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Operating the Oklahoma Sub Division in 1989 Currently, operations are centered around the use of the Old Rail Graphics waybill cards and car card system. I have had to modify the waybill system, especially in the grain traffic area because there are so many different elevator points. Also there are 5 different offline staging areas. Cars on unit grain trains operating into Enid carry one waybill which moves the cars to a particular grain elevator company, such as "Farmland Industries Elevator A". Unit grain trains leaving Enid for end points such as Galveston TX will carry one waybill also stating "Galveston Terminal Grain Export" Other traffic uses modified waybills depending on traffic type. For example, coiled steel flat cars use the traditional waybill with one destination (Oklahoma City-GM) as the load and return to the origin point empty. Trains operated are the actual trains that moved on the prototype in 1989. One extra train is operated on the Enid District that was not on the schedule. Oklahoma City Flynn yard has a switch engine assigned for working trains and local industries. A second switch engine works the GM yard which begins at Flynn Yard. Nowers Yard on the north side of Oklahoma City has a switch engine used to serve different industrial areas, handle traffic to and from the Shawnee Branch and interchange with the UP. Some road freights set out and pickup at Nowers also. A Union Pacific engine also works out of Nowers. In addition to the switch engine at Nowers, road switchers to Guthrie also are based out of Nowers, and there are transfer runs between Nowers and Flynn. Guthrie has a road switcher which works industries at Guthrie yard. Enid has a switch engine assigned to 10th Street Yard. This switch engine works the elevators, the Champlin refinery and other assorted industries. The other road switcher is used between Kiowa and Cherokee on the bottom deck. Operating sessions cover a twelve hour time period, either 6 AM to 6 PM, or 6 PM to 6 AM. This allows the second session to clean up the work of the first session. The BN Avard works out of a large staging yard which represents Tulsa, and runs to Waynoka. The number of trains varies by how many operators are available and who can handle bending over to switch traffic. We always try to operate one grain train into Enid from Tulsa, and maybe one through freight, usually the Birmingham AL to California train and the east bound counterpart. Each crew receives a train packet in a plastic sleeve holding the car cards, a train "soup" sheet, and a description of the work and purpose of the train. 5 channel radios are used to connect with the dispatcher. The dispatcher currently is housed in the garage, so that he/she is completely away from the railroad. A lounge area is set up in the garage. |
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