COLVILLE SUBDIVISION TIMETABLE NO. 6

SYSTEM SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

Section J—HOUSE RULES

1.	AUTHORITY OF SUPERINTENDENT: All decisions made by the Superintendent are final and may not be appealed.
2.	AUTHORITY OF DISPATCHER AND YARDMASTER: All decisions made by the Dispatcher and the Yardmaster, with regard to railroad operations within their respective territories, are final.
3.	THINK SAFETY: Safety is of paramount importance. In case of doubt or uncertainty, the safe course must be taken. Running, roughhousing, or playing practical jokes on or near railroad property is strictly prohibited. Immediately report to the Superintendent any unsafe condition or activity.
4.	CREW CONDUCT: Conduct of crew members during an operating session should be of a professional manner, commensurate with having fun. Anyone behaving in a careless or disruptive manner may, at the Superintendent's discretion, be suspended for the remainder of the session.
5.	GUEST CONDUCT: Guests shall not interfere in any way with the operating session. Guests behaving in a disruptive manner may, at the Superintendent's discretion, be banned for the remainder of the operating session.
6.	OBJECTS ON RIGHT-OF-WAY: No crew member or guest shall purposely place any object on or near the right-of-way that might cause an accident or damage equipment. Anyone found guilty of such offense by the Superintendent may be suspended for the remainder of the operating session. Anyone committing wanton, reckless, or other serious offenses may be permanently banned.
7.	FOOD AND BEVERAGES: Care shall be exercised to prevent spilling any beverage or food on or near the right-of-way. In the event of spill, the Superintendent shall be notified immediately and all train movements in the area suspended until such spill is cleaned up and it is known that it is safe to proceed.
8.	USE OF LOCOMOTIVES: No locomotive on the layout shall be handled or operated by anyone without the permission of the locomotive's owner.
9.	AVOID DAMAGE: Care shall be exercised by all crew members and guests to avoid damage to equipment and property. Specifically, the following precautions shall be observed:
	a.	Avoid unnecessary handling of engines and cars to prevent damage to finish, details and mechanisms. If necessary to remove permanently-connected locomotives (consist or engine and tender) from track, remove all units simultaneously to avoid damage to jumper cables.
	b.	Exercise extreme care to avoid dropping engines, cars, throttles and other hand-held electronic equipment. Dropped equipment must not be returned to service until proper operation has been verified.
	c.	When switching cars, exercise care during coupling and uncoupling operations. For manual uncoupling of cars, use only the proper uncoupling tools.
	d.	Exercise care when reaching between, over, around or near buildings, bridges, signals, and other structures.
	e.	Exercise care to ensure track rails are not accidentally grounded or shorted. Any over-current condition, blown fuse, or tripped circuit breaker must be reported to the Superintendent and operations not resumed until cause has been identified and corrected. Locomotives trailing into switch not properly lined and causing short circuit shall be immediately pushed by hand back beyond the insulated gaps at the frog to clear the short. Exercise care to prevent damage to locomotive finishes and details.
	Prompt report shall be made to the Superintendent concerning any damage to engines, cars, buildings, bridges, signals or other equipment or structures. The Superintendent will be responsible for informing the owner of the equipment about the damage, and will mediate between the owner and the person responsible for the damage to the mutual satisfaction of each party.
10.	EQUIPMENT STANDARDS:
	a.	All locomotives shall be equipped with an NMRA Digital Command Control (DCC) compatible decoder, of sufficient current capacity to handle the motor's stall current without damage. Locomotives shall meet NMRA standards with respect to wheel gage, and shall be equipped with Kadee-compatible magnetically-actuated knuckle couplers that maintain the proper coupler height and trip pin clearance as determined by a Kadee coupler height gage. Failure of locomotives to meet these requirements is cause for removal of the equipment from use.
	b.	All rolling stock shall meet NMRA standards with respect to weight and wheel gage. All rolling stock shall be equipped with body-mounted Kadee-compatible magnetically-actuated knuckle couplers that maintain the proper coupler height and trip pin clearance as determined by a Kadee coupler height gage. Trucks shall be free-rolling and shall swivel freely. All wheelsets shall have metal wheels, free of dirt and grime; plastic wheels are not permitted. Failure of equipment to meet these requirements may be cause for removal of the equipment from use.
11.	PERSONAL EQUIPMENT: Crew members who wish to include their own personal equipment in an upcoming operating session must inform the Superintendent at least one week prior to the session. All personal equipment must be available to the Superintendent for inspection prior to the start of the session.
12.	DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT: Any piece of equipment that derails more than two times during an operating session or that has dragging equipment or broken coupler shall be removed from the layout. Permission of the Superintendent shall be obtained prior to removing such equipment from the track. When removing equipment, exercise care to prevent damage to finish and details. Defect card shall be filled out and retained with the train switchlist until the post-session car location audit has been completed. Defect card may therefter be given to the equipment's owner, who shall repair the equipment before it may be placed back in service.
13.	COLLISIONS AND DERAILMENTS: All collisions and related derailments shall be reported and explained to the Superintendent who will determine fault and assess appropriate demerit points, if warranted.
14.	STAY WITH TRAIN: Crew members shall stay with their train to visually inspect for defects, debris on the track, proper turnout alignment, etc. Improper attention to train can lead to collisions or derailments, which are subject to demerit points.
15.	SPEED LIMITS: Maximum authorized speeds listed elsewhere in this timetable shall not be exceeded. Excessive speed is an operating violation subject to demerit points.
