Targeting train briefs

We have had discussions about train or job briefs for a long time. At least fifteen years. A job brief is a short concise document that describes what responsibilities each train or job has. The discussion revolves around what we should try to tell each potential job holder about the job they have selected.

For a long (LOOOONG) time I maintained that the job brief should be targeted at the novice so that a visiting guest can understand what is expected. 

I overlooked the obvious. A regular crew member, someone who will be coming over every session and who will, over time, get the opportunity to work a job multiple times will, in time, work himself out of the need for a job brief. But first time job holders, even from regular crew members need to know what you want.

The brief is targeted at the novice, every time. I think what the potential crewman needs is two separate sets of instructions. First, he needs a “Job Brief”, that outlines general responsibilities (“Switch the Transfer Freight house first, then the outbound house, finally the inbound house…”) and Second, he needs a “message”, “bulletin” or note (What ever railroady name you want to call it) that informs him of work that is pending, or a switching order that is different FOR THE CURRENT SESSION ONLY.

For example if today he must move a cut of cars to the main yard to make an early connection, something that needs his attention right away (At the start of the session).

Now the permanent job brief should be as short and clear, yet as comprehensive,  as possible. No one, NO ONE, wants to read a full, single spaced, typed both sides, page of instructions. They won’t, in most cases,  read it anyway, and if they do they will not retain information from the first of second paragraph.

I’m wondering if some sort of serial script, “do this first, do this second” type of thing is best. This will have to be coupled with a map and on-layout signage that shows him where the inbound freight house is located.

A little side note here, I’ve operated on layout’s with structures that are not labeled. This is trouble. If you have a waybill that clearly reads “bakery”, and you’ve built a bakery structure, but there is no sign on that structure that reads “bakery”, is that the bakery or the foundry? Often I get waybills clearly marked for an industry that’s not present on the layout, “Oh, we were thinking of adding a foundry but never got around to it…”. Can you see the problems here?

So a short, concise train brief needs to be located at the job site or in the train packet, and a message with last minute job updates or tasks needs to be included.  I’d suggest reading the job brief while timing yourself. If it takes longer than 8-10 minutes, I’d start editing it down.

My group of layout owners have decided that a pre op talk or brief should be 10 minutes long, 15 at the Max*. Your operators all want to start playing trains, not listening to you talk. If your pre op speech covers last minute high-lights, and then your train briefs cover each job in detail, you crews can get to operating in 10-15 minutes, with minimum eye rolling.

*I was at one layout where the pre op brief was one hour and fifty-five minutes! Layout owners WANT to talk about their layouts. I think taking an hour relating a fictional history of your line is excessive. Maybe write a history and make it available as a hand out or download.