TSCAD Operations Manual
Contents
1. esseseseesesrersesrerssrrrrssrrresrresssreresrrerssreresreressreressrersseeresereesseereserereseerene 12 Understanding ithe CAD Display eaer arena a E e 13 Basic DDICA CONTO eee EEE 15 ANNIE Nal N E A eee 15 TAONE a SS 16 KROCKINE DOWN a SIS mal eisene EEEE 17 CONTI nados 18 OPPO E RON Ale neo acristalado tiod 18 A o anes aeee 18 Throwing Switches Under Aligned ROUtCS ccccccsssccccessececceseccceeeseceeeesececcenecceseeeceseugeceseuaeceesenaeeetes 19 Throwing Switches That Have Been Locked Out ccccooccccccnccnncnnnccnnnnnncnnonononnnonaronnonannnnonononnnnnarnnnonaonnos 19 Aligned a Signal That Has Been Locked OUt wicdesinsc concscdcsveraneaswnedtiausanancsacwnntabanensdntavoned NAET 20 Advanced Alignment FUNCTIONS iio cia 21 Po CROUS isis eee 21 MADI ROU er E E T e O R 21 Canceling a Fast Route Request sssesssssssersssrressrreresrrrsssreresererssreressrerssreressrerssreresereessetreserereseeresere 21 nn o o E 22 Stacking Multiple ROUTES ccccoocccnccnncnnnonaconnnnononnnnononnnonanonnononcnnononornnonanonnonnncnnnnnnrrnnonannnnenanonnnnnannnnnnas 23 earne a ked RO E Sais os Uca cantos oidos 23 Fleet A A 24 Fleet Locking Fora Specific Number of Trains iu daa ia 25 Modifine Fleet Eock Count seers a a a a 26 Uncontrollable Control PONTS ar E A 26 Missine Track Segment Seuri a a a A eats aicesasals 27 Tratns Aligned On To My Territorio 27 Changing the Dispatcher DiSpla Wisconsin iicaio a a a io o aiaa in2. Signal will flash Stacked Route Signal Stop Stacked Route Signal Clear Signal will not flash Fleet Locked Signal Reversed Switch indicates switch is Yellow border selected Signal will flash Signal will flash CP 5P340 Typically used to Switch Locked Out protected Maintenance Form B etc 14 Basic Dispatcher Controls Aligning a Signal In order to align a particular signal simply left click on the signal TSCAD will then attempt to align a route up to the next absolute signal on the path Prototypically aligning a signal is not instantaneous The signal request is sent to the field There the signal checks to verify the requested route is aligned and if so the hardware changes the condition of the signal and a confirmation is returned to the dispatcher To simulate this there is a delay when setting up a route The dispatcher will see the requested route flash yellow and the signal flash green while the route is requested CP SP325 P a In the field the signal will not immediately change from red either Once the route has setup typically around 10 seconds the signal will change from red in the field and the route will show as aligned in TSCAD CP SP325 Important Note TSCAD will allow the dispatcher to align a route over a switch that has been locked out That switch simply cannot be thrown as part of the process of aligning the route 15 Throwing a Switch In
3. Symbol EMIJBK 10 Speed 6 MPH Engineer KOM Location CP SP3553 A list of red signal violations will be kept on one of the tabs on the Dispatcher Sheet 33 Ty m L ad A i SNA tch ear sSsneeTf y Y Fo a Gi yp L E 1 iD Y a Y Til A AAA WY 2D a The Dispatcher Sheet provides of means of seeing a list of all the trains on your territory The train sheet has several tabs that each display different pieces of information In order to open the Dispatcher Sheet simply press D on the keyboard from the main TSCAD screen This tab shows a list of all the trains that have crews on your territory It provides all of the information about the train length HPT etc as well as the current location and the train speed It refreshes on a regular basis E opere sr AA A AA A A O o o MM Minne tars Recrews Needed Off Territory Trains Red Signal Violations Lead Unit Symbol Engineer Length Weight HPT Location Time In Block M KCKBAR 03 z 5726 feet 8279 tons 3 3 HPT 55 MPH Essex Main 1 BNSF Needies 00 02 23 UP 8038 ZEPOA Ses 2911 tons North of CP SP334 UP Mojave Note that the time each train has been in its respective block is now displayed in the Time In block column Also note the server and local times are published at the bottom of the screen 34 This tab shows a list of all the trains that on your territory that currently need recrews Se ei al lt Active Trains Recrews Needed Off Territory Trains
4. TSCAD will warn the dispatcher to ensure he or she has contacted the engineer of the train to confirm the train can comply with the dropped signal TSCAD will require the dispatcher to type CONFIRM in order to drop the signal WARNING A train may be affected by taking down this signal Contact the train to verify the engineer can comply and then type CONFIRM Note Signal will run time for 1 minute Once the signal is dropped it will then run time During this timeout period the dispatcher cannot align any other signals or switches in that OS tax Important Note Dispatchers must try to plan their actions well and in advance Deciding O to throw a switch when a train is approaching cannot be done quickly and will almost certainly necessitate the train stopping in order to complete the procedure 17 Conflicts Opposing Route Aligned TSCAD will not allow two signals to be aligned in opposition to one another If the dispatcher attempts to do so the following error will be received The block that is aligned against the requested signal will flash for as long as this dialog is displayed The dispatcher will not be able to do anything else in TSCAD until this error is acknowledged by pressing OK Invalid Block Alignments Certain track segments may not be capable of having trains run on them in both directions Sometimes tracks are only signaled in a single direction and as such the dispatcher cannot align
