SVL Operations

SCHEDULE

SVL Plans for operations on the last Friday of each month. Exceptions are made to this plan. So if you were planning to visit during operations be sure to check with us first. Email us svl@siliconvalleylines.com and let us know your plans. Guest are welcome to visit anytime and on occasion we can even arrange for guests to operate.

FORMAT

We typically operate with a dispatcher and communicate via FRS radios. The Dispatcher currently is in the hallway outside the layout. We are working on the ability to support having a dispatcher far and away.

Train crews are given switch lists by the Train Master. A great deal more information on our switchlists is given below.

ERA

We are a freelance layout. However we typically run one of two eras. They are....

EQUIPMENT

We keep track of all our locomotives and rolling stock online. This is an evolving process still with a bit of devlopment to do. We intend to track and have records of all equiment onine available to our membership.

CONTROL

We do run DCC. There is a separate section on that subject. We have around the layout a great many control panels for turnout control. The pushbuttons on our panels will do one of three things.

1. simply set a turnout open or closed.

2. toggle a turnout (if it is open close it, if it is closed open it).

3. set a path (ladder logic via diode matrix).

All of these panels and the turnout motors they control are connected to the pushbutton inputs of NCE SwitchITs. This will allow us in the ?near? future take the control of the mainline turnouts and hand that over to the dispatcher. The proof in the pudding for this concept on our layout is our softpanels. We currently have four locations on the layout where we have touchscreen computers that control some of the most dense track work on our layout. Typically our yards. This capability was created using obvious and available languages, standards based protocols as well as features of most any DCC system. We will add more to this topic at a later time.

SWITCHSTER

Switchster is an application that sets up and executes operational flows for model railroads. Or more simply, it generates switch list paperwork to simulate a railroad's freight operations. It does this using a probabilistic supply/demand generator for each online industry to create simulated shipments of railroad cars. It then routes and assigns cars to trains, generating the necessary paperwork for yardmasters and train crews.

Currently our Passenger Service is scheduled and runs adhoc. We are looking to becoming more structured in our passenger service

Why does SVL use Switchster?

Switchster was created in response to frustrations using other software. Special emphasis was placed on the following items:

1) Ability to annul or defer trains that didn't run, making it easier to keep layout and software in sync.

2) Ability to disable individual items (i.e. cars, trains, industries, interchanges) without deleting them.

3) Ability to update any/all fields of an object (i.e. car, industry, etc) and not break the software or lose sync.

4) Specify train schedules with minimal information (i.e. not every block requires an arrival/departure time).

5) Probabilistic supply/demand models to keep the flows dynamic and interesting.

6) Use scale units (i.e. actual car lengths in feet or meters) instead of numbers of cars to prevent overflow of industries.

7) Provide sufficient reports to easily set up and run the layout.

8) Use of car types only to define traffic. More specifically, commodities seemed one level too deep since most model railroad cars don't actually have a load.

While Switchster is not perfect, it has largely met or exceeded these goals.

How does it work?

Switchster is split into four main work areas. First, you must define your layout at the block or town level. This includes specifying what industries and interchanges are present and their capacities (linear units). Graphically connecting the blocks specifies how main line and/or branch lines are connected.

Second, you specify a car database of the cars that are available on the layout. Cars must be uniquely identified and have a car type and length. Car types are arbitrary and user defined to increase the operational freedom of the layout.

Third and most importantly, the desired operations of the layout are specified. This is broken into three areas as follows:

*Industry supply and demand -- Allowable car types are defined between industry (shipper/receiver) pairs along with supply/demand parameters.

*Cars/trip plans -- Specifies the current location and intended trip plan (routing) of cars.

*Train schedules -- Defines the routes, activities and frequencies of trains.

With these datasets defined, Switchster can then generate switch list paperwork for an operating session. Paperwork is generated as html files for ease of online display as well as offline printing. Available paperwork includes:

*car starting location reports -- reports sorted in multiple ways to help you set up the layout before the session begins

*switch list reports -- switch lists with setouts/pickups for a train crew to execute

*yardmaster reports -- switch lists for yards to help a yard master route cars between trains (especially in the same session)

*block activity reports -- block reports that indicate how cars should have moved within a block over the course of the session

* dispatcher reports -- time-based reports indicating how trains move about the layout to aid a dispatcher in tracking train movments