Interesting

Just to make sure I'm looking at this right...

TOLLAND

• Is there a local/yard crew on duty working that yard?
• The pickup list shows cars to be retrieved from Tracks 1-3.  Are the pickups blocked, or does Train 100 have to cherry-pick the cars from various locations in multiple tracks?
• What's the reason for Train 100 splitting its set outs between Tracks 1 and 2?  Is a load vs empty consideration, is this to facilitate blocking for a local or? 

APEX

• Similar to Tolland; does Train 100 have to pull from multiple tracks, are the pick ups blocked, why the split of setouts on multiple tracks?  Is there a local/yard switcher?

NO NAME CITY

• The train is apparently doing local work here.  Is there another local or through job that stops here as well, or is this it?

SILVERV, ROCK RIDGE

• Again similar to Tolland; does Train 100 have to pull from multiple tracks, are the pick ups blocked, why the split of setouts on multiple tracks?  Is there a local/yard switcher?

The work described for Train 100 is consistent (with exceptions as to blocking of yard work) with trains called as roadswitchers or long-distance locals.  Depending on the union agreement in force, a through train crew may only be allowed one pickup and setout without being entitled to an extra days' pay unless specifically called as a roadswitcher job.  What type of train do you consider Train 100 to be?  Do you have priority through trains that perform limited work en route, or is this one typical?

Interesting

Tolland,

1 Yes, Local operators  on Duty

2. Local Operator will have switch list and if he is on his/her game should have cars picked and set out for train. Blocking into the train is engineers option.  It is one of those things pay me now or pay me later.

3. That yard has three tracks.  The only restrictions on them at present is the type of cars. This yard services a Branch Line. Cars that go on that branch or need by local industries are only cars in yard.  Their is a train for that branch built out of this yard. Their is also a local that services industries in the area.  The yard is on third level and you cannot see back two tracks. So operators have to pull string of cars to get what they need cuts down of possible searches.  You can restrict the tracks in many other ways.  Numbering tracks also creates moves for local operators.

Apex

1. Yes their is a local operator. In this location because it is the hot spot of the layout their are two. Yard person and Local. 

2. This yard is on second level at 40".  All of the above about Tolland also applies here too.

No Name City

1. This is a spur that services the depot. 

2.  Grande Pacific RR has Express LCL Service between all stations on the RR.  So we need to service this out of the way Depot as well.  This is a thinking mans move. This location only serviced by East Bound Trains. Also convent for dispatcher because it puts the East bound in the siding to service the Depot.

3. Many trains service this location. 

Silverville, Rock Ridge

Both towns have local operator. They work the yards and run the local. Hope one day to get good enough to have enough trains pass that I can run locals twice in four hour session.

Watch these videos and it may help understand the layout better.  Car Cards are gone. 

This is just one train of many for this rr.  To start a session. Their are five locals, two manifest end to end Manifest east and west,  Two Turns and a branch line train.  Operating outside of JMRI Operations are three coal trains and all the passenger trains that people what to operate.

Hope this helps.

I dont understand why the

I dont understand why the crew would be making split pickups and split setout moves? Wouldn't that be what the yard crew does as far as prepare the pickup for train X and break down the setout as well? If the road crew has to do all of the blocking and switching what do the yard crews do?

Thanks Art

I appreciate you taking the time to reply.  I'm still scratching my head a bit about why some of the things are happening as they are, but those aren't necessarily JMRI related as much as how the prototype is being interpreted.

TROUBLE GETTING JMRI & DECODER PRO WORKING

hello Art...i recently converted from an MRC system to a Digitrax dcs100 w/ DT400 & a UP5. then i purchased a UR90 & PR3. all of these purchases have been made within the last 2 weeks. i seem to be having a problem getting things to work properly. when i go into decoder pro & try to program a loco, there is a flashing message at the bottom of the page that says " programming error...timeout talking to command station 306". this happens even if i use the PR3 stand alone mode.

i was told by a good friend of mine Paul Shaus that you have helped him get his system up & running & i am hoping you can do the same for me. if you feel that you can help me you can contact me at vpsnaz@msn.com

i hope to hear from you soon...thanks in advance

vinny

User Groups

...timeout talking to command station 306

Vinny,

  This error usually happens when there is a cable/configuration issue(like the wrong com port selected in the JMRI 'Preferences').