5. Red Signal Violations Lead Unit BNSF 7823 BNSF 7647 BNSF 6871 BNSF 7870 UP 3510 CSX 5313 Symbol V MEMSBD4 H WATBAR t VVCPHX 03 U PHXOGD 03 AMICPR YR ES Fuel Yermo OFLBK 2 OBKFL 01 2 SBDWS29 03 Length 5846 feet 5621 feet 1719 feet 3932 feet 3803 feet 2966 feet 3006 feet 4628 feet Weight 8021 tons 5720 tons 75 DA 30 tons 3492 tons 1839 tons 6354 tons 4717 tons Location Barstow Inspection Track 2 West of Colton Tower BNSF Main 2 Barstow Inspection Track 1 Ash Hill Siding Caliente North Siding Walong Siding Cabente South Siding Barstow Main 1 35 Subdivision BNSF Barstow UP Cajon BNSF Bar BNSF Needles UP Mojave UP Mojave UP Mojave BNSF Barstow Time In Block 00 16 37 00 16 37 00 16 37 00 16 37 This tab shows all trains that are not visible to the routes you are dispatching Perhaps they are not in CTC limits or are simply on another route you do not currently have loaded E Depeche ee A A ae Active Trains Recrews Needed OM Termtory Trane Red Signal Violations Lead Unit Symbol Engineer Length Weight Speed Time In Block BNSF 6812 L CAL1161 26 viarkS 2471 feet 2035 tons Stopped 00 01 38 BNSF 6924 TRIM 6735 feet 8744 tons 0 7 HPT 1 MPH reverse 00 11 26 BNSF 7410 M BARRIC 03 6128 feet 11263 tons T Stopped 00 16 53 UP 3699 OFLBK 31 0 tons 0 0 HPT Stopped 00 16 53 CSXT 143627 WEL 32 tons T Stopped 00 16 26 CSX 8825 67
6. Train Simulator Computer Aided Dispatcher Main Window _ Ff 1 File Dispatcher Help ONLINE KDM 2014 11 04 00 46 58 Radio test Sespe ZEPOA 2014 11 04 00 47 12 Message Text Reading and tracking messages is easy as text is large and it scrolls in bubbles with the user that sent it and the local date and time Message that you send from within TSCAD will appear on the right side to distinguish from those others have sent KDM 2014 11 04 00 46 58 Radio test Sespe ZEPOA 2014 11 04 00 47 12 Important Note Message sent by you from within Run 8 will appear on the left side as TSCAD does not know your Run 8 User ID Connection to Run 8 When TSCAD starts you should also notice another window also appear called the Run 8 to External Dispatcher Bridge This program facilitates the communication between Run 8 and RabbitMQ Run 8 Connection This Computer Another Computer 192 168 1 0 Valid range 192 168 1 0 192 168 1 255 Connection Status Run 8 Connection Connected RabbitMQ Connection Connected As you can see on this screen shot both Run 8 and RabbitMQ are connected You should just minimize this window and let it be Note shutting down this program will prevent TSCAD from communicating with Run 8 When you are finished with TSCAD and shut it down TSCAD will also shut down the dispatcher bridge program Setting Server Date and Time in TSCAD Although Run 8 do
7. a train the wrong way An example of this would be between Kern Junction and Sand Cut on UP s Mojave Sub Main 1 can only be aligned for southbounds left to right and Main 2 can only be aligned for northbounds right to left If the dispatcher attempts to align a train against the flow of traffic the following error will be displayed The track segment that is not signaled in the requested direction will flash for as long as this dialog is displayed The dispatcher will not be able to do anything else in TSCAD until this error is acknowledged by pressing OK 18 Throwing Switches Under Aligned Routes Once the dispatcher has aligned a route over a switch TSCAD will not allow that switch to be thrown If the dispatcher needs to throw the switch he or she must first remove the route knock down the signal over the switch This may result in the signal running time If the dispatcher attempts to throw a switch that has a route aligned over it the following error will be displayed The dispatcher will not be able to do anything else in TSCAD until this error is acknowledged by pressing OK Throwing Switches That Have Been Locked Out If the dispatcher locks out a switch generally to protect Maintenance of Way then the switch cannot be thrown until the lock has been removed If the dispatcher attempts to throw a switch that has been locked out the following error will be displayed Switch is currently locked out and ca
8. can specify a certain number of trains to fleet past a signal The signal will automatically set back up for the specified number of times After the last train has passed the signal will no longer automatically set up and fleeting will be disabled To put a signal in fleet lock for a specific number of trains right click on the signal and select Fleet Lock For Trains Fast Route Route Stack Clear Stacked Routes Fleet Lock Lock Out Signal Once doing so the signal will act and appear as a single in standard fleet lock mode Once the signal has automatically set up for the specified number of trains it will drop to and stay red How many trains should signal be fleetdocked for 3 AN Important Note After setting up for the final time the signal mast will change from teal O to green to reflect the fact that it is no longer in fleet lock mode y 25 Modifying Fleet Lock Count The dispatcher may choose to change or clear the specified number of trains for a fleet locked signal To do this the dispatcher should once again right click on the signal and click on Fleet Lock For Trains NS Important Note Notice that the current number of trains set for the fleet lock will display in parenthesis in the menu Fast Route Route Stack Clear Stacked Routes Fleet Lock Lock Out Signal Uncontrollable Control Points The territories in TSCAD are designed to represent their prototypical count
9. case then TSCAD is either not connected to Run 8 or it is connected but dispatcher authority has not been granted in Run 8 NS Important Note If TSCAD establishes a connection to Run 8 and dispatcher authority is granted and the connection is lost for any reason the dispatcher will be notified and the board will be cleared 11 Granting Dispatcher Authority Dispatcher authority must be granted in Run 8 in order for TSCAD to be used Make sure the Allow External DS Program checkbox has been checked on the Options screen in Run 8 Freeze Time of Day Tile Draw Range Distant Trans Dist Meters Veg Thinning Level Rail Unit Draw Distance M Night Ambient Seasick Multiplier Msg Fadeout Seconds Yard Light Draw Distance M W Ground Detail FullScreen On Startup Car Spewers Y Show Tool Tips Kidney Busting Cab Motion F Mo Betta Coupler Equations Don t change while in control of a train The Nick Ozorak Save Settings button is now automatic The settings will save whenever Shift Fl or Fl menus are closed Once authority has been granted TSCAD will display the following dialog letting you know that you can now dispatch 12 Understanding the CAD Display The first step in using the display is understanding how to read the display The white components represent unoccupied track The dark gray components represent track that has no occupancy and is not within CTC limits Red track indicates an
