Dispatching?

[Anonymous]

Was listening to the radio heard a conversation between CN road foremen and a train. They had a boxcar with a small air leak, the road foremen told them to nurse it back to it's home rails. Just then the CN dispatcher got on the radio and told the train crew to park that boxcar in the nearest siding. Do the dispatchers out rank everyone on the railroad?
TIM A

[Anonymous]

That sir was a very good explaination, and yes you have cleared up a lot of questions. Thank you for the help.
TIM A

[edblysard]

Hi Tim, gdc gave you a really good answer. Iam going to give you a example, to put it in perspective, I hope. Each train has it own symbol, say the Memphis to the Port Terminal daily train, its symbol is M2PT, (from Memphis, train #2 to Port Terminal). Its a mixed freight. Rails are used to carry a electirc current from signal to signal and to the dispatchers "Big board" often nothing more than a CRT monitor, it has a track schematic on it, showing control points, or absolute signals. These have a track cricuit of their own, which will change an indicater lamp or cursor on the dispatcher board when activated, so he/she knows when a train has entered, or passed the signal. Running through one of these displaying a absolute stop indication is a firing offense, automatic. You cant hide having done so, the dispatcher will see it and know. All that said, lets say the M2PT is heading into houston, but right on his heels, say three blocks back is the QVBT, a hot intermodel for barbors cut terminal. The dispatcher know the M2PT is going to the PTRA north yard, and because he has worked that dispatching jobs for years, he can look at his board, see that the M2PT is a block away from a siding that will hold his train easily. He also knows, from his beginning shift breifing that the QVBT is a higher priority train, it should be expidited if at all possible. So he hits a few keys, and the signal ahead of M2PT changes its indication and aspect to diverging route, and the switch to the siding lines towards the siding. The engineer on M2PT will see the signal, know that he is being lined into a siding, and slow to turnout speed before entering the siding. When M2PT's last car clears the control circut at the north end of the siding, the dispatcher can see that on his board, knows that M2PT is in the clear in the siding, and type a new command into the system, which will line the switch back for the main, and give the QVBT a green signal at the siding. When QVBTS last car clears the circut at the south end of the siding, or the next absolute signal, (control point) past the south end of the siding, it will show up on the board, and the dispatcher will then line M2PT back out onto the main, for the last few miles into the PTRA north yard. Now this may seem complicated, but keep in mind all the signals are interlocked with each other so the dispatcher can not inadverntly run two trains into each other. And this is a simplfied version of what happens, but it gives you a idea . Now imagine having to keep track of ten, fifteen or twenty trains an hour, over 100 to 200 miles of main line and sidings, and you can see why gdc compaired it to air traffic control. But at least the planes can steer around each other. So it takes a certain breed of cat to handle this job. Here in Houston, due in part because of the large number of yards, and the volume of trains, UP and BNSF have a joint ctc dispatching center in Spring, a small town just north of Houston. CTC stands for centralized traffic control. Its staffed by both UP and BNSF dispatchers, using computers, and dispatches an area from Galveston, 90 miles west of houston, to I belive Weimer, about 60 miles west, and about the same north and south. A lot of track and a lot of yards. The UP and BNSF dispatchers do not give their respective trains priority, their jobs are to keep everyones trains, no matter whos, on time. And I must say, after the meltdown form the UP/SP merger, which is why this center was created in the first place, they have done a great job. As to small switching towns, (hey, we reasemble that remark) when we have a train put together, we either notify the carrier via fax, phone or computer. And of course, because they run the same trains every day, we have their outbounds ready by the same time each day, and expect their inbounds to arrive, barring delays at or near the same time every day. By the way, M2PT is a real train symbol, and it gets here a 5:00/5:45 pm every day, I switch it tuesday through sunday before lunch. M1PT gets here at 7:00am.
Stay frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

Tim, I would like to give this one a shot with my limited knowledge. I know that some of the BNSF units have GPS (was told this by a RFE), but I don't think that this used by the DSs yet. I was taught that the DS can't see exactly where you are if you are between control points. That means if you are knocking down intermediate signals, they can't see that you just knocked down the intermediate at MP 120.5. They can see when you knock down an absolute though. The absolute signals are controlled by an operator and the intermediates are controlled by track conditions (train fouling that block, weed weasels shunting the track). Intermediates have number plates on their masts and or grade markers). As far as speed sensors, all that I know of are Trackside warning detectors. Some will give speed along with a defect message, and temperature (for temp.related speed restrictions) along with milepost number. Not all are alike though. To my knowledge these detectors do not flag the DS as to speed etc. They do however transmit over the radio their message. I'm not sure if the DS can hear these transmissions. They are rather weak. Sometimes you can barely pick up the message from a train that is several detectors ahead or behind. Like I say, that is what I was taught on my road. Hope that I didn't mislead you.......

