Transfers: The Sperandeo Rule

 I drove up to Timonium yesterday, a two hour drive each way. Half of the drive was spent with John Barry and we talked about transfers. The Sperandeo Rule of transfers came up. I believe I’ve discussed this before, but Andy Sperandeo stated that transfers of my era, ran one way with cars and returned home light. This was a union negotiated work rule. If the Foreign transfer picked up cars on its return trip, that job would, in fact, be taking work from the home road crews. So for example a AIR transfer run to the C&O would bring cars to the C&O, then return home with only its caboose. Then the C&O would, with its own crew, engine, and caboose bring cars to the AIR, and then return home with only its caboose.

To operate transfers in this manner on my layout would require additional engines and cabooses, as well as a CREWMAN to run the other half of the transfer.

My idea is to use transfers as a means to control the work load, but I’d like it if the transfer could be made by the crew that needs the transfer; that is to say, if the Freight House job needs/wants a transfer he would, in fact run the transfer; changing hats and employers as it were, back and forth.

Here’s where John Berry comes in. His suggestion was to build an interchange track for each of the connecting roads, where the first transfer of each road is staged at the start of each session. Then the AIR transfer run goes to the NYC interchange track, spots his cars and picks up the cars NYC has for us. No need for a foreign road engine.

This works for only the 1st transfer of each foreign road at the start of the session. We could build an interchange track set up where the AIR “Reach’s in” to the staging yard and pull’s each succeeding transfer cut and spots his cars on the now empty staging track. 

I’m not sure I’m happy with this however. I want to see the foreign road engine and caboose on the layout. I’m inclined to go back to my original idea and have these transfers come out of their respective staging yard, driven by the crew that wants the transfer, and ignoring the Sperandeo rule.