10. occupancy exists meaning there is a train or cars or MOW within that block In TSCAD every block is represented Green track represents an alignment with arrows indicating the direction of the alignment Flashing yellow track represents a route that is in the process of being set up Solid yellow track represents a stacked route More on that later Switches and block signals will gain a yellow border when you place your mouse over them This is to let you know that you can affect that switch or signal by clicking the mouse Signals that are not setup red will be dark gray and can be found along the track TSCAD does not indicate the condition of a signal in the field Regardless of the condition of the signal clear approach approach medium etc the signal will appear as green in TSCAD The exception being of course ifthe condition is red In that case as mentioned the signal in TSCAD will appear dark l SPS Hn 56 Unoccupied Track Occupied Track Track segment will flash Alignment In Process 13 CP 5P 354 Track appears in a salmon color OS Running Time Route with a stack is Stacked Route Track solid yellow Fast Route or Stacked Route Block is an off green selected block color setup signal for a route Signal Locked Out Signal locked out after Signal Locked Out Pending route aligned Signal Train will lock once train knocks down signal Fast Route Selected Signal will flash Route Stack Selected
11. order to throw a particular switch simply left click on the switch TSCAD will then attempt to throw the switch As with signals switches are not thrown instantaneously in the real world The request is sent to the field and the switch checks to see if it can in fact be thrown If it can there is a delay while the hardware works to actually throw the switch points and lock up the switch Once that has been completed a confirmation signal is returned to the dispatcher While the switch is in the process of throwing the switch will flash on the dispatcher screen CP 5P358 Once the confirmation signal is returned the switch will stop flashing CP 5P 358 It is perfectly acceptable to set up a route align a signal over a switch that is in the process of throwing The signal of course will not align until the switch has been completely thrown Important Note In order to throw the switches in a crossover the dispatcher only needs to click the switch on one side of the crossover This will cause both switches in the crossover to throw and align properly 16 Knocking Down a Signal Sometimes it is necessary for the dispatcher to knock down a signal turning it red in the field To do this simply left click the signal currently aligned that you wish to knock down If there is no train in the immediate vicinity of the signal it will immediately drop to red and the alignment will disappear If there is a train in the vicinity
12. the tower you currently have selected to draw your attention to it Click on the radio tower to reply to the tone and stop the flashing Walong Radio Tower In addition to radio towers lighting up when toned the dispatcher will now get a notification that pops up in the lower right corner of their primary monitor This notification will appear in front of all applications even if TSCAD is in the background CP Silverwood EN CP Summit e nth ess oe L BNSF 7399 o e e Max Grade gt T O jensr 7224 Ms CP Martinez Max Grade CP Hodge Radio Tone y Dispatcher Toned on Hodge Radio Tower 40 Clicking on the Radio Tone notification will move focus to the radio stack TSCAD will automatically select the tab of the radio tone as well Clicking the X in the upper right corner of the notification will close it with no action taken Or if the notification is ignored it will disappear on its own after 30 seconds Responding to Emergency Tones If an engineer tones up the dispatcher with an emergency tone 911 then the radio tower will flash between blue and red Similar to the notification above emergency tones will also produce a notification CP Silverwood a ee ee CP Summit N AS VE I BNSF 7399 MY e ee b Max Grade 5 Ye 74 de bil be CP Martinez CP Hodge Emergency Radio Tone Dispatcher Toned on Hodge Radio Tower As before clickin
13. 0 The Dispatcher Displays Blank Display BITSCAD for Run 8 Dispatcher Dopa S Bakersfield Kern Jct Sand Cut Bena CP SP314 Controlled by BNSF DS 13 Edison lt Main 2 DT ABS CP SP325 CP SP328 CP SP331 Ilmon CP SP332 h d Za a P a r7 4 d v K d h O _Q lt KOO See O a ___ _ G SS xx _Dm_ AAA _z gt 202 5 E_r gt oQ_ Qz o oe e in E gt an A sl v4 4 Main 1 DT ABS gt HBD 318 8 SL 328 6 4 EIA UP Mojave Sub Dispatcher lt lt to BNSF Bakersfield Console 254 Caliente North Sidino 5 558 Bealville South Siding 5 540 Allard X Over Bealville cliff CP SP338 CP SP340 CP SP341 CP SP342 Siding 10 MPH CP SP344 cp sp345 Rowen cp sp347 PAT LE as Y rs rs en Ne AS 4 7 n n O O E E o y 8 235 HBD 347 0 c sp348 Woodford c sp350 sp3s3 Marcel cr sp354 Cable Cable X Over ae VE CP SP351 Walong CP 5P352 ae VE CP SP356 CP SP358 O e a O O E O O E E E E E E E a 8 960 yd 6 379 5 568 Summit A Tehachapi Main 1 Cameron Mojave South Mojave ST BNSF Barstow gt gt CP SP361 CP SP362 Monolith lt Main 2 DT ABS CP SP370 Warren i lt Main 2 ABS CP SP381 4 P amp Bt 2 N r a a d Fleta A a A eee E Le Es ee i Es IE ee eee Le 0 IE to Palmdale Cutoff gt gt Main 1 DT ABS gt oo 363 8 HBD 377 0 a 5 150 When TSCAD initially loads you may notice that the display is essentially empty No occupancies or signals appear If this is the
