Details
- Crew: C&E
- Head end power: Steam or Diesel (NCE Intermediate Cab or ProtoThrottle)
- Rear end: Idler car M-I #1600
- Locale: Thomure Yard, incline and ferry boat
- Session: Opens with arrival of boat full of southbound cars; Thomure yard will contain northbound (Illinois) cars
Duties
- Board engine in the locomotive service area and pick up idler car MI #1600.
- Assess northbound cars in Thomure Yard & sort per loading rules:
- Car length…each boat track is 196’ long; cars vary in length from 35’ to 54′
- Car weight… each boat track may hold up to 4 cars, but NO more than 3 Loaded cars per track (the waybill’s Lading section notes if a car is Loaded or is MTY)
- Proceed to the incline & cross the diamond when given a CLEAR semaphore indication.
- Pull 1st cut of cars from the center boat track & move them to Thomure Yard (do NOT store cars on A/D tracks).
- Pull a cut of northbound cars from Thomure Yard & back them onto the center track.
- Call for the Boat Captain to re-position the boat after the idler car clears the incline apron.
- Rinse & repeat the above process for the remaining two boat tracks.
- Once cars on all boat tracks have been exchanged…
- Call for the Boat Captain to depart for Illinois (boat will be re-staged)
- Request clearance from Yardmaster to deliver the southbound cars to Middle Yard
- Handoff the waybills & paperwork to the Yardmaster
- [Steam engines only] Refill tender water before working the next boat (F9 for water; press again to stop)
Important Notes
- The incline grade is steep; when climbing with steam power, try extra throttle to start, then back off. Watch for wheelslip.
- The two A/D tracks (light tan colored ballast) are primarily used by Middle Yard. When clear, the Incline Crew may use the Secondary A/D track for run-around moves. Most importantly, do NOT use them for car storage while working the boat.