Dispatching in Gelsenkirchen

Before you get your approval to run the service on a signal box, you need to find out about the local characteristics. After training as a general trainee signalman, dispatchers were always paired with a person skilled in the signal box. This chapter is the brief introduction to the area. Read it carefully. It contains very important information.

The text is "peer to peer" written as if you are in the signal box, the first day after training.

Have a more detailed look at the Gelsenkirchen Hbf panel here.

Introduction

Hi! Welcome to the heart of the Ruhr District! Gelsenkirchen is the centre of some funky freight operations. Especially with the Torpedo trains. No, nothing to shoot around here. Torpedo cars are very heavy vehicles that can carry up to 200 Tons on fluid iron. And you’ll get a lot of them!

Gelsenkirchen Eastseite

Track 449/450 come from Wanne-Eickel Hbf (Central Station), Tracks 439/429 go to Wanne-Eickel Hbf. Both tracks are the passenger line. Track 420/430 is the freight line. All through freight trains that don’t end in Wanne-Eickel go via this line. All freight trains that end in Wanne-Eickel, go via Pluto Junction via the top left line of the panel.

Also the Nokia commuter train (6000 number series) go via the freight line. They turn around on track 025 and return to Wanne-Eickel. Remember that you need to offer those trains to Wanne-Eickel via the freight line. Use the ZNP 801 for that!

Track 112 leads to the Steel Company Rheinstahl AG. (Schalke-Verein) They receive every hour a set of cars from a Duisburg foundry in a couple of Torpedo cars. They go in there and you’ll get some empty cars back. They told me that it took 30 hours for the fluid iron to cool down, but I never took the change and give those trains always a green signal! The shift manager of the Rheinstahl will ask you if he can send a train. If you want to send him one, you may let him know or simply send the train. They have some extra tracks there.

Track 112 has no OHLE. Routes to this tracks need to be set using the FfrT toets.

Platforms

The platform tracks look longer here, but in real life they just about normal. Track 151 is the parcel freight loading track. The rest are stabling tracks for all kind of stuff. Use them as you like. On track 210 the track maintainers do their business.

Track 002 and 003 you should always keep clear for the torpedo trains. You can’t send them anywhere else!

Track 7 we use for the trains coming from Kray-North, 4 to go to Kray-North. Track 5 and 6 are for the trains from and to Essen-Altenessen.

Westside / Rotthausen

We are lucky to have a second station on the panel: Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen. It’s on the top right of the panel. The commuter trains stop here... the S-Bahn does not. Don’t know why actually.

Track 724/714 is the old Glass Works. But almost nothing happens there..

Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen is a part of Gelsenkirchen Hbf. This means that trains in between those parts are run as shunt movements. But only if you go to the Glass works.

Abbreviations

Short Name	Full Name
EG	Gelsenkirchen Hbf
EGRO	Gelsenkirchen Rotthausen
EEKD	Essen-Kray Nord
EEAL	Essen-Altenessen
EWAN	Wanne-Eickel Hbf
EPLU	Abzw. Pluto
EEKN	Essen-Katernberg Nord