14. 96 tons T Stopped 00 16 53 Any time a train runs a red signal the dispatcher will be notified via a message dialog box In addition a record of the violation will be kept on this tab Important Note Once TSCAD is shut down the information on the red signal violations tab is lost The next time TSCAD starts this tab will be cleared and reset 36 While users of Run 8 have widely adapted the use of TeamSpeak for communication Run 8 was based on a text style of communication To be compatible with this system a Dispatcher Radio Stack has been developed Important Note The Radio Stack will automatically open as a gray screen when TSCAD starts lt must remain open while TSCAD is running Dispatcher Radio m ama Ub Mojave Sub DS 54 ENSF Needles Sub Dispatcher DS 12 BNSF Mojave Sub Dispatcher DS 113 BNSF Cajon Sub Dispatcher DS 14 Bakersfield Radio Tower Channel 54 37 As you load routes their corresponding radio stacks will appear as tabs on the Dispatcher Radio Stack screen Dispatcher Radio Stack UP Mojave Sub 035 34 BNSF Needles Sub Dispatcher DS 12 BNSF Mojave Sub Dispatcher DS 113 BNSF Cajon Sub Dispatcher 05 14 Bakersfield Cliff Woodford Walong Radio Tower Radio Tower Radio Tower Radio Tower This allows the dispatcher to easily switch between routes and see the radios Global Communication By default any text or chat messages that are sent within Run 8 are sent on Channel 0 Th
15. TSCAD Operations Manual rain Simulator omputer Aided Dispatcher designed for Version 2 Beta This document is for version 2 0 0b the second beta version of TSCAD released on November 4 2014 About TSCAD TSCAD pronounced tee ess CAD was originally intended as dispatching software for an HO model railroad started the project in 2009 but stopped in 2011 when the model layout decided to try something different Then when discovered Run 8 started work again on the project in 2012 Run 8 focuses on realism realistic physics and train handling as well as operations It was my goal to create computer aided dispatcher software that was also as prototypical as possible This is the result hope you enjoy it Kevin Morgan Developer TSCAD Contents VETO Z BET a E E iboa 1 o o o se eee maine oer unten eon ceeomets 1 Prere aui SS sia ico 5 RabbitMO Erlang lava Suns tio eiii 5 Monitors and Screen Re SOIUtION cccssssescecccccceeeesseeccceccsaeeeeeeccceeesaeeeseececeeessueasseseceeeessueaseeeseeeesaaas 5 Starune TSCA The Malin WINGOW asics ncyseashece et atnanceaatneduiecnnsssudadoedua denna aesenastumnnadnceneiaauiediesaseonosinanec secs 6 CONNECTION tO US set tee ryan eee te epee ce arene erree re 8 Setting Server Date ana Time in TSCAD ositos aiii 8 Karol A O E E o sess nGeoneesuene rene 10 The Dispatcher Displays onesten T coil T TS 11 Bank DID A e EE E EA 11 Granting Dispatcher Authority
16. a Taini 28 CASAN MAZO io eee e eee Ere eee 28 Changing the Information Displayed Train Tags cccccccccsssseecccceesseccccseeeseccecseeesecceseeeeseeeeeeegeeeeeetegs 28 ENCISO e 29 TME IN BOCK Taea a dedos 29 A ee re eee 29 Trath tag Color Scheme O ice ah o dE 30 Other Advanced Features inicia 31 EOCKINE CIs SIN EC I Shenene a E N 31 Locking Out Switches with Routes Aligned ooocccconoccnccnnccnnonanonnnnnaconnnnnrnononanonnnnnnconnnnaronnonanonnnonanos 31 Clearing a locked QUESWIR cda 31 Locking OUT SIS als acs aa a ne acs toseaderoattceasende 32 Locking Out Signals with Routes Allened our ia 32 Clearing a Locked QUES AA AA A Ad 32 Unlocking Powered Switch for Manual ControOl occccooncccncnnocnnnonaconnonanonnnonaconnnnaronnnnnnccnnnnaronnnnanonnos 33 Red Siena VIO ON Ss ESAS 33 Dispatcher Sheet con T aeons 34 A a 34 RECTOWS N CCOO taa 35 OT Territory TN Sites 36 Rea Siena VIANA tet aes hd a deals Pete ss Beant 36 Dispatcher Radio Stata rod 37 GloBalCOMMUNICIHON in NNA 38 Channel Specific COMMUNICATION ii A A kG 39 Radio MOI nas 40 RESPONAINE TO TONOS titanio dios cila do dist s 40 RESPONGING LO EMereelicy Ones ticas eli ances 41 Dispatcher Channels 42 A toad E utes 43 Mea ANG TIMO naa 43 Track WARM cabo 43 Track Bulletin ntes ratio uiccnicaicnodii dico AN 43 FOC IONE cers CL O een eee secede ds ea oe ee eee 43 Automatic Control PONS aca 43 Teamspeak Intestino e le 43 Notes ADOUT Betania o
17. ch signal between Cable and Woodford The solution is Fast Routes By right clicking on the signal at Cable the dispatcher can select Fast Route Fast Route Route Stack Clear Stacked Routes Fleet Lock Fleet Lock For Trains Current 0 Lock Out Signal When doing so the signal will flash while still dark gray When the dispatcher places his or her mouse over any segment of track the track will change to an off green color indicating that block is the block that has been selected In our example the dispatcher would put his or her mouse over the siding at Woodford and then left click If there are no conflicts along the route TSCAD will automatically set up all signals as well as throw all switches along the route to quickly align the train Multiple Routes What if there are multiple routes available to get the train to the desired destination For example a train is on Main 1 and there are two main tracks The dispatcher is ultimately going to cross the train over to Main 2 There are two crossovers between the train and the final block If the dispatcher uses ast routes which crossover will be use If there are no conflicts anywhere along the route TSCAD will use the second crossover TSCAD will try to avoid running a train through a diverging switch for as long as possible If however there is a conflict say an occupancy on Main 1 between the first and second crossover TSCAD will send the train through the first
18. crossover Canceling a Fast Route Request If the dispatcher selects Fast Route causing the fast route tool to be enabled and the decision is made to cancel the request right click on the flashing signal and click on Cancel Fast Route Request 21 Fast Route Route Stack Clear Stacked Routes Fleet Lock Fleet Lock For Trains Current 0 Lock Out Signal Route Stacking Completing a meet between two trains can be time consuming and distracting for the dispatcher The dispatcher must watch each train and when one of the trains has cleared the end of the siding the dispatcher must align the switch and set up the signal If the dispatcher is distracted by action elsewhere on the line the trains may sit for a while even after both are in the clear If the dispatcher is closely focused on the meet he or she may miss action elsewhere on the board Route stacking eliminates this problem Once the two trains are both aligned for the meet one in to the siding and one holding the main the dispatcher can stack routes at each end of the siding By doing this the dispatcher is essentially telling TSCAD to watch for the trains to get in the clear and then align the routes automatically if no conflicts exist While meets are good example as to when the dispatcher might wish to stack a route route stacking is not restricted only to sidings for meets Any signal in the dispatcher s territory can be route stacked for whatever purpose the dis
