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Model Forum / General / Railroads / October 2007Random Traffic Generator
Some years back I saw a PC program to randomly generate traffic based on user input of industry, car type and loads. Does anyone know of suck a program? TIA >Some years back I saw a PC program to randomly generate traffic based >on user input of industry, car type and loads. Does anyone know of >suck a program? TIA typo aside (hehehe) i do remember reading about one. If it still exists Spike Coleman will have it or a mention of it on his site: The Webville & Hypertext Railroad www.spikesys.com/webville.html . His whole site is jam packed with great info! www.spikesys.com > Some years back I saw a PC program to randomly generate traffic based > on user input of industry, car type and loads. Does anyone know of > suck a program? TIA You probably saw a reference to Tim O'Conner's CLE.BAS program, a freight car forwarder. I have re-written it in C++ & Tcl/Tk as part of my Model Railroad System (available for download from http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/). >  SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ > > Some years back I saw a PC program to randomly generate traffic based > > on user input of industry, car type and loads. Does anyone know of [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > freight car forwarder. I have re-written it in C++ & Tcl/Tk as part of > my Model Railroad System (available for download fromhttp://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/). Cross-platform languages for the win! > Some years back I saw a PC program to randomly generate traffic based > on user input of industry, car type and loads. Does anyone know of > suck a program? TIA I've written my own one in QBASIC. (work in progress) The problem of making it transferable is that the program is almost totally variables. As I'm an ex-factory production planner and later international shipping planner I probably am too aware of most of those variables. :-) The simplest program would be one that listed each industry and randomly generated a number for loads in and out per operating session and printed that out. Greg.P. > > Some years back I saw a PC program to randomly generate traffic based > > on user input of industry, car type and loads. Does anyone know of [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > international shipping planner I probably am too aware of most of those > variables. :-) One of the problems with the CLE.BAS program was the numerious parallel arrays, which were implementing arrays of structures. > The simplest program would be one that listed each industry and randomly > generated a number for loads in and out per operating session and > printed that out. For a really clever program, you need to associate what sort of loads an industry can take, what sort of empties it can take, and what sort of loaded cars it can reload with something else. It really makes no sense to keep delivering coal cars to your Kellogs factory or autoracks to your grain silo... You also need to keep track of how many feet of siding you have available. > Greg.P. > SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ > > > Some years back I saw a PC program to randomly generate traffic based > > > on user input of industry, car type and loads. Does anyone know of [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > sense to keep delivering coal cars to your Kellogs factory or autoracks > to your grain silo... I assumed we knew that. :-) You also need to keep track of how many feet of > siding you have available. Well no, an industry is going to need what it's going to need! It's not a perfect world and your coal fired piano works may well have the need for two loads of coal on the same day it needs to ship six consignments of pianos, even though it's siding will only hold two wagons. It still needs the timber consignment and the fabricated metal components on the same day. These things happen and the railroad does it's utmost to deliver the service so that the company doesn't feel compelled to move to trucking. Meanwhile the railway has to hold the other eight wagons at it's closest yard ready for delivery. This brings 'empties' into importance in the program. Wagons beyond your yard capacity have to be held elsewhere. Industries not on your layout also need servicing so that line of empties in the yard you were relying on suddenly are needed elsewhere. Wagons need cleaning. Some loads are incompatible with previous loads carried so wagons may need to be cleaned or even get special treatmen. The result is that a simple program gets bigger and bigger as you introduce _important_ factors - seasonal traffic for example! Greg.P. *snip* > This brings 'empties' into importance in the program. Wagons beyond > your yard capacity have to be held elsewhere. Industries not on your [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Greg.P. Welcome to software development! Just like model railroading, the key is not to do it all at once but to get basic functionality working and add to it later. Puckdropper SignatureWise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it. To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm > *snip* > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > not to do it all at once but to get basic functionality working and add > to it later. I never wanted to be a software developer, but no commercial offering I know of does what I want. Greg.P. > > *snip* > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > I never wanted to be a software developer, but no commercial offering I > know of does what I want. Now you know how a new open source project gets started. > > > *snip* > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Now you know how a new open source project gets started. I never found anyone else who was interested - remember, mine is in English, not American. Regards, Greg.P. I could not figure out how to use it. Even after reading the manual several times I could not figure out how or where to add data. Upon opening FCFmain it looks for System.dat file which I cannot find. I speak American as a first language with Englsh as a second language so that should no be an issue :-) On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 06:59:41 +1300, Greg Procter <procter@ihug.co.nz> wrote: >> > > *snip* >> > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >Regards, >Greg.P. > I could not figure out how to use it. Even after reading the manual > several times I could not figure out how or where to add data. Upon > opening FCFmain it looks for