As soon as I get to work this afternoon, I will post some sample rail cue sheets. Basically, you decide how many overlapping cues you have and get that many cue light colors on the rail and your desk... ie: if you have three rail cues that need to be warned simultaneously and execute within seconds of each other, then you might want to ask for blue, red and yellow. Then formulate your cue sheet thusly:
first column: Cue # w/ color light used below number
second column: piece to be moved: ie: line set #4, the DS Black to playing trim.
third column: speed (fast, slow medium, medium fast, etc. or better yet a count, if they have automated or crew that can count.
Fourth column: Notes: ie: Breast elecs # 3 forward for clearance.
then have a space that tells how long to the next cue.
Sometimes, if a rail cue and light or other cue happen simultaneously, it is valube to put that info on the sheet in the notes column, especially if it is a busy show.
That's about it... good luck. Valuble with a busy rail to warn a section that happens close to each other all at once, put on the lights, and then a few lines or bars before the cues, all you have to say is "standing by on the rail, not go thru the whole sequence again.
In a busy rail show it is good when you warn to specify the pieces that will be moving so that your deck SMs or crew on headset know what to look out for coming in or going out in terms of performer safety, units moving on and off, etc.
Tom Kelly