like pop-up extras, you are perceptive.

During staging on AIR1,  those extra trains that were made up and were waiting to run were included on the Dispatchers line up. These trains could then be planned for, crewed, and run as part of the sessions traffic. No surprises.

What are your thoughts about Pop-Up Extras?

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