I recently got invited to an operating session at Dave Parks's Western Maryland/Baltimore and Ohio layout. David's layout is huge, and can take a crew of 10-15 to operate properly. My job this time was to be in charge of Evitts Creek yard, a mixed freight yard just outside of Cumberland, Ohio. On David's layout, this is the main place for trains to get sorted. Because Dave's layout is primarily a coal hauler (and coal trains get handled at coal-only yards), that meant I didn't always have a ton of work to do. Luckily, I brought my camera to capture some candid photos of life during an operating session.
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Coal train passes through Evitts Creek yard.
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Switching in Cumberland
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I don't know what Jim Betz did, but I'm very scared.
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Steve Williams, dispatcher, looks at the train sheet to figure out which train is leaving next.