19. ed with simple key presses on the keyboard Key Function o Ou Displaysleadunitnumber_ oo S PDisplaystramsymbol _ o ot PDisplaystramlength _ HA Displays train HPT o w o Displays total train weight LI Displays time in block Important Note When changing the information displayed in train tags it is changed for all train tags on the screen simultaneously There is no way to display the lead unit for one train tag and the train symbol for another train tag simultaneously 28 Engineer Tag If a train does not currently have an engineer a free agent train then a timer will be displayed for the train tag This timer indicates how long the train has been sitting without a crew When TSCAD starts the timer for all free agent trains currently on the territory will of course start at O However during a session if a crew releases a train in a siding for example the timer can indicate to the dispatcher how long a train has been sitting In addition to train type this can help the dispatcher to prioritize recrews CP SP353 CP 5P354 In the example screen shot the train has been without a crew for 42 minutes and 35 seconds Time In Block Tag It may be useful for the dispatcher to know how long a train has been in the current block Each time a train moves to a new block TSCAD starts an internal timer and tracks the time spent in the block When switching to the time in block train tag timers will appea
20. erparts as closely as possible As such there may be interlockings including switches and signals that cannot be controlled by your dispatching territory For example the Union Pacific Mojave Sub dispatcher does not control the signals or switches at Kern Junction even though he or she can see the interlocking on his or her board In cases like this the signals will be represented by triangles rather than by the standard signal head and mast graphic These signals triangles will appear red when no route has been aligned and will appear as green when the dispatcher that controls them has aligned a route CP 5P314 26 If you need a switch thrown or a route aligned through an interlocking that you do not control use the radio stack to send a message to the dispatcher that does control the interlocking in order to request the switch be thrown or the route aligned Missing Track Segments There may be cases when a dispatcher controls sections of track on either side of another dispatcher s territory For example the BNSF Mojave Sub dispatcher controls the desert up to but not including BNSF Junction at South Mojave on the south side of the hill Tehachapi as well as Kern Junction to Bakersfield on the north side of the hill The BNSF Mojave Sub dispatcher will be able to see several blocks of UP s tracks controlled by the UP dispatcher at BNSF Junction as well as Kern Junction But the BNSF dispatcher cannot see the UP t
21. es not publish the time of the server for TSCAD to read you can now set the server time in TSCAD by specifying offsets to the days years hours etc Click on Dispatcher and select Set Date and Time Train Simulator Omputer File Dispatcher Set Date and Time Ctrl 5 Sespe ZEPOA 2014 11 04 00 47 12 This will bring up an options screen that allows you to specify offsets to set the time of the server Year Offset Month Offset Day Offset Hour Offset Minute Offset Second Offset 22 OK Cancel These offset are all local to your local PC time In the above example the server is two years back and one hours and 22 seconds behind the PC running TSCAD Once clicking OK the server time will be changed on all screens in TSCAD to reflect the offset Loading a Route Once TSCAD is running you can click on the Dispatcher menu and select Load Route Train Simulator Compute File Dispatcher Load Route Ctrl L sespe ZEPOA 2014 11 04 00 47 12 This will bring up the route selection window A Train Simulator Comp Select a Route Choose a route to dispatch For this session Select Route AS BNSF Cajon Sub DS 14 BNSF Mojave Sub D5 113 BNSF Needles Sub DS 12 UP Mojave Sub D5 254 Perhaps the most important enhancement in TSCAD Version 2 is the ability to dispatch multiple routes simultaneously After loading one route you can load up another 1
22. g the notification will take the user to the radio stack 41 Dispatcher Channels In addition to the road channels the dispatcher will have one or more Dispatcher Channel available for use at his or her discretion Specifically the dispatcher can use these channels to initiate text chat communication with neighboring dispatchers For example the UP Mojave Sub Dispatcher can click on BNSF DS 113 Chat to send a message to the BNSF dispatcher This might occur if the UP dispatcher needed to contact the BNSF dispatcher about setting up a route at Kern Junction Likewise if the BNSF dispatcher needed to inform the UP dispatcher about a train approaching South Mojave BNSF Junction then the BNSF dispatcher would use his or her chat to communicate with the UP Dispatcher As soon as the BNSF dispatcher sent a message the icon for the BNSF dispatcher would flash yellow just like when a train tones up the dispatcher letting the UP dispatcher know his or her attention is needed When the dispatcher clicks on the BNSF icon the box in the lower right corner will switch from Channel 54 to BNSF DS 113 The chat history between the UP dispatcher and the BNSF dispatcher will appear in the box There may be more than one neighboring dispatcher yard master or MOW channel that will appear in this section of the radio stack 42 Future Releases There are still many other pieces of functionality that plan to add to TSCAD in future releases He
