# Way Bill Operations



## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Is an article written for HO back in August 1960 valid today for Garden Railroading?

I don't know. I am thinking about it. What do you think?

I loved it when he said "I was financially unable to install an electronic computer" because today most of us have them but I for one don't want to carry one around to run my trains with.

I noticed this article refers to a switching problem "last month." I looked and I do have that issue as well. If anyone is interested, let me know SOON and I will post it. Otherwise I will throw it away when I finish reading it. I buy these old magazines in bulk and throw them away after I read them.[/b]






























The layout is large but I have seen a lot of larger Garden Railways.

Here are links to higher resolution pages:

http://www.mylargescale.com/1stclas...ons001.jpg
http://www.mylargescale.com/1stclas...ons002.jpg
http://www.mylargescale.com/1stclas...ons003.jpg

I am not very familiar with the various operating systems in use so if you or your friends or your club is running a different system, feel free to jump in and add information on whatever system you are using.

For that matter if anyone would like to offer improvements on the above that too is welcome. This is just one option I happened to run across.

Jerry


----------



## Fred (Jan 2, 2008)

Terry Walsh & Doug Smith were pioneers in early card order type operations. Reading their articles is what got me going in color-coded card waybills. Like I've said before, I use the same color-coded card waybills for my outdoor railroad that i used for over 25 years on my basement HO layout. Instead of "boxes/pidgeon holes" for the 'bills' I use loose-leaf type rings (same kind I used as a paperboy waaaayyy back when) to hold the cards.


----------



## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By Fred on 18 Jul 2011 12:35 PM 
(same kind I used as a paperboy waaaayyy back when) to hold the cards. 

In August 1960 I was a 16 year old paperboy with 3 newspapers to be delivered.

Today I would be hard pressed to find any towns or cities with 3 newspapers.

Come to think of it I can't remember the last time I saw a bicycle with a basket that could be used to carry newspapers.


----------



## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Jerry,
I tried Way Bill's back about 4 years ago and stopped using it after the only 1 year. I've been thinking about giving it another try, but I've been saying that for a couple of years now, with no progress. I found the cards were inconvenient for me. The Loose-leaf rings that Fred mentioned, makes more sense than using the boxes. I'll have to give that a try. 

What I migrated to, from that first adventure with the Way Bill system was assigning 2-3 numbers to each car. The number represented the customer, or siding for the customer. On my layout the numbers range from 1-17, as I have 17 customers. The numbers can be put on the side, or top of each car, as I did, or simply use a Post-it on the top of each car. The first number on the car is the first location to drop the car off. After a time, it's picked up and moved to the 2nd customer, then onto the 3rd, and back to the first again. Since the numbers are on each car, there is nothing extra to carry around, or blow away. It takes me a full day to move everything between the 2 numbers. Some cars do not have numbers, which represent the pass through. They just keep moving around the layout, never getting dropped off. 

This might not work for everyone, but it got me heading in the right direction. 











Regards,
Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/*


----------



## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Fred,
Do your Way Bill's go into a plastic sleeve of some type that's then held by the split ring at each location, or does each card have a punched hole? How about a picture or two?

Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/*


----------



## Fred (Jan 2, 2008)

Mark, 
Sorry no picture but yes I have a hole puncher I use. Instead of bill boxes I have hooks on each of the town/location boards : pickup, spotted/hold, to spot and each hook has one of those rings so the cards don't come flying off ll over the yard. The town board hang on eye hooks at their location so I can take them off & into the garage in betwen operating sessions with the car color-coded cards hanging from them so next session I know exactly where every car is suppose to be located. I found that computer printed programs don't allow for cases where the whole operating session is completed and when you run the program for the next session the computer assumes the cars made it to their destination when in fact they didn't & I would then find the cars & locate them where the computer says they should be so they will be in position for their move as directed by the computer program. That's the way it used to be - I don't know if an improved program has been developed to overcome this problem. I just know the system I'm using allows for you to stop at anytime & pick up where you left off the next time you operate & the rings keep the waybills from blowing away. I do not use any waybills for engines or cabooses.


----------



## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Seems like this should be more applicable to subways.

After all, _Fee Waybill_ wrote and sang for the _Tubes_.


----------

