The clock displays the current time of the game and the current time scale beneath it. To view previous and next pages of the register, click the triangles at the bottom corners of the register. Misrouted trains, trains involved in a collision and delayed trains all hurt your rating as a dispatcher. If a collision occurs, both trains involved will have вЂњcollisionвЂќ as their Time Actual entry. In the example above, you can see Train 467 was routed incorrectly by the Time Actual entry of вЂњx-routeвЂќ. The most important column here is the Time Actual column which, compared to the Time Sched column, allows you to see if the train left your corridor on time and on the correct route. The register is a running ledger of all the trains you have handled during your session. If you have received more than one teletype during the game, click the dogear at the lower-right corner of the teletype display. Pressing either the bulb or the button again will hide the teletypes. The newest teletype will be displayed first. To view all received teletypes press the illuminated bulb, the TELETYPE button on the panel or the вЂњYвЂќ key on your keyboard. If you receive a teletype, the Teletype bulb on the panel will illuminate and you will hear the printer typing. Until then, you may have to route your other trains around it or deal with the ensuing delays. You will receive a teletype informing you of this event.В After a while, the collision will be cleared from the track. If two trains ever occupy the same block at the same time, there will be a collision. In this case, you will see the following indication: Note that the panel will not allow you to clear a train onto a switch if it is already occupied. In our example, Train 484 now moves onto the Cleveland Switch block. The track is now switched and westbound traffic has the green signal. This is the route we desire, but it does not take effect until you push the Command button at beneath the two switches. Therefore we want the Switch set to R (for reverse, or the вЂњswitchedвЂќ track) and the Signal set to L so left traffic has the right of way (the green signal). In this example, we have a train waiting at the Cleveland block. Trains are routed using a combination of the CTC panelвЂ™s switch, signal and command controls. For example, Trains 859 and 484 need to exit on the main while Train 194 needs to exit at Central Yard. If the location is not shown on the model board, the train needs to exit on the main track. For example, Train 117В is coming in from the east on the main. If there is no corresponding FROM location on the model board, the train is currently on the main track. For example, Train 914 will be entering from the Milwaukee branch. If the FROM entry matches an endpoint, youвЂ™ve found it. To determine which train corresponds to the lights on the model board of the CTC panel, look at the FROM column on the timetable. Here we have three trains, two westbound from New YorkВ and Baltimore and one eastbound from Milwaukee. The same button or key will also hide the timetable. It is accessible by tapping the TIMETABLE button on the panel or pressing the вЂњTвЂќ key on your keyboard. The timetable lists the trains currently under your control. Note that the train will almost immediately occupy the first block, so make sure you donвЂ™t already have a train there or one is about to be.

To grant the trainвЂ™s request, click the illuminated bulb. One of the endpoints will illuminate and you will hear a bell chime. Trains announce their presence in your territory by requesting a вЂњslotвЂќ, that is, requesting passage on the tracks you control. If you forget to enable touch, you may still do so on the main game screen by tapping the DTAP TOUCH button. This is a workaround I am currently using until I figure out a better way to handle more responsive touch events. However, if you want to play the game with touch controls, tap the Options button and select the Enable Touch Controls option. There is a nice, short introduction to how this works at Logic Rail Technologies. These controls set the track turnouts and determine which tracks show green or red lights. This is done by setting routes on a CTC panel. A CTC dispatcherвЂ™s job is to route trains through his or her territory safely and efficiently. Railroad Dispatcher is based on real-life Centralized Traffic Control, or CTC.

Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) Primer.using it, IвЂ™ll gladly post it here or include links if it is posted elsewhere. If anyone would like to do any analysis / story telling / etc. There is an immense amount of information available here. Please contact me if you have any of this information available. Southern Pacific train sheets containing any of the Sprint trains. The Blue Streak through the desert night, 7-27-1972.

Train dispatcher 3.5