23. i ia 44 PREC ACK calachenteaacavenaeccsnmmuaaucesaencsueanacsunsatveaton suaaaawstesasesauutansvnegeueanesasnnchelerosaautaanncnalaronseeaacnesnnneneataaarnmnnies 44 Prerequisites RabbitMQ Erlang Java 8 Unlike in previous versions of TSCAD there is now an installer that handles getting all of these pesky prerequisites installed for you No need to track down the website for RabbitMQ or Java 8 Just run the TSCAD setup exe and you are ready to go Monitors and Screen Resolution There is a lot involved in dispatching Real dispatchers may have ten or more monitors at their station For TSCAD it is recommended although certainly not required that you have two One for the CAD display and one for the train sheets radio stack The dispatching territories also fit best on a wide screen monitor But again that is not required and you can change the zoom of the display as well as scroll using scroll bars to navigate around ha gy y i F D _ Fh cl Y f a J re When you start TSCAD you will be taken in to the Main Window File Dispatcher Help ONLINE KDM 2014 11 04 00 46 58 Sespe ZEPOA 2014 11 04 00 47 12 Message Text This window handles all global communication in Run 8 meaning any chat communication that takes place on Channel 0 This new Main Window is broken into multiple pieces These include Server time local time Run 8 communication status global communication area _
24. is global chat is now located directly on the TSCAD main window and is no longer shown on the radio page It still shows a complete history of communications on Channel O on the main window Beneath the history box there is a box available for typing your own message to send across Channel 0 Once your message has been typed simply press lt Enter gt to send it 38 The global communication section will always show messages on Channel 0 But when on the road train crews should switch their cab radios to the proper channel For example trains on Needles should be on Channel 12 The area below the radio stack shows a complete history for the channel selected The channel selected is based on the radio tower selected shown in green Dispatcher Radio Stock T UP Mojave Sub DS 54 BNSF Needles Sub Dispatcher DEI BNSF Mojave Sub Dispatcher DS 113 BNSF Cajon Sub Dispatcher DS 14 Minneola Radio Tower 36 Channel 12 39 Radio Towers The upper half of the screen represents all of the radio towers for the dispatching territory as well as chat methods with MOW and neighboring dispatchers The radio tower currently active will be shown in green while the rest will appear in blue Left click a radio tower to move select that tower and that channel Responding to Tones When the engineer on a train tones up the dispatcher the radio tower from which the train toned will flash between blue and yellow unless it is
25. n Amtrak unit is leading an Amtrak train the tag will display in a standard color scheme 30 Other Advanced Features Locking Out Switches There may be times when the dispatcher needs to lock out a switch to prevent it from being thrown This may be done to protect maintenance such as a Form B etc or to simply ensure the dispatcher doesn t accidentally align a train somewhere they shouldn t To lock out a switch right click on the switch and select Lock Out Switch Lock Out Switch Unlock Switch For Manual Control Transport Me Here in Run When doing so a dialog will appear allowing the dispatcher to provide a reason for locking out the switch This reason is optional but recommended Enter a reason for locking out switch not required Form B 8745 The reason will be displayed to the dispatcher if he or she attempts to throw the switch without removing the lock out Once the switch has been locked out the background color of the switch will turn purple Locking Out Switches with Routes Aligned If a route has been aligned over a switch the switch may still be locked out The background color of the switch will turn purple and the track segment will appear green or red depending on if a route is aligned or an occupancy exists on the switch Clearing a Locked Out Switch In order to remove a lock out on a switch right click on the switch and again select Lock Out Switch which will currently display
26. n passes the signal knocking it down to red the color of the entire signal will change to purple and dispatcher will not be able to set up the signal again until the lockout has been removed Clearing a Locked Out Signal In order to remove a lock out on a signal right click on the switch and again select Lock Out Signal which will currently display with a check next to it Doing so will remove the lock and restore the color of the signal to gray 32 Unlocking Powered Switch for Manual Control The dispatcher may on occasion receive a request from the field to unlock a switch so it can be thrown manually Whether the request comes from maintenance or from a train this can be done from within TSCAD Right click on the switch you wish to unlock for local control and select Unlock Switch For Manual Control Lock Out Switch Transport Me Here in Run 8 When clicking on this the dispatcher will receive a dialog box confirming he or she wishes to unlock the switch for manual control Are you sure you want to unlock the switch for local control Red Signal Violations TSCAD will monitor red signal violations If a train exceeds its limits by proceeding beyond a red signal a dialog will appear to the dispatcher The dialog will include the lead unit the symbol the engineer the location and the speed the train was moving when the signal was passed MI ALERT ALERT ALERT 111 ALERT 111 UP 3546 RAN RED SIGNAL
