General Operations

Card-Order Operations

The Eagle Point Railroad operates bi-directional on single track mainlines with engineer controlled signals and motorized turnouts. To operate on the EPRR alone, insurance policies require that engineers must complete a short orientation which includes reviewing the operating guidelines and completing a brief operators guidelines quiz.

Signals and motorized turnouts

Safety chains, safety wires or drawbars are required.

Spark Arrestors required on coal and wood fire steamers.

There are three types of operations on the Eagle Point Railroad; monthly open run only days, formal card-order operating sessions, and most importantly work day operations. The operating rules apply everyday.

Monthly run day operations occur once a month and are simply joy riding over the completed portions of the railroad with friends. Several members enjoy just riding around through the woods enjoying the outdoors and great view. On these days, usually once a month or more if visiting groups are scheduled, all mainline tracks are kept open for everyone to enjoy. If some people want to work on projects, they need to work without interfering with other running trains.

Work day operations, which may be three or more times a week, mean work trains have priority over pleasure trains that may also want to operate and that sections of track may be closed to through traffic while crews make improvements or repairs. Often crews have to coordinate movements past each other's area of work.

Card-order operations began on the EPRR in 2006 and is the favorite of many, which explains why there are so many extra sidings on EPRR that are not found on most railroads in this scale.

Under card-order operations, you operate your trains and do not just joy ride around the track. Local freight assignments to service the many industries all over the railroad are dispatched from the yards. There is often a passenger train running on a set time schedule that local freights have to keep tracks open to allow to pass areas they are working without delay.

A typical local freight with a two or three person crew leaves with four cars to be delivered to industries located in close proximity to each other and not spread out over the railroad. This eliminates most congestion and delays. Some industries are challenging to work as they may have receiving and shipping tracks or multiple locations to spot cars on a single track.

Card-Order Instructions and map.

Photos from Operating Sessions

April 12, 2008
July 12, 2008
November 8, 2008
April 18, 2009
July 18-19, 2009
October 9-11, 2009