[Anonymous]

Yes, you have hit the nail right on the head! (Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher?) You mentioned that they can track the progress of a train on a map. What feeds them that info? Are there radio transmitters on the trains that feeds GPS info to the dispatch centers? Are there sencors on the tracks that flag the dispatch on the speed and condition of a train?
TIM A

[Anonymous]

If your scenario is between divisions, probably not because of crew qualifications and collective bargaining jurisdictions. Sometimes you can, if there is an ID (Interdivisional crew) If it's between districts on the same division, probably so. Crews can operate on different districts on the same division. I'm speaking from NS point of view. May be different on other roads. Sometimes, in trackage rights joint facilities, crews from other railroads can operate on NS. They are required to pass the same rules examinations as NS crews. Likewise if NS crews operate on another road. Is that what you mean? gdc

[Anonymous]

What if one dispatcher has all his sidings occupied and 10 trains on the way to his division (Blue Ridge). Another division (Virgina) is sitting empty but, one of his tracks goes to the city that 5 of those incoming trains are bound for. Can Blue Ridge dispatch tell Virgina dispatch he needs to take those trains and if the route is longer will they charge the customers for the addintional miles?
TIM A

[Anonymous]

OK Tim...Here we go:
On NS, dispatching centers are located in Division headquarters cities. Two divisions were just recently combined, so there may be two for that division. One was pretty antiquated. Dispatchers divide the division into districts approximately 100+ miles or so. This may also vary, but that is the general rule. Each district is identified by name, i.e. Blue Ridge District, Virginia Division, Shenandoah District, etc. Most of the dispatch centers are computer aided so that trains appear on a map located on a big board as lights that progress with them movement. Individual signals and their aspects, including those govering turnouts. At the more modern centers, this a big semi-circular, darkened room with 5, 6, 7 or so dispatchers. They are in touch with each train on their district.
Dispatchers plan their meets based on siding length, crossover intervals, train length and other traffic. The computer aided dispatching system has the capacity to help plan meets, if possible to be non-stop. That's the optimum.
Train priority is determined by it's symbol. In other words, an Amtrak train would have priority over a through freight which would have priority over a local. Depending on the type of train, some symbols have prority over others. Roadrailers will be given rights over other trains. Again, none of this set in concrete. Conditions may be present that dictate a deviation.
If a train is scheduled to go from Miles From Nowhere, Texas to Sludge Pump, Oklahoma, the symbol will tell the dispatcher just that. Then he and the computer and eveything else plan the moves. It really works and I have nothing but good things to say about the dispatchers in today's centers. These folks are highly trained (no pun intended)and are required to be qualified on their district. They are required to take a rules test every year.
The jobs are high stress and it takes a special level of dedication to do them correctly. There's a whole lot of similarity between them and air traffic controllers so far as stress is concerned.
These are short answers to your questions. When you have more, fire when ready! gdc

[Anonymous]

Can some of the tallent out there explain the basic's of dispatching to a non-railroader? From the input of this Forum and article's I have read. In order to have a safe and smooth running railroad you need to have a safe and smooth running dispatch.
1.How many dispatcher's do railroads have and were are they located? Do they locate them on busy sections of track?
2.How do dispatcher's know when to put a train into a siding? Do they have a math formula that they use as to were two trains will meet? (Remember the classic Algebra question "If one train leaves New York at 40 MPH and another leaves Chicago at 30 MPH were will they meet.")
3.How do they know which train is more important? Do the marketing peaple tell them which train gets the go signal?
4.If a train is built at a small switching town of "Miles of Nowhere", Texas how do the dispatchers know its ready to leave And what it's destination is? How do they know what track to route it on?
I have more questions but do not want to overload the system. If it would be easier to answer them one at a time please do so.
TIM A