This is still a work in progress so the text might change at any time.

A management session will be held the week before the operating session. The management session could result in more or less trains scheduled to run in the operating session. To match crews to trains the trains that need crews will be listed on 12 Mile Station. Crews would normally be assigned because they wanted a train and the trains “manager” wanted them or by me at the crews request.

Some trains might be without a crew on operating day but I hope that would not normally be the case if the train belonged to a “manager” that would of course be their problem in any case if there is no crew available the train will not run. Some trains would have a short running time so one operator would be able to run several trains in a session.

When a train is ready for a crew they will pick up their throttle and report to the location where their locomotive is. Before selecting the locomotive on their throttle they will sign in on a computer screen (all locations where train could originate will have a computer).  The train crew sign in would be a very simple screen where the train is selected and the crew adds their handles (account name) to the crew positions they are working and their locomotive number (I might limit the use of sections so extra cars will need to be handled by extra long trains). When the train is created the dispatcher would see that on his screen and the crew would print their order sheet to collect any orders for their train when the dispatcher releases the orders for the train. Once the crew has orders they select their locomotive on their throttle and go to work.

For working the train the crew can print a wheel report of the cars that are on the train (before leaving that station this would be the cars that should be on the train after leaving the station it would only be the cars read by the reader as the train leaves the station) and at their option they can use a screen to sort the cars into a switch list to print at any time.

When a train enters or leaves a station the readers on each side of the station will OS the dispatcher about the location of the train. If the order signal is on for the station the crew would need to check the printer to see if they have orders. Train orders will be printed on a label printer and the crew can stick them on their order sheet. After the crew gets their orders they would notify the dispatcher by using a computer screen where they would select their train number and enter the id numbers of the orders they picked up. If there are orders at station A and the crew ran through without a notification to the dispatcher he would know that happened because of the automatic OS (I will have to do some thinking about what should happen next perhaps the order signals would turned on for the other trains and the crew would be "fired" at the next station).

The station readers would record the time from that last station to the next and that would be used to compute the train speed so it would be known if the crew ran the train faster then the allowed speed printed on their train orders. The main line would include markers that the crew could use to compute their speed by timing their train.

When the crew arrives at a location to pull, drop or spot cars one crew member would mark that status of the cars into an activity screen for their train. The activity screen would have links for all locations and with one click they would see a custom list of pulls, drops and spots for their current location and they could mark the activity as complete with a click in a check box as the cars are worked.

After the trains work is complete the crew would disconnect their throttle from the locomotive and use a computer screen to end the train. Once the train is ended the dispatcher would see that on his train sheet screen.