Short Form with strip-map to carry around at railroad.

Safety First

The Eagle Point Railroad is built on mountain terrain and is operated like a prototypical, branch-line, single-track, bi-directional operating railroad with mainline signal controlled blocks and motorized turnouts. It is not a high-speed mainline with long level straight sections of track. For the safety of all, these operating guidelines supersede the rules of any other railroad operation and need to be understood before operating on the EPRR.

Locomotive engineers, members and visitors alike, operating alone on the Eagle Point Railroad, must pass an open book operating guidelines exam and have a familiarization ride, which includes a review of the railroad and these operating guidelines. The property owner and persons appointed by the property owner, reserve the right to suspend anyone's operating privileges.

There is no smoking on any trains.

Spark Arrestors and Ash Pans are required on all wood or coal fired steam locomotives.

Railroad Familiarization: Engineers must have a railroad familiarization ride prior to operating alone on the Eagle Point Railroad for the first time. This includes all visiting engineers with their own trains. Engineers should learn the location of blind spots, sharp curves and grades during this orientation ride. They also need to understand right of way, stopping points, mileposts and the use of signals, motorized turnouts and radios.

Locomotive Owners: Locomotive owners are responsible to individually instruct and approve any engineer of their locomotive and will assume responsibility for those engineers' actions, including responsibility for any damage caused by their equipment. Locomotive owners may authorize other individuals to train people on the operation of their locomotive but are still responsible for any person operating their equipment. Additionally, they may not hold the property owner or CSME responsible for any failure of any railroad infrastructure.

Locomotive Engineers: Engineers are responsible to be fully knowledgeable on the operation of the locomotive they are operating. They also are responsible for proper safety chain use, passenger positioning and load placement. All safety chains must be in place prior to moving trains. Passengers must be positioned to properly distribute the load on each car and new riders must be instructed in proper riding skills. Engineers in training should not carry passengers.

Youth Operators: Persons 14-15 years old may operate alone on a probationary status only if they are a family member of a CSME member, have completed the written operators exam and have completed a familiarization ride with a non-family examiner. Youth must demonstrate they have full knowledge of the train and railroad operations without an adult onboard. Non-qualified youths may operate a train only if a qualified adult is in direct visual supervision, on or next to the train.

Conductors: An experienced conductor is required to ride passenger trains if there are any youth passengers on the train or more than one loaded passenger car. Conductors will ride in the last position. If there is a conductor aboard, the engineer will follow the conductor's instructions for when it is safe to start train movements. Conductors will have a whistle or radio to communicate with the engineer.

Passengers: On run days, passengers should only load at the passenger station. Passengers should load and unload under the direction of the engineer or conductor; youths ride in front of adults, everyone facing forward, no standing or laying down while moving. Passengers not following engineer or conductor's instructions should be removed before the train moves. Do not move a train with an uncooperative passenger of any age.

Handicap Loading: Handicap passenger loading may be at the driveway crossing in front of the shop, coordinated by the Yardmaster.

Train Movements On Eagle Point Railroad

Dispatcher: A dispatcher may be assigned during peak operating times on run days. A dispatcher on duty controls all train movements on all main lines of the railroad via radio. All engineers contact the dispatcher prior to entering the mainline and will follow dispatcher's instructions.

Yard Master: A Yard Master may be assigned during peak hours on operating days. They will monitor operations within yard limits, including passenger loading on Eagle Point wye, and keep the yard loop traffic moving. They will inspect all trains going out onto the mainline and notify the dispatcher when the train is cleared for mainline operations. They will also assign yard tracks and steaming bays as necessary.

Train Speed: Engineers must always be able to stop in ½ of the distance you can clearly see or no more than fifty feet. Mainline speed limit is six (6) MPH. Within Yard Limits the speed limit is four(4) MPH. Engineers are responsible to keep their train under control at all times. Trains will reduce speed when entering any siding, crossing trestles, construction areas, yard limits or when passing people in close proximity to the track.

Train Spacing: When following another train, engineers must keep 60' between moving trains. When stopping behind another train, keep a 5' spacing between trains.

Second Units: Two trains may run together only if the lead train acknowledges the second train, their combined length is less than 60' and they stay within sight of each other. First engineer captures block signals while second train engineer release block signals. Radio contact between trains is required.

