Running the yards by Jim

This idea was submitted by Jim Long. 

Rather than have one person (or two persons-top & bottom) handling all the switching while everyone else has "fun" running on the layout . Here is another option to consider .

The first person at each yard makes up two trains. One for themselves and one for the next person in line. That next person makes up a train for the person behind them, who could be sitting on a ready track, before leaving with the train made up for them.

If you did this from both tracks you should have a steady stream of freights arriving at both yards. Upon arrival, that engineer would park their freight in the yard and make up a consist before leaving with the units made up for them by the previous departing engineer. 

Done properly that should allow for a continuous flow of trains, make sure people didn't "cherry pick" for their consist, and give everyone a turn at all aspects of the layout every night.

I like this idea and would add if we did this, it would spill over to the next session, so there would always be a train made up in each yard. It would mean the trains would have to switch Wellington.