16.	STOP BEFORE CHANGING DIRECTION: Trains and engines shall be brought to a complete stop and the throttle set to speed step 0 (zero) before changing direction. Reversing a train or engine under power can result in a derailment, an operating violation subject to demerit points.
17.	STOP IN ADVANCE OF SIGNAL: When approaching a signal displaying stop or stop-and-proceed indication, stop shall be made well in advance of the signal to avoid crossing over the insulated gap at the section of track being protected. Passing a signal displaying stop indication without authority is an operating violation subject to demerit points.
18.	STOP AT SWITCH NOT PROPERLY LINED: When approaching a switch not properly lined in a trailing-point movement (from the frog end), stop shall be made well short of the fouling point of the switch to avoid causing a short-circuit at the insulated gap near the frog. Trailing into a switch not properly lined and causing a short-circuit is an operating violation subject to demerit points.
19.	NO VOX: To prevent clipping and unwanted traffic common to VOX operation, all two-way radios shall be operated using the push-to-talk (PTT) switch.
20.	SENIORITY SYSTEM: To enhance realism and fun, and to encourage crew members to expand their skill levels, operating session job assignments shall be made on the basis of seniority. "Seniority" points are awarded or deducted based on completed assignments and rule violations. Crew members may sign up for any job they have the seniority to hold. Crew members with higher seniority have first choice of assignment. Crew members must insure that each assignment within their seniority level is filled before signing up for any of the lower-seniority assignments. No assignment may be held by the same person for more than three consecutive operating sessions, providing that there are enough people to fill all positions during the session.
	a.	Seniority Levels: There are four seniority levels for job assignments: 0-99—Trainee 100-199—Engineer 200-299—Conductor 300 or more—Road Foreman
	b.	Job Assignments: Job assignments are divided according to seniority level as follows: 0-99—Must first qualify for any road assignment. 100-199—Through freights. 200-299—Local freights. 300 or more—Yardmaster or Dispatcher.
	c.	Seniority Points: Points are awarded for the successful completion of these job assignments:
		+100	Qualification run for new operators only; must display basic knowledge of layout controls and ability to operate train.
		+20	New road-crew assignment; applies only for seniority levels less than 300.
		+10	Repeat road-crew assignment.
		+20	First shift as Yardmaster or Dispatcher.
		+10	Repeat shift as Yardmaster or Dispatcher.
	d.	Demerit Points: Points are deducted for violations of rules or special instructions. Deductions include:
		-5	Improper spotting of car at station or industry which requires another crew to respot during the same session.
		-5	Failure to displaying headlight, oscillating white light, ditch lights, markers, or other warning lights when required by the General Code of Operating Rules. Demerits will not be assessed for trains emerging from hidden areas, or following a short circuit which causes lights to be turned off, provided required lights are displayed as soon as practicable.
		-5	Improper operation of two-way radio.
		-5	Manual handling of equipment, other than re-railing derailed equipment or removing defective equipment from the layout in accordance with Special Instructions Item J.12.
		-5	Speeding in yard limits or on the main line.
		-10	Negligent derailment. May also be combined with other demerits, if warranted.
		-10	Failure to report limits of a track warrant cleared, that results in delay to another train.
		-15	Routing or delivering rolling stock to places on the layout not designated by work orders and waybills, and which delays delivery beyond current session.
		-20	Minor collision with another train.
		-20	Occupying the main track or a controlled siding without authority of the Dispatcher, or Yardmaster within yard limits.
		-20	Trailing into switch not properly lined and causing a short circuit. No additional demerits will be assessed for pushing the engine back off the switch.
		-30	Overrunning signal displaying stop or stop-and-proceed indication. Additional demerits for occupying the main track without authority will not be assessed in this case; however, additional demerits for trailing into and shorting a switch not properly lined, if it occurs, will be assessed.
		-50	Defying the authority of the Dispatcher or the Yardmaster. Defying the authority of the Superintendent gets you tossed.
		-100	Collision or negligent derailment that, in real life, could reasonably be expected to result in loss of life or severe property damage.
		Points may also be deducted for any improper operating procedure as judged appropriate by the Superintendent.
	e.	Post-Operating Session Meeting: A short meeting will be held after each operating session to discuss the preceding events and award seniority and demerit points. Objections to demerit points may be made at this time. Crew members present will vote to settle disputes; such votes are binding.
	f.	Seniority Adjustments: To provide new crew members a chance to gain seniority on established crew members, on September 1 of every year, each crew member will have their seniority reduced to the base value for their seniority level, plus 10% of their total seniority. For example: If a crew member's total seniority on September 1 is 270 points, their new seniority will be 200 + (270 x 0.1), or 227 points. This procedure ensures that long-time crew members don't accrue excessive points and stay way ahead of newer crew members. At the same time, this rule preserves the relative positions of crew members, recognizing their long-standing relationship with the Red Rock Rail Transportation Company.
	g.	Record of Seniority: The official record of seniority shall be maintained by the Superintendent. Errors should be brought to the attention of the Superintendent as soon as practicable. An unofficial record is provided on the opposite page for personal use.
Name:

Date	Assignment	Seniority Points	Demerit Points	Total Seniority

Note: This is an unofficial record. Official seniority records are kept by the Superintendent.

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