Prr towers trains magazine trains news wire, railroad. But if we dont take the time to focus on the strengths, minimize the weaknesses encourage and train good 911 operatorsdispatchers well be elite and overworked. Jun 24, 2018 the ctc or centralized traffic control data stream is the same at train mountain as that used by most major us railroads. This is an extremely basic model railway control panel, but it still allows your railroad to operate seamlessly.
Centralized traffic control ctc is a form of railway signalling that originated in north america. This position will dispatch trains, other vehiclesequipment that travel on the rail, and. Lines with two tracks and ctc are like twolane highways on which passing is allowed. Ctc on operation on my utah colorado western started back in the 1970s with a home built board and whatever hardware i could scrape together. With the help of these tips from allen keller, you will be equipped with the knowledge to create your very own model railway control panel. His own chittenden, pajaro and coyote depicted the southern pacific between watsonville and san jose and uses cmri with full abs ctc signaling in compliance with the prototype in that era. Heres a look at another modelers use of ctc boards. Train dispatcher and control operator bulletins and office notices. Kam industries has licensed this software and integrated it into their patented train server software interface for use with model railroads. Soon, we will have a working ctc dispatcher s board. Centralized traffic control wikimili, the best wikipedia. Centralized traffic control is a system of control whereby the railroads employ a dispatcher at a central point, and the dispatcher remotely controls the signals and the routing of trains, and the engineer of a train must obey the signals. He uses a manual board magnets representing trains or a ctc board to record train movement on a painted track diagram.
In csx rules who operates the machine is defined as the control operator be that the train dispatcher or some other individual. It is based on a 1986 conrail computerized ctc machine. Centralized traffic control ctc train movements are governed by signal indication, which are controlled by the dispatcher, through the ctc machine. This screen display allows the viewers to view what the dispatcher sees as. The software is currently produced by softrail formerly signal computer consultants for windowsbased computers. The local control point the vital logic is in charge of actually changing the signals and reporting back to the ctc operator if and when it has done so. Ctc is commonly found on high or mediumdensity lines, where the signal equipment cost can be justified by the reduction in train delays.
Salary estimates are based on 6,746 salaries submitted anonymously to glassdoor by train dispatcher employees. Back before cad when you had ctc boards, basically all you had to go off of was a light at each block that would come one when a section of track was occupied with a train. Train control, signaling, and switch heaters page 1. This game simulates the gargantuan routing tasks a reallife dispatcher faces daily. Contact train dispatcher for permission train dispatcher verify the train has authority beyond the stop indication attempt to verify no opposing train has violated its authority issue permission as after stopping, train at location has permission to pass signal displaying stop indication 9. In addition, and after safety is provided, the dispatcher is supposed to expedite train movements. I did dispatching on the club layout i was in, the dispatchers panel i made train cutouts using flexible magnets, and made a reasonable fascimily of the layout on the metal board, trains reported to the dispatcher and i advanced the magnets to the next cleared location where they had to report. The red traces on the screen are train occupancy and the green traces are routes that have signals pulled up for trains. Dispatch is a 24 hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year operation. A verbal exchange of information must be made with the relieving train dispatcher. The train dispatcher could also control the trackside signals governing the movement of trains. Train dispatcher is a train simulator of centralized traffic control ctc systems. Ctc board 1999 september the back cover feels roughwrinkled. A central train dispatcher s office controls traffic flow in sections of the rail system.
At the right is an animated sequence showing how a meet between two opposing trains on single track was handled by a dispatcher using centralized traffic control ctc. Softrail has stopped selling and maintaining tdp software and territories in 2012 that includes a companion program called track builder. Visit payscale to research train dispatcher salaries by city, experience, skill, employer and more. Now consulting my old manual for train dispatcher 2, items 1 3 and timeout are most definitely against the north american signalling rules and indeed of just about every signalling system throughout the world. So, from what ive seen of pictures from the past inside dispatcher offices, you couldnt tell the direction or the identity of trains just by looking at the ctc boards. There is usually a ctc shed at each cp to house equipment, and recent installations may have a radio or microwave tower for the link to the dispatcher. Attached is a 1988 view of a portion of the dispatcher s panel at kennecott coppers operation at copperton, utah. Lees ucw is one of the most active model railroad operationsoriented layouts in the country, and lee was one of the founding members of prorail prototype railroad operations, a group of owner operators who. Chuck enjoyed applying prototypically authentic operating rules and practices to model railroad layouts. Some of the names on the board were once names of control towers cabins.