27. n is likely to arrive first and as such which train to place in the siding Automatic Control Points This ability will be activated on a control point by control point basis When activated if no signal has been set up for an approaching train TSCAD will automatically set up a route for the train with no further interaction from the dispatcher in order to keep the train moving TSCAD will attempt to find the best route similar to fast routes TeamSpeak Integration While have not explored the possibility in depth would like to add some integration between TSCAD and TeamSpeak Specifically this functionality would allow the channel in TeamSpeak to change based on the active radio tower in TSCAD This would have the potential of allowing a more realistic voice communication system 43 Note About Beta In order to start the Beta version of TSCAD you must be able to connect to the internet TSCAD will connect with the TSCAD website to validate the copy of the software Feedback Feedback and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated If you find issues with TSCAD or if you have suggestions for future functionality feel free to send an email to support run8cad com cannot guarantee that will be able to reply as it will depend entirely on the volume of emails am receiving and the nature of the emails being received 44
28. ng Multiple Routes It may be necessary for the dispatcher to set up more than one stacked route at a particular signal Do to so simply right click the signal and again select Stack Route Important Note If multiple routes have been stacked then TSCAD will attempt to execute the stacked routes in the order in which they were added to the signal Clearing Stacked Routes If the dispatcher decides he or she wants to clear the routes that have been stacked right click on the signal and select Clear Stacked Routes Fast Route Route Stack Fleet Lock Fleet Lock For Trains Current 0 Lock Out Signal 23 Once selecting this option the dispatcher will have to be confirm that he or she wishes to cancel the stacked requests Important Note At this time there is no way to select a clear a single stacked route if multiple routes have been stacked for a single This functionality may be added at a later time 0 Na Fleet Lock There may be times in which the dispatcher knows that a particular signal will need to be set back up for the same route after a train passes it This is often the case when multiple trains are following one another along the route Running the trains together is referred to as fleeting To prevent the dispatcher from having to set up each signal each time a train passes and then clears the next block a signal may be put in Fleet Lock By doing so TSCAD will automatically set the signal
29. nnot be thrown Reason Form B 2445 Cannot throw switch The dispatcher will not be able to do anything else in TSCAD until this error is acknowledged by pressing OK Important Note When the dispatcher locks out a switch he or she has the option of providing a reason why the switch is being locked out If this reason is provided then it will be displayed should the switch attempt to be thrown 19 Aligned a Signal That Has Been Locked Out If the dispatcher locks out a signal generally to protect Maintenance of Way then the signal cannot be aligned until the lock has been removed If the dispatcher attempts to align a signal that has been locked out the following error will be displayed 0 Signal is currently locked out and cannot be set Reason Form B 2445 The dispatcher will not be able to do anything else in TSCAD until this error is acknowledged by pressing OK Important Note When the dispatcher locks out a signal he or she has the option of providing a reason why the signal is being locked out If this reason is provided then it will be displayed should the signalattempt to be aligned 20 Advanced Alignment Functions Fast Routes Frequently the dispatcher will want to align a train through multiple signals and blocks For example a train is approaching Cable and the dispatcher wants to take the train to Woodford and put the train in the siding for a meet It can be time consuming to click on ea
30. patcher has To stack a route right click on the signal you wish to add the stacked route to and select Route Stack Fast Route Route Stack Clear Stacked Routes Fleet Lock Fleet Lock For Trains Current 0 Lock Out Signal When doing so the signal will flash with the signal head appearing green and the signal mast appearing yellow When the dispatcher places his or her mouse over any segment of track the track will change to an off green color indicating that block has been selected The dispatcher should select the block he or she wishes to add the stacked route to For example say there is a meet occurring at Walong The northbound moving left on the display is taking the siding and the southbound moving right on the display is holding the main The dispatcher would set up a route for the main signal at the south end of Walong to the next block south of Walong 22 Important Note Route stacks can only be set up from a signal to the next block that the signal controls not include an OS or interlocking The dispatcher cannot set up a stacked route from a signal to a block beyond another absolute signal Once the stacked route has been set up the route will appear in solid yellow and the signal head will appear red and the base will appear yellow CP SP3 0 If the signal is already aligned for another movement then the signal head will appear green and the base will appear yellow CP SP3 0 Stacki
31. r above all trains on the territory Speed Tag While not entirely prototypical the speed tag has been added due to popular demand The train tag will display the current speed of each train in the territory ES Important Note If a train is stopped rather than displaying 0 MPH a timer will be O displayed This timer shows how long the train has been stopped This feature allows dispatcher to see how long a train has been stopped at a red signal 29 Train Tag Color Scheme The color scheme of train tags will change depending on a number of factoring including whether or not the train has an engineer as well as the type of train Train Type aes White text on a black Crewed train SP 8607 background Crewed train Black text on a green Z Train background Crewed train Blue text on a gray Amtrak background n es Black text on a white Free Agent train UP 3775 background Free Agent train aoe O Red text on a white Z Train background Free Agent train E Red text on a white AMTK 139 Amtrak background These color schemes are employed automatically and at the present cannot be changed In the future this feature will be more user definable In addition visual support for special trains such as key trains will be added ES Important Note The color scheme above is currently based on the lead unit number O AMTK for Amtrak or the lead character of the train symbol Z for Z Train If a no