  First of all - Do you have JMRI configured and can you program engines?  For starters, forget about the PR3 'stand-alone' mode and get the entire setup configured to use JMRI via you DCS100 command station.  The biggest issue with setup is getting the com port configured correctly.  I am doing this on a WIN 7 system, but this should look about the same:

  control panel-system & security-system-device manager-ports-communication port - Under the 'general' tab for port 4 I have 'manufacturer Digitrax,Inc'.  This may be different on your PC, but just review each com port and find the one with the Digitrax signature. Write down that com port number!  If you cannot find it, do you have the PR3 drivers loaded?  If you cannot find the com port, it is time to reread the install documentation and re-install the drivers.  Also, make sure you have the PR3 switches configured for system mode, not stand-alone mode for now.

  Start up Decoder Pro and go to the edit-preferences tab.  Configure the LocNet with the serial port set to the communications port you found in the device manager(in my case it was COM 4).  Do a 'save' and exit, then restart Decoder Pro.

  Put an engine on the program track and try to program it.  You may get some of the 3xx msg;s if there is dirty wheels/track or if there is no decoder in the engine.  Also. write to all sheets may give some of the above msg's as Decoder Pro is walking through all CV's and your installed decoder may not have some of them - thus the msg(it should timeout on the write to that CV and continue on).

  Using 'stand-alone' mode is for programming if you do NOT have a Digitrax system available, or you are using 'Sound Loader'.  Even with Sound Loader, Decoder Pro will auto-switch your PR3 when you are downloading sound files.

  I have a laptop attached to a DCS51 'Zephyr Xtra' via a PR3 in my 'Man Cave'(unused bedroom), and an old PC attached to my layout DCS100 'Super Chief' via a LocoBuffer USB downstairs.  I use Decoder Pro for ALL programming, and I am starting to test the 'Operations' feature mentioned in this post - Very impressive program(and it is FREE)!

Jim

updating during Ops session

Art,

Do you have to update car locations during the session?  How does the computer know what has been delivered to each town and spotted? 

What about small railroads?

Art,

 I know that you are proponent of JMRI operations and I'm sure it works well on a large layout such as yours but does it have anything to offer owners of small room sized layouts? I'm building a small mining branch and I've yet to wrap my head around how programs such as this or even car cards could be used to help run it. The only thing that really makes sense for me I think is some sort of sequential operation.

Regards,

Michael

Your "caps lock key" is stuck

Just so you know...

Art, I'm interested in what you are doing with the

JMI Manifest Creator.  I think I saw a discussion on this program either here or on another forum that I visit where the main complaint was that the JMRI program would keep recycling the same cars over and over again and leave other cars in staging seemingly indefinitely.  Have run into that problem or are you or someone else correcting that problem?

JMRI

Hi Art,

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to the day that I might use this on my railroad..Still in "Benchwork" mode. JMRI Rocks!

I shared the link to the members of the Lansing Model Railroad Club. I know some are interested.

I'll try to shed a little light

I am by no means a JMRI Ops expert, but I have been charged with the task of instituting it on a friend's large HO layout. In all the reading, playing, and learning from tutorials, I will try to pass on some of the information I think I have.

JMRI is scalable, it works equally well on a small 4x6' beginners layout, or warehouse sized club layout. Its all in how you set it up. Yes, there is a little work involved in getting things running correctly, but once you do, it will operate more prototypically than any other car forwarding system out there.

If you only want to have unrealistic switching puzzles instead of accurate prototype car movements, then maybe a pre-printed sequence list that never changes could be better.

The real railroads move loaded cars from a shipper to a customer in order to make a profit. In JMRI, you would set up your locations, a car roster the shows the car type, reporting marks and car number, the routes from point A, to B to C etc. and identify the trains that will use those routes to service certain locations and car types. So if you have a small layout, like that shown in the recent issue of MRH, with 1 online customer, and 1 track set as a off layout staging cassette, then you can now ship cars from 1 location to the next. So you dont want to see the same 4 cars going back and forth? Then swap out cars in the cassette, so fresh ones appear.

When its time to operate a train (or 50 trains on a large layout) then the clerk, yardmaster, dispatcher, trainmaster or whoever the layout owner puts in charge of building trains in JMRI, selects which trains are going to run that night. They click the "build" button, and JMRI assigns the needed cars a location and allows the clerk to print out the manifest which will be used by crews to know where they need to pick up or drop off the cars assigned to their train. After they complete their work, the clerk tells JMRI that the work for that train is complete, and terminates it in the software. As long as the train crew spotted the cars in the correct location, then theres nothing more needed to do, JMRI remembers where each car it, and only forwards it based on customer needs.

As for cars sitting in staging never moving, they need to learn how to read the build reports, and see why not. Most of the time, its due to those cars having high move counts, or the trains or routes coming out of that location arent properly set up in regards to car type, load type, or all potential destinations are full.

I hope that helps a little.

Steven