System.dat file which I cannot find. I > speak American as a first language with Englsh as a second language so > that should no be an issue :-) The data files need to be created manually. Most of the data is 'constant' (or as constant as your model train layout) -- the only data files that the system modifies are the cars and stats files. Several of the files are constant across all layouts: cartypes.dat, hazard.dat, plate.dat, and weight.dat. I suggest that you download one of the sample data sets look them over, then create a set that matches your layout. > On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 06:59:41 +1300, Greg Procter <procter@ihug.co.nz> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ > > *snip* > > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > I never wanted to be a software developer, but no commercial offering I > know of does what I want. Does the Freght Car Forwarder program that is part of the Model Railroad System (a *free* Open Source package) do what you want? > Greg.P. > SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ It appears that it might if I could figure out how to use it. I have d/l the application and manual and will give it a try. Thanks. >> > *snip* >> > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >> Greg.P. > > > *snip* > > > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Does the Freght Car Forwarder program that is part of the Model Railroad > System (a *free* Open Source package) do what you want? To be honest, I don't know of it. But for a start, it would have to be titled "Goods Wagon forwarder" to be acceptable. That's only half joking, given that if it's open source then I assume I could change the terminology. Greg.P. > > > > *snip* > > > > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > That's only half joking, given that if it's open source then I assume I > could change the terminology. Of course! And if there was a demand for it, I could probably set it up with a locale database and have it check the current system locale setting and use the proper local terminology (this would even work for non English speaking countries). > Greg.P. > SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ > > > > > *snip* > > > > > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > setting and use the proper local terminology (this would even work for > non English speaking countries). Err, I live in New Zealand and model the Royal Wuerttemberg State Railroad of 1920. > > Greg.P. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows > heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ > > > > > > *snip* > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > Err, I live in New Zealand and model the Royal Wuerttemberg State > Railroad of 1920. What's that have to do with what your computer's locale is set to? > > > > > > > *snip* > > [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > What's that have to do with what your computer's locale is set to? Probably nothing. If/When the FCF gets 'locale' information, it would probably NOT use the operating system locale, but the railroad layout system "locale". All real hypothetical at present... > SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ > > > > > > > *snip* > > [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > What's that have to do with what your computer's locale is set to? If the program was to check my local and set terminology to suit said local, then it would set the wrong terminology for my model operation! Even if I were modelling the railways of my own local the terminology would be date/era related. Regards, Greg.P. > Of course! And if there was a demand for it, I could probably set it > up with a locale database and have it check the current system locale > setting and use the proper local terminology (this would even work for > non English speaking countries). Or just a user editable .ini file where the could customize titles and labels and terms, or use pre-set .ini's supplied by you or the user community? SignatureSteve > > Of course! And if there was a demand for it, I could probably set it > > up with a locale database and have it check the current system locale [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > -- > Steve Few years ago I tried a program called "Ship-It" which looked promising but then changed my modelling philosophy and never went any further with it. Is this the sort of thing being discussed here? Steve Magee Newcastle NSW Aust >>>Of course! And if there was a demand for it, I could probably set it >>>up with a locale database and have it check the current system locale [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Steve Magee > Newcastle NSW Aust ShipIt! can be discussed here. But look at ProTrak as well. <www.prptrak.cc> It does a much better job of car distribution and is real time as well. There is also a Yahoo group for ProTrak discussion. Howard Garner > > > Of course! And if there was a demand for it, I could probably set it > > > up with a locale database and have it check the current system locale [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > promising but then changed my modelling philosophy and never went any > further with it. Is this the sort of thing being discussed here? I believe so. 'Freight Car Forwarding' is a means to give 'purpose' to running your trains. Rather then just running random trains around your layout, Freight Car Forwarding systems create realistic 'demand' to move specific cars from one location (a yard or industry) to another (yard or industry), on specific trains. The various systems are not purely random, but cause compatible sorts of cars to be moved to/from these locations -- such as empty grain hoppers are moved to grain silos and loaded grain hoppers are moved to factories that do things with the grain (make flour, cerial products, or baked goods) and so on. The result is that the trains you run in your operating session end up being just like real freight trains, with all of the operating issues that prototype railroads have to deal with, which can make for interesting and challanging 'puzzles' you have to work out durring the operating session. > Steve Magee > Newcastle NSW Aust > > SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/ > > > *snip* > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Does the Freght Car Forwarder program that is part of the Model Railroad > System (a *free* Open Source package) do what you want? Heh, I was about to ask if there was a such thing as a non-free open source package, then I remembered the BSD license. |
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