Train dispatching under timetable- and-train-order authority is partly a science and partly an art, and it takes a certain amount of knowledge and experience to do it well. When you first want to try your hand, though, just the mechanics of dealing with train sheets and order books can seem like a big obstacle. This article will give you a basic knowledge of the dispatcher’s work and encourage you to work your way through paperwork as you develop some familiarity with it. That’s when you’ll be able to enjoy the art and science of it.
Read more of the article, “The mechanics of train dispatching,” published in the December 2013 Model Railroader.
Click the links below to download Andy’s recommended The Operators columns, timetable, sample forms, and dispatcher’s train sheet
Excellent article Andy, but according to the "Dispatching requirements" box on page 60, all the forms and train register are available at MR.com. I can only find the timetable and the train sheet ???
I really enjoyed this article, it makes want to get my railroad up and running and follow these practices to increase the realism and emjoyment of operating a model railroad. I appreciate the ability to download the spreadsheets and modify them for my own railroad. Just a great article with the ability to really use what is presented.
Good article by Andy Sperandeo on TT &TO dispatching. While I have collected Dispatcher train books over the years I have never run across the use of a Clearance stamp. Incidentally Staples sells a Trodat Do-It-Yourself Printy 4911 stamp kit. It comes in 3,4, or 5 line types and I used the 4 line type (I gave the "AT" its own line) for my Clearance stamp. The kit is easy to use once you learn to read backwards. Try one word first to see how it stamps – I speak from experience – before finishing.
Look forward to more articles on TT&TO dispatching.
Never before the work of a dispatcher in MRR using TT&TO was explained in such detail and yet so easy to understand! Great article!