Operating Rules

These rules apply during all organized FV&N Railroader operating sessions unless a session briefing or operating bulletin issues a more restrictive instruction.

Railroader is the source of truth for physical locomotive and freight-car locations, turnout position, train movement, coupling state, and industry readiness.

The FV&N Operations Portal is the source of truth for crew assignments, dispatcher train packages, movement authorities, operating bulletins, qualification records, attendance, and session history.

When the website and Railroader disagree about a physical condition, the Railroader state governs. The discrepancy must be reported so the operating record can be corrected.

Safe and deliberate operation takes precedence over speed, schedule, car count, or completing every assigned move.

Any person observing an imminent collision, derailment, incorrectly lined route, or other immediate hazard may order a stop. Affected movements must stop until the condition is understood.

An operator may not begin or continue active railroad work unless connected to the designated session Discord voice channel and able to hear operating communications.

If Discord audio is lost, the operator must stop at the first safe opportunity and remain stopped until communication is restored or another communication method is explicitly approved by the superintendent.

Discord voice serves as the railroad radio channel. Operational authority, meet instructions, foul-time coordination, emergencies, and other time-sensitive communication should be handled by voice.

The website may display authorities and train status, but it does not replace required voice communication when the dispatcher or another crew must coordinate a movement in real time.

Keep operating transmissions concise. The dispatcher identifies as “Flagstaff Dispatcher.” Identify the station being called first, then identify your train or job, location, and request.

Movement authorities, holding points, route restrictions, and emergency instructions require a complete readback before movement begins.

Emergency traffic has priority. After “STOP. STOP. STOP.” unrelated conversation must cease until the emergency is resolved.

A crew may not enter controlled main-line territory without dispatcher authority when a dispatcher is on duty.

Authority applies only to the train, limits, and conditions issued. It may not be transferred to another train or crew without dispatcher approval.

A new authority replaces an earlier authority only when the dispatcher explicitly issues the replacement and the crew acknowledges it.

A crew must not move beyond the limits of its authority even if the track ahead appears clear in Railroader.

Yardmaster authority does not authorize movement onto the controlled main unless that authority has been coordinated with the dispatcher.

If the dispatcher is unavailable or communications are uncertain, trains must remain stopped outside controlled limits until authority is restored.

All normal train and car movement must be performed physically in Railroader. Cars or locomotives may not be teleported or manually repositioned to avoid normal switching work.

Hand placement, rerailing tools, or other non-operating movement may be used only to correct a simulation problem, rerail equipment, or when directed by the superintendent.

Industry readiness is determined by Railroader. A crew may not treat a car as ready for pickup merely because it appears on a website work list.

If a car listed on the dispatcher package is not physically where expected, the crew must report the discrepancy rather than substituting another car on its own.

The locomotive assigned on the Crew Trip page should be used unless the superintendent or dispatcher approves a power substitution.

The future Railroader mod may automatically report train and car state to the website. Automatic reporting does not change any authority or communication requirement in this rulebook.

The operator who changes a turnout is responsible for its position until it is restored or responsibility is clearly transferred.

Never throw a turnout beneath moving or standing equipment. Confirm the entire movement is clear of the points before changing the route.

Cars must be left clear of turnouts, fouling points, road crossings, and tracks required by another crew unless otherwise instructed.

Couple at the slowest practical speed. Confirm the coupling in Railroader before reversing direction or pulling away.

Use deliberate throttle and braking inputs appropriate to the train, grade, and available stopping distance.

Before a shove, verify the route and available track. When another operator is protecting the move, maintain clear Discord communication throughout the shove.

Switching that fouls or occupies the controlled main requires dispatcher coordination before the movement begins.

When cars are left standing and not coupled to a locomotive, hand brakes must be applied to at least one car for every six cars in the cut, rounded up. This is a minimum securement standard; additional hand brakes must be applied when grade, tonnage, track condition, or operating circumstances require greater securement.

Do not race another crew for a turnout, industry, yard lead, or block. Coordinate the move and establish who has priority first.

Review the Crew Trip page before moving. Confirm the train symbol, power, assigned work, dispatcher notes, and current authority.

A pickup or delivery is complete only after the physical move is correctly completed in Railroader.

Do not mark a work item complete in the website before the actual Railroader move is complete.

The dispatcher may alter the work sequence when railroad conditions require it. The crew should follow the current dispatcher instruction rather than blindly following the original list order.

Most revenue freight cars are foreign-road or private-owner interchange equipment. Captive FV&N cars are used only for their designated company-service purpose.

Railroader’s built-in industry tiers and processing govern traffic generation and readiness. The website does not create substitute production timers.

The yardmaster establishes classification priorities, track assignments, departure-track use, and switching sequence inside Flagstaff Yard.

Road crews should not begin switching the yard on their own when a yardmaster is on duty. Coordinate the required pickup, setout, or train assembly first.

Before a train is released, confirm the intended consist has been physically assembled in Railroader and that required work items match the actual cars.

When two crews need the same lead, track, or turnout, the yardmaster establishes the order of movement.

A yard move that must occupy or foul the controlled main requires dispatcher authority before entering the main.

Stop immediately after a derailment, collision, or other accident. Do not drag derailed or damaged equipment in an attempt to clear the railroad.

Report derailments, collisions, signal anomalies, turnout problems, locomotive defects, or other conditions affecting safe operation over Discord as soon as practical.

If an incident fouls the controlled main or may affect another crew, make an emergency stop call immediately. The dispatcher must protect the affected track until it is formally returned to service.

Incidents and accidents are treated as real events on the FV&N. Derailed or wrecked equipment, debris, and damaged track are not considered cleared merely because the session can technically continue around them.

The affected track, route, or facility remains out of service until the wreck or obstruction has been cleared by the appropriate Maintenance-of-Way or recovery equipment and the superintendent or dispatcher authorizes normal operation to resume.

Administrative rerailing or manual correction may be used only when the superintendent determines the event resulted from a simulation or software fault rather than normal railroad operation. It may not be used to erase the operational consequences of a crew-caused incident.

Significant incidents, accidents, cleanup activity, and unusual conditions must be recorded during session closeout so they remain part of the FV&N operating history.

Operators register through the Crew Desk and may bid any role they are willing to perform. A bid on a role for which the operator does not yet hold the listed qualification is permitted but is clearly flagged as a qualification warning for both the operator and superintendent.

Published crew assignments control the session. Do not exchange jobs after assignments are published without superintendent approval.

Before beginning work, every assigned operator must be signed into Railroader, connected to the designated Discord voice channel, and able to access the Crew Trip or assigned operating information.

Qualifications require the minimum completed-session experience shown below, followed by a policy examination with a passing score of at least 80 percent.

All missed examination questions must be reviewed. A passing qualification is not posted until the operator completes that review.

Session attendance counts toward qualification experience only after the superintendent confirms attendance during formal session closeout.

Do not leave a train, locomotive, or cut of cars in an unreasonable location merely because the session clock has ended. Follow the superintendent’s tie-down instructions.

Before going off duty, report unfinished car work, unresolved defects, unusual incidents, and any mismatch between Railroader and the website record.

A train should be reported tied down only when the physical Railroader movement is complete and the train is in its instructed final location.

The superintendent formally closes the session after confirming attendance, completed work, trains operated, incidents, and notable equipment history.

Session closeout creates the permanent operating record used for employee qualifications, service awards, locomotive histories, and after-action reports.