A meet on the Lehigh Line. Such carefully orchestrated moves would not be possible if it wasn’t for the dedicated crews that help operate the Conrail New Jersey Division.
	2005 Tonnage Report for Matt Snell’s HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division.
	The Conrail New Jersey Division CATDF facility. Photo by Matt Snell.
	The radio console is how dispatchers keep in contact with crews out on the road. Photo by Matt Snell.
	Picture of CTC panels that control the Chemical Coast Secondary. Photo by Matt Snell.
	The CTC panel illustrates a meet on the Lehigh Line at Durham. Photo by Matt Snell.
	Rob keeps busy with operations at Oak Island Yard. Photo by Matt Snell.
	Conrail New Jersey Division CATDF Superintendent Debie Snell and Conrail executive E-9 4021. Photo by Matt Snell.
	Matt Snell pictured with a NJT diesel during a fact finding mission in the Garden State. Photo collection of Matt Snell.

By M. R. Snell/Photos by the Author

In the last segment we saw how we keep everybody on the same page operationally. Now we'll take a look at how the dispatchers keep it moving.

The Dispatchers
"New Jersey Division CATDF - 'We Make It Happen.'" You’ll see this sign displayed on the wall in the dispatcher’s office, and it's the truth. The dispatchers are not only responsible for keeping the trains moving, but also for live staging. The dispatchers have control over a four-track staging yard. With more than 22 trains a day running that means that all cars and engines have to be placed onto or removed from staging tracks and put away and replaced with new equipment and the matching waybill cards. In a single session this can be in excess of 300 pieces of equipment.

Let's start with a look at the dispatcher’s facility. Entering the facility you are entering into a dimly lit alcove where you are completely isolated from the railroad except for the three two-way radios used to communicate with the railroad operators. Along with the radios are three train logs, one for each of the dispatching desks - Lehigh (Lehigh Line and Perth Amboy Secondary), branch line (Chemical Coast Secondary) and Amtrak/NJTRO (both NJ Transit Lines and Amtrak). On these logs all train movements are recorded, as well as Form D's issued and blocking applied, as well as any unusual circumstances affecting railroad operations, such as track problems.

Wrapping around the wall are CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) panels for the Lehigh Line, the Chemical Coast Secondary, NJ Transit's Raritan and North Jersey Coast Line, and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Through the use of the CTC panels signals and switches are set determining train movements across the entire Division.

The dispatcher has control over the "home signals" to their territories and the remaining signals are automatic contingent on switch position. Along the Lehigh Line the dispatcher takes control of the railroad westbound at CP Townley. The portion between Townley and NK is remotely controlled by NK Tower as the eastbound signals at Townley guard the entrance to Oak Island Yard.

In addition to manually-controlled home signals and switch control, the panels also feature a series of interlocks for field-controlled switches. Once the dispatcher gives a crew permission to open one of these switches an interlock is thrown to ensure a signal against that train cannot be given. Once it is reported that the switch is "lined and locked normal" the interlock is reset and the signals will return to normal operation. Another way the dispatchers insure that everything moves along without any disasters is through the use of Blocking Devices on the panel. These blocking devices are applied to switches, signals, and interlocks as required when cars are left standing or tracks are removed from service.

Three radio channels are in use, one for each dispatcher's desk, as well as a "block line" which enables the dispatcher to talk to Oak Island, Portside, and Port Reading Yards. The train lineup is on a white board opposite the radio console and is updated throughout the day as train movements are completed.

All in all it gets to be quite a busy place, especially with the fast clock next to the radio console ticking away.

The Operators
We've now covered all the aspects of how the railroad operates except for the most important part: people. While all the equipment helps set the stage, the operators actually keep the trains moving. As can be imagined it takes a sizable group to make all this happen and putting together this group can be quite intensive.

When putting a group together you will need to try to reach harmonious balances of the operator's available time and the requirements of how many operators are required for a successful session. At the same time you don't want to roster so many people that it's overkill and have people standing around bored.

The operators on my HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division come from a wide range of ages and occupations. We have everyone from elementary school, high school and college students to retirees, and blue collar professionals, such as myself (I’m a dock worker). Just as the 1:1 world does not just operate 9 to 5 on Monday through Friday, I try to accommodate a wide range of schedules for my operators.

To operate the entire railroad we have found a good complement to be eight to nine people for the day shift side (representing 7:00am-7:00pm railroad hours) and up to seven people for the nighttime and overnight hours. As some operators are available at night rather than during the day we recently split the sessions into a "day shift" and "night shift". As the railroad remains in linear time this works out as one group takes over where the other left off. As an added bonus the railroad is not in the same condition operators left it in when they return for the next session.