Page 1 of 2 train dispatcher yardmaster revised 042017. A train dispatcher is the person that controls the movement of all trains within a certain area, usually a single mainline of a railroad or part of a division, and possibly some branch. Bnsf train dispatcher final part 2 flashcards quizlet. Centralized traffic control ctc is a form of railway signaling that is similar to an air traffic tower at an airport. Learn all about csx and discover what were doing for our customers, environment and communities. Under ctc, trains moved by signal indication, instead of by time table and train order. View all pan am railways jobs in north billerica, ma north billerica jobs. Using a ctc machine to control model railroads mra. Instead, the train dispatcher could directly see the trains locations and efficiently control the train s movements by displaying signals and controlling switches. Apply to dispatcher, conductor, public safety officer and more. The dispatcher was constantly aware of the position of each train as it was electrically reported, and. Use signals to stop trains at station platforms and earn money.
The registrable version comes on a cdrom and includes a 50 page hardcopy manual. Along with every other employee, the burden of war traffic had tremendously increased the problem of the chief dispatcher, whose duty it was to distribute the engines and crews to the points where they were needed, in order to protect the business. The chesapeake and ohio began a gradual installation of ctc on the huntington division between handley and huntington beginning in the 1950s. The dispatcher s first responsibility is safety, to see that each train gets over the road without trying to occupy the same piece of track at the same time as any other train. Otto, ctc is not an allknowing map like you see in other games. Sitting in my house in kennewick wa last night i counted six trains between 4 and 9 pm. This position will dispatch trains, other vehiclesequipment that travel on the rail, and protect individuals who work on or near the track. War and its associated transportation demands were punishing the western pacific. The figure below shows that the dispatcher has moved the switch control lever to the l position and the turnout control lever to the r position indicating that the leftbound train should take the diverging route. Operational aspects walnut creek model railroad society. A siding within ctc or interlocking limits where a signal indication authorizes the sidings use.
My memory is that the maybrook machine was very typical of ctc machines of the 50s60s, the model board portion well marked and easy to read and the machine itself easy to learn. It supports ctc tcs centralized traffic control train control system, abs automatic block signals, apb absolute permissive blocks, twcdtc train warrant controldirect train control. Most people interested in train dispatching wont become a train dispatcher in real life. These controls set the track turnouts and determine which tracks show green or. Conceptually, ctc is a series of interlockings all controlled by one person. The ctc system overlays the vital logic with information from the dispatchers machine. With the help of these tips from allen keller, you will be equipped with the knowledge to create your very own model railway control. Ctc was designed to enable the train dispatcher to control train movements directly, bypassing local operators and eliminating written train orders. Not all signals in ctc territory are controlled by the dispatcher. Pennsylvania ctc machine this is the prr dispatcher s ctc machine that it used to control the model railroad. This page gives information about signalling simulations. The scheduled hours of this position vary and will include days. Train dispatchers are responsible for the safe and efficient movement of trains and the protection of ontrack maintenance activities.
This afternoon after i got home at 3, two trains, a grainer and coal train came through in the last half hour. The ctc, known affectionately as the big board, is used solely by the engineers. A ctc dispatcher s job is to route trains through his or her territory safely and efficiently. Centralized traffic control ctc logic rail technologies. Although crude it was functional allowing for switch control, some basic detection and the signal aspects just followed the movement of the switch machine, but more importantly i was hooked on ctc. The southern california regional rail authority scrra, operator of the metrolink commuter rail system, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of train dispatcher. Train dispatcher 2 freeware version updated 2122006. Ctc defines a set of rules that apply to the tracks involved the rules do not specify who is actually manipulating the remote switches and signals.
The signals are all three color aspect and approach lit. There is a train schedule that tells you where and when the trains have to go, along with the stations where they have to stop. The relieved train dispatcher must log off the train dispatching system and the relieving train dispatcher must log on to the train dispatching system before transfer is considered complete. The ctc project was also started with that in mind, but with some differences to address perceived shortcomings of the thenlatest tdp version 2. This authority protects the recipients use of a designated track between locations where signals are controlled by the dispatcher called control points. Centralized traffic control ctc board virginia museum. Your ability to remain cool, calm and collected under the most stressful situation is just as important as your logistical skills when you are an apprentice train dispatcher atd. Softrails train dispatcher tdp simulation software is probably the best known simulation software of its kind, and there are a number of clones out there that mimics tdps behavior. Twoway radios enabled train dispatchers to communicate directly with. The big board, just like the dispatch panels, utilize leds to show switch.
