Operations Simulator

HiBaller

19 Years of Trainz
This panel seemed the best place to post. If I was wrong, please feel free to move it.

In the Screenshot panel there was a brief discussion concerning an operations simulator for railroads. I found it to be of great help in planning routes as well as sessions on those routes. The software allows you to lay down your route in little chunks of rail. All sorts of connections are included for turnouts, buffers, connectors, and the like. There are also four types of signals that can be used (2, 3, 4 aspect, plus ground dwarfs). Stations are defined for use in timetables you create to run your railroad. This is where session use comes in handy as you can time the travel between stations down to the nearest minute, altering the timetable accordingly, until you have a smoothly functioning route. The timetable takes a bit of getting used to as the terminology is cryptic. But, it can be overcome with a little patience. Once you have the route and the timetable set up, you load your railway, click the Run button, and watch trains form, move about your tracks, and terminate with you guiding their way by clicking the relevant signal and then clicking on the next signal in line to create a path. You can change turnouts by clicking on them as well, directing trains wherever you want them to go if need be to divert from the timetable. Fascinating, to be sure.

The software is available (for both Windows and LINUX [under WINE]) here. I've found I can work on my LINUX machine easily, testing while I build it. Once done, I can either run it on LINUX or transfer it to my gaming machine (which has a larger screen among other attributes) and run it there.

Here's a screenshot of my Hisatsu Line:

railway-hisatsu_line.png



For those who like to have their sessions running like a well-maintained railroad should be, this is great software.

Bill
 
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Plus, I forgot to mention, it's FREE! It will also include random failures (trains out of power, derailments, etc, all at a settable rate of MTBF). You can change the display from black tracks on white background or reverse. It is also possible to attach a screenshot to a certain spot on the route. Trains can be created, run to a spot and then split into two trains, each part going to a different placename--all done by the Timetable. The only drawback I can find so far is the simulation assumes you are using an electric railway (catenary). Steam and diesel can be run, but the basic train must still be set up as an electric motive power. All units are metric.

Bill
 
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That looks very interesting. Been looking for some software to draw track schematics and maybe to generate time tables) for a while already but none of my findings were suitable. Thank you very much, I will check that out!
Lockheed
 
In a similar vein, I've been using the OperationsPro function of JMRI (java model railroad interface) to run Trainz routes in a somewhat realistic way. It seems to work.
 
Such a Operations simulator feature attempt does exist in TRS. It calls ZTP-JOP. It is inspired by Stanicar program...

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Very interesting, JAGG. Is there an English language version? I like the diagrams. The use of more colors allows greater freedom in designating various bits of a railroad. The Ops Simulator doesn't have that feature.

Bill
 
OOOhhhhh! And some day we introduce authorization objects and shift to a role based activity game with dispatcher functionality via a central interface, switches and signals that can only be set when the player has the correct authorization ...
Very inspiring ....
Lockheed
 
OOOhhhhh! And some day we introduce authorization objects and shift to a role based activity game with dispatcher functionality via a central interface, switches and signals that can only be set when the player has the correct authorization ...
Very inspiring ....
Lockheed

Yes that would be awesome!

Setting up an pseudo-dispatcher using an AI-mode would be interesting as well. In order to pull out on a mainline, we need permission from the dispatcher and so on. There needs to be a couple if not a lot more changes though, but among them is to stop the AI from complaining when they can't proceed. They need to wait in queue just like we do.
 
Sure. I mean - some do want something like a prototypical operation. Planning and then trying to play that. Every action belongs to a "user profile". A train driver of long distance train not switches any switch (unless in an abnormal operation mode) but on shortline or regional service it might happen. It can get as complex as an SAP system but after all, you have a role, you define what that role is allowed to do and implement it on session basis. Oh .... I drift off .... regular scenarios like long distance or short distance, or emergency scenarios or combined. THAT can get very complex ....
Lockheed
 
So does this just deal with switches and signals operations? I'm wondering if this has anything to do with car forwarding operations. Just looking the screens look nice.

Thanks

Sean
 
No. This is a simple railway operations simulator. Trains run on timetables you create. You create trains, set up their routes in the timetable, then start the sim. Trains pop up where you start them and you set signals along the line to their destination. It isn't as easy as it sounds, especially if you have a high volume of traffic. The sim uses a grid system, and all trains are two grids long, moving from grid to grid. You can set up train splits, joins, and send them on or off the route using what amounts to our portals. It's a very intriguing simulation and I'd compare it to the old Air Traffic Simulator of years ago.

Bill
 
So basically like Train Dispatcher 3. Used to run that all the time until I got into Run8 about a decade ago. Of course I don't bother with Run8 these days. That of course has the MP element and controlling of switches and signals built into the sim.

Thanks

Sean
 
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