WESTPORT TERMINAL RR

That’s the name from an article run by Ivo Cordes. It appeared in the Eisenbahnmagazin in the years 1983 / 84. This article brought me to FREMO.

Playing with a sense in the United States has a long tradition. Even Frank Ellison and his Lines Delta had a cycling system in 1944. The legendary John Allen had in the 60s a system for the car. So had the players at his operating sessions to move the cars following his system..

At the prototype to each freight belongs any freight papers. Copies of which accompany the cargo. With a model railroad the papers could not be put into the car. Therefore, there is the car card, they are considered by the players always parallel to the cars transported. In these cars cards, there is a pocket for the waybills. The waybills are a highly reduced and simplified version of the cargo papers. Only for playing the important information are included, ie destination, shipper and lading. As the only goal here is International Falls indicated. It is not important for the player or his imagination to determine whether the coal go to a conseigne in Arkansas or in Canada. It is only important how to switch the car in Westport. The train goes according to International Falls the next morning.

Widespread are the so-called 4-position waybills. I use this for me in the basement. How do they do? Well, we will place a hopper. It is empty and will be loaded with coal. He is in Westport and goes in a train for Harbor District. There, the car is spottet at the pier. This tells position 1 of waybill.
After the session coal will be loaded and the waybill is flipped to position 2. Now the car is picked up by the next train in the next session. This car goes in train to International Falls. For me, this is the staging yard.

After the session the waybills will be turned again It is now heading position 3. In the 3rd Session - in this example - the car comes with a train from South Jct. to Westport. This is because my trains run in a circle. The train, going to International Falls arrives the left entrance from staging yard.. If this train emerges again, he comes at the right throat, from South Jct.
In Westport, the hopper goes into local to Third Street District and is set out for the coal dealer.
After this - now 3rd - Session, the waybills are turned to the next position. And the coal laod is removed. Because there’s under the load a steel sheet, I can remove the load with a simple magnet. In the fourth session the now empty hopper goes to the staging yard, this time to South Jct.
After the session the waybills are flipped again, everything starts from the beginning. The empty hopper is in a train from International Falls.