Thus, it can be used as a magnet board, a full ctc panel, or any level of connectivity to a layout between those extremes. The mainline is laid out in a loop formation although this is not an actual representation of the physical trackplan. Your job is to route the trains accordingly as per schedule. This screen display allows the viewers to view what the dispatcher.
If crew communication is necessary, it is provided by telephones located at each os section. Click signals to toggle between red stop and green clear. Under ctc, the usual procedure is for the dispatcher to grant track and time authority to the track foreman, vehicle operator, or work train. The scheduled hours of this position vary, and will include days or nights, and. It has is a control panel with a linedrawn illustration of the railroad track. Tips to designing a model railway control panel model. Filter by location to see train dispatcher salaries in your area. The first ctc installation 1927 between stanley and berwick, ohio, on the nyc used a great many line wires, but the signal companies rapidly developed systems which used only from 2 to 4 wires. Remotely directing the movement of trains trains magazine. Attached is a 1988 view of a portion of the dispatchers panel at kennecott coppers operation at copperton, utah.
The problem is that trains must share a limited number of tracks. Article describing the work of a train dispatcher the chiefs diary transcriptions from the daily diary kept by the great northern chief dispatcher in seattle from the late 1950s to the early 1970s handing on description of copying and handing on train orders a dispatching desk before radio and ctc. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher s office that controls railroad interlockings and traffic. It is an easy and straightforward alternative to using a ctc board. In north american railroading, centralized train control ctc is a method for controlling train movements on mainlines. Ctc consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. Train dispatchers are the air traffic controllers of the railroads. Centralized train control ctc is a method for controlling train movements on. At that time there were eight control towers or cabins. We had a working ctc dispatcher s board on the old layout, so we are familiar with how a ctc dispatcher s board looks and functions.
Southern pacific lines coast line division the route of. It was originally developed in the 1980s as a training tool for a commercial railroad and was then made available to the public. At grade rr crossing on the ctc dispatchers board question. Train director free ctc simulation software inspired by train dispatcher, for windows and linux train escape to normandy train simulation and strategy game set in wwii, published in 1988 and now available for free download note.
The train dispatcher has been an integral part of railroading since the mid19th century and without them, even with todays high tech signaling systems like ctc, ptc and to a lesser extent abs trains could not safely and efficiently operate particularly on railroad lines with only one track. The dispatcher can now try to set up switch 11 and signal 12l for that train. Ctc, sometimes called tcs traffic control system, is familiar to train watchers. You are now prompted for confirmation when clicking the quit button. At present, the main tracks use a modified version of abs, with track switches thrown by the engineer on permission from the dispatcher. Click switches to toggle their direction, routing trains to their proper destinations. Bnsf train dispatcher midterm part 1 2014 101 terms. Train dispatcher rules instructions belt railway of chicago. The southern california regional rail authority scrra, operator of the metrolink commuter rail system, is seeking a train dispatcher who will dispatch trains, other vehiclesequipment that travel on the rail, and protect individuals who work on or near the track.
Singletrack ctc has about 70% of the capacity of doubletrack abs and offers savings in maintenance, taxes, etc. Ctc was inspired by softrails train dispatcher tdp, first published in 1997, but it is more than just a clone. Chuck was the principal designer of the cpnode system. Lees ucw is one of the most active model railroad operationsoriented layouts in the country, and lee was one of the founding members of prorail prototype railroad operations, a group of owner operators who travel throughout a region and country to operate on different railroads. Typical ctc siding the signals leaving the siding are placed at the clearance point so a train stopped at the signal will not foul the other track. The example represents a union switch and signal dispatching machine of 1940s vintage, but many were still in service until very recently. Ctc bypassed the need for local operators and eliminated written train. The machine was operated by the train dispatcher at ctc tower in washington, pa. The dispatcher can only command allow a direction of traffic and turnout position. Not all yard tracks and sidings are shown on real ctc boards. The ctc board is visible high on the rear wall of the building.
Csx is a leading supplier of railbased freight transportation in north america. Be responsible for the coordination and management of safe and efficient train operations. Using ctc, a train dispatcher could align track switches anywhere on the territory so that trains could move into and out of sidings without having to stop and hand throw switches. In addition to these responsibilities, the dispatcher should be familiar with schedules and all the types of trains serving the coast line. Railroad dispatcher is based on reallife centralized traffic control, or ctc. Code a train of puleses is the means for ctc to do its thing. They control the movement of trains over large track territories. The ctc or centralized traffic control data stream is the same at train mountain as that used by most major us railroads.