32. racks over the entire hill from Mojave to Kern Junction Trains Aligned On To My Territory When a neighboring dispatcher aligns a train toward your territory you will see the segment of track on the border of your territory set up with green arrows to reflect the alignment Use the radio stack to communicate with neighboring dispatchers to discuss train movements between territories CP 5P381 In the example screen shot the BNSF Mojave Sub Dispatcher has aligned a route from Sanborn which is not visible on the screen to South Mojave The UP Mojave Sub Dispatcher has in turn aligned the train in to the yard at Mojave 27 Changing the Dispatcher Display In order to maximize screen real estate there are no menus on the TSCAD display In order to change the zoom or the information displayed a simple key press on the keyboard is all that is required Changing the Zoom The size of the dispatcher display can be changed by changing the zoom factor Click numbers 1 through 4 in order change the zoom factor Key Function Set zoom to 50 Set zoom to 100 Set zoom to 150 4 Serzoomto200 Changing the Information Displayed Train Tags By default the dispatcher display will show the lead unit number on the train tags above occupancies There is a lot of other information that can be useful to the dispatcher Information such as train symbols HPT engineer etc Once again changing the information displayed can be accomplish
33. re are a few of the ones plan to look at Track and Time This feature will add the ability to issue track and time to maintenance at or between control points When doing so the color of the track that has track and time issued will turn blue and no routes will be allowed through the track and time limits Track Warrants As implied this feature will provide the user with the ability to issue and track track warrants for trains running on track that runs on this authority instead of CTC Track Bulletin Integration This feature would give the dispatcher the ability to enter track bulletin information Form B s Slow Orders Crossing Warnings etc that would automatically transfer in to Run 8 and appear on the engineers screen in the cab Route Planning In order to provide the dispatcher with more information route planning will add the ability to show a time over the last block for which a train is aligned This time will represent the estimated amount of time based on current speed and maximum speed along the aligned route that the train will arrive For example if a train is aligned from Cable to the south switch at Woodford the estimated time to arrival at that north switch would be displayed above the block south of Woodford Likewise if a southbound was aligned from Caliente to the south north switch at Woodford the estimated time to arrival would display Using this information the dispatcher could better determine which trai
34. up again for the same route as soon as the train that last passed the signal clears the next block To put a signal in fleet lock right click on the signal and select Fleet Lock Fast Route Route Stack Clear Stacked Routes Fleet Lock For Trains Current 0 Lock Out Signal If the signal has not yet been set up TSCAD will attempt to set it up at that point If the signal has already been set up it will immediately go in to Fleet Lock mode When in Fleet Lock mode the base of the signal will display in a teal color and will not change to gray when a train passes it To take the signal out of Fleet Lock right click the signal and again click on Fleet Lock Alternatively if the signal is already set up left clicking the signal will remove fleet lock and drop the signal to red Important Note If a train is approaching the signal and the dispatcher left clicks the signal to remove fleet lock and drop the signal the confirmation dialog notifying the dispatcher of the approaching train will still appear 24 Fleet Locking For a Specific Number of Trains As mentioned above fleeting trains refers to several trains all following one another across the territory There may be times particularly in single track territories where the dispatcher only wants to fleet a certain number of trains After the last train has passed a signal he or she does not want the signal to continue to automatically set up To facility this the dispatcher
35. with a check next to it Unlock Switch For Manual Control Transport Me Here in Run 8 Doing so will remove the lock and restore the background color of the switch to black 31 Locking Out Signals As with switches there may be times when the dispatcher needs to lock out a signal to prevent the signal from being set up and route aligned This may be done to protect maintenance such as a Form B etc It may also be done to remind the dispatcher not to align a train beyond a certain point For example if the train will be tying down in a siding This feature will ensure the dispatcher doesn t align the train further out of habit To lock out a signal right click on the signal and select Lock Out Signal Fast Route Route Stack Clear Stacked Routes Fleet Lock Fleet Lock For Trains Current 0 Lock Out Signal When doing so a dialog will appear allowing the dispatcher to provide a reason for locking out the signal This reason is optional but recommended The reason will be displayed to the dispatcher if he or she attempts to set up the signal without removing the lock out Once the signal has been locked out the color of the signal head and mast will change to purple Locking Out Signals with Routes Aligned If a route has been aligned for a particular signal the signal may still be locked out The color of the signal head will remain green but the color of the mast will change to purple As soon as the trai
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