I have found that placing the operating sessions into designated consistent timeframes allows everyone to plan and those who know of commitments in advance (such as vacations, graduations, etc.) can usually mark off in ample time to allow for a fill in operator. As I am consistently off on Sundays (anyone who is familiar with the freight business will understand when I say we "bid for shifts" every six months based on seniority) we assemble on the first and third Sunday of the month from 1:00-5:00pm and 7:00-10:00pm. This also avoids conflicts with operators who are NMRA members as the local meetings are the second Sunday of the month. My railroad rosters 22 operators at the time I'm writing this (and we're always looking to add more). This allows us some flexibility as some can only make it once a month and allows for some substitution for operators who have chosen to "mark off" for a session or are taking an extended leave for a summer job, etc.

Keeping track of all this seems really complex, but is actually rather easy. At the end of a session an e-mail is sent to everyone and they have a week to confirm for the next session. As the sessions are bi-weekly, in the event that there are not enough people to run a session a decision can be made a week away as to run "light" or cancel. This way it isn't a situation of waiting till the last minute and screwing up alternate plans that operators may have had. Operators who continually call off within a week of sessions they have confirmed for are moved down to an extra board and are called upon as needed. Operators who "no call - no show" for a session they have confirmed for are given a second chance and if they do it a second time they are dropped, as this isn't fair to the group that did confirm and attend.

Who’s Railroad is it Anyway?
Several things I have learned when running a large home layout involving an operating group is that first you have to remain true to your goals. There was an excellent editorial piece in Railroad Model Craftsman magazine in which the author, a fan of timetable and train order operation, had changed his theme to suit the operators and had lost sight of what his original ideas and goals were by changing. In the end he was unhappy as he was essentially running a "Railroad Disneyland" for others.

In the construction of the railroad I did not solicit, nor accept any help from others, with the exception of Debie, my spouse. Having accompanied me on countless railfan journeys and research trips to New Jersey she and I had the same ideas and goals for the final product. Once you start involving others your goal can become muddied as everyone applies their own tastes.

The same holds true for operating sessions. There have been several people who wanted to join in our operations, only to say, "Well, that's not how so-and-so railroad does it." Another common complaint is that "This [operating procedure] is too much to learn - I just want to run trains!" Well folks, here we run Conrail, and we do it their way. Sure, a few potential candidates have been lost along the way and they may have turned out to be great operators… but you have to remain true to your own goals.

Another thing to remember is that this is not a club, at least not as we tend to think of railroad clubs. In a conversation with a potential operator once he said, "So it's like a club, right? I can bring my trains and run them?" Well, I’m sorry, no, you can’t. Sure, we'll let guys who don't have a layout bring a piece to run now and then, but not on a regular basis and not unless it fits in with the theme and is cleared by the mechanical forces for plow clearances, Kadee couplers, metal wheels, cut trip pins, etc. This is not done to be mean or controlling, but to keep my railroad true to my goals. How realistic would it be if I had Santa Fe, Chessie, CB&Q, PRR, C&O, Rutland, etc. all running around in north Jersey in the 1990s? I simply tell potential operators that if you want a club environment, then join a club. Once again – it’s all about remaining true to your goals.

On the other hand, we are like a club to the degree that we enjoy operating trains together, have shared stories and pictures, helped each other out with modeling issues, gone out railfanning, and forged some close friendships. As our operators develop their own layouts, I'll be more than happy to join them in operating.

Meet The Crew
Hopefully you've enjoyed learning about the operations of the New Jersey Division and taken away something you can use in your own situation. One of the things that make this hobby great is the open exchange of ideas between modelers, as well as the friendships made that extend beyond running or building trains. I had the great pleasure of meeting many of you at the 2005 NMRA National Convention, which is was held here in Cincinnati, Ohio, and even more of you at the 2005 Northeastern Region NMRA Convention in Stamford, Connecticut. I look forward to making even more friends in the future and learning from them as well! Assembling a good operating group can be a challenge, but when the railroad is running under full power with a good crew it is absolutely amazing!

Coming Up…
Now on to our next and final installment, which will be a day out railfanning on the New Jersey Division.

About the Author
Matt Snell , 37, was born and raised in northern New Jersey, which became the basis for his HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division. Matt is a dockworker currently residing in Milford, Ohio. Matt also writes for the Conrail Historical Society newsmagazine and will soon appear in Railmodel Journal. His HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division has been featured in Great Model Railroads 2006, and will be featured in an upcoming video from Allen Keller. Matt has been a model railroader and a railfan since age 12 and is currently married, "with goldfish and trains."