A trip down the Midland Western (using DCC) - Part 1

[trainman203]

Part 1 - preparing to depart the Midland Yard.

Note:  all DCC references or to operation with an NCE pro cab running steam engines with tsunami 2–2 decoders.

The Midland Western is a subsidiary of the Gulf Coast Lines, operated by both the Missouri Pacific and the Frisco.  The year is 1940.

Westbound train no. three is a mixed freight, with a few passengers carried in a side door caboose .  In the past, there had been enough passenger business to warrant an ancient open-platform wood combine on the end of the train. But that car is now in storage and lovingly preserved by the shop, awaiting an upturn in passenger business.

Today's run will be handled by the Frisco. The train is due out around 7 AM, so the Frisco engine crew arrives around 6:30 AM to find Frisco 2–10–0 number 1632 with steam up already, done by the engine watchman starting at 5 AM. 

The crew climbs on board to move the engine to the head of the freight that was already assembled by the yard crew during the night, and is standing ready on the outbound track. The night before, the engine watchman had installed the engineers personal whistle on the engine, a well-tuned deep-toned six – chime from the Santa Fe (cv 120, whistle no. 38).  The engineer sounds a long blast on the six chime to announce imminent movement. (F2).  He then opens the cylinder cocks to evacuate condensate water from the cylinders (F4), sounds two shorts on the six-chime, and slowly opens the throttle to move gently forward.  After 10 seconds, he closes the cylinder cocks (F4 again.)  Approaching the switch at  the throat of the yard, he cuts the steam to drift to a stop just beyond the switch.  ("Option" key.). The side rods can be heard clanking as the engine gently drifts to a stop just beyond the switchstand   https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/cab/cab204.htm?source=froogle&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImarb1YG2_QIV5hvUAR1ASAaiEAQYAyABEgJ9lvD_BwE

The head-end brakeman climbs down from the cab to realign the switch, to allow the engine to back in to the yard . He then notifies the engineer to back up, using the standard hand signal, rotating his arm and hand in a wide circle.  The engineer sounds three shorts (F3) on the six-chime notifying the crew of a back up move into the yard to couple up to the waiting freight. The engine smoothly begins to move backwards and the brakeman swings up into the cab as it slowly passes. 

No. 1632 slows to an almost imperceptible crawl as it approaches the train.  The rear brakeman signals the engineer with the backup hand signal, and when the couplers meet, he swings his hand horizontally at his waist to tell the engineer to cut the steam.  The engineer has hit the cars a little too hard, causing a crash sound to happen (F7, a relocated function on the decoder.) Fortunately no damage occurred. The brakeman couples the tender air hose to the rest of the train's air brake system, and the engineer pumps the train line up to service pressure before the train moves. When this is finished, and the brake test is conducted, train no. three will be ready to leave the yard westbound.

[trainman203]

Train no. 3 consist:

Frisco 2-10-0 no. 1632
UTLX 10000 gal tank car 10360
UTLX 10000 gal tank car 10366
Seaboard Air Line boxcar 18822
Kansas City Southern boxcar 15550
SSW flat car 85082
Texas & Pacific boxcar 30467
SSW boxcar 36502
L&A boxcar 15027
Frisco side door caboose 28