Mainline Operations: The mainline is considered any portion of the railroad outside of the yard limits plus the west side of the Eagle Point loop. Do not stop on the mainline between passing sidings. Use the block signal system at all times.

Yard Movements: You may not stop, stand or park your train on the Eagle Point loop. Stop only on a siding or yard track. The west side of the Eagle Point loop is a portion of the bi-directional mainline operating route. This is from the turnout to Jasper the siding around to the Eagle Point wye turnout and is a signaled block.
Trains operating on the loop have the right of way. Trains entering from any siding or mainline must yield to any trains operating on loop.
When parking in a yard, use the shortest track necessary and available for your train, save longer tracks for longer trains. No tracks are to be 'reserved' and you may have to share a track.

Unloading trains: When unloading or loading trains from trailers, you must always give right-of-way to trains operating on the loop and not cause trains approaching train from either direction to stop.

Hand Signals: Used to communicate train movements to engineer, if no radio.

Train Whistle Signals: Used by engineer to indicate their train movements. Use hand whistle if necessary to be heard at least 100'.
Moving forward ___ ___ [also used at blind curves]
Moving back o o o
Stopped [okay to unload] o
Grade Crossing ___ ___ o ___
Warning to persons on track o o o o o [to alert people on track]

Conductor's Signals: Whistle used to communicate with engineer, if no radio.
Move forward o o
Move back o o o
Stop o
Emergency Stop ____________

Block Signals: The dispatcher's orders take priority over block signals.
Train movements on the mainline are bi-directional and block signals are used to control train movements. Signaled blocks are between passing sidings on the mainline.
A green light indicates a clear block, okay to capture and proceed on yellow.
A yellow light indicates block occupied by train ahead, STOP, wait for green signal.
When waiting at yellow, please wait 5 seconds after turning green to capture.
A red light indicates there is a train in the block coming towards you, wait for green signal.
Block signals are activated by engineers as they enter and leave the block.

Buttons & Markers along right-of-way:
Gray button post, ignore, it is for trains moving in other direction.
Green buttons used to capture block ahead, light will turn yellow
Red button, on right at end of block, releases signal block you are leaving.
Orange button controls motorized turnout ahead (on side of turning route).
Blue marker next to the track indicates slow order 3 MPH.
Blue marker ON the track indicates track closed, do not move marker.
Red marker, indicates that track ends in 50-100'.

Turnouts: Some key turnouts are motorized turnouts and have an orange control button on a post as you approach from the points end. Button is normally on the diverging route side. Approach turnout slow when activating turnout from button.

There are several styles of turnout ground throws on the railroad, including some 20' before the points. Check turnout points as you approach.

If you are switching you should return the turnouts position set for the mainline when you are finished.

Radios: Please report via radio, any mainline derailment (include close milepost) that will take more than a minute to correct; advise when clear and moving.
If there is a dispatcher on duty, which is rare, the dispatcher will control all train movements on the mainline. The dispatcher's orders take priority over block signals. When a train is cleared to move, they should move immediately. Trains should also report to dispatcher when they are arriving at their destination. If a train cannot depart when cleared to do so, they should advise the dispatchers so other movements may be made.

Car-barn: The yards and storage tracks in the car-barn[s] are for use by CSME members who lease space in them. They are not available to visiting trains.

Steaming Bays: The Deaton Steaming Bay tracks are not reserved and are used on a first available basis. The ash pit track should only be used if all other bays are in use. Engineer deck tracks on either side of the transfer table are not steaming bays. When all bays are needed for steaming, support cars are to be unloaded and go to the yards and not adjacent steaming bays if they do not fit on your bay.

Diesel Service Bay: The service rack off the steaming wye is for working on trains and not for parking, steaming or other activities.

Roundhouse: The tracks and bays in the roundhouse are assigned to CSME members who lease the space. Visitors need to use the Deaton steaming bays.

Engineer Training: The written test must be past before training begins. While an engineer is in training on a locomotive, a certified operator of that locomotive must be on the train. Training should include operation over the entire railroad mainline and yard movements. Passengers should not be riding on trains with training engineer.