Do these software programs exisit?

SpaceMouse · July 27, 2005, 9:33am

Dispatching software? I’ve seen a nice solution written in Access, but I hate working with Access.
Automated train routing? Something that will control train movements on throughout a layout. This one really does not apply to me since I plan to use hand throws. No automation in 1917, you know.

SpaceMouse · July 27, 2005, 9:11pm

Given this hit page 3 with 41 views and no replies,

I’ll take that as a NO.

rrinker · July 27, 2005, 10:27pm

Well to actually CONTROL the railroad you have RR & Co, Traincontroller, and a couple of others.

If by ‘dispatching’ you mean generates car cards and waybills, there’s a ton of them. But if by oe written in Access you are referring to Dave Husman’s program, it’s probably the only one I’ve seen where I COULD go in and modify it. All the others I’ve seen are strictly locked down as compiled applications with no source code. And most of them use text files or something equally bad as the database. One of the many things on my plate is ‘upsizing’ Dave’s program to use SQL Server (actually the free MSDE version - would be kind of silly to buy $800 worth of software to store my train collection) instead of touchy Access. I did this for a client once, integrating another application with an Access one (which is another part of the project - I want to store the decoder defs from DecoderPro in the database as well - a bunch of individual XML files is NOT my idea of a ‘database’) and gettign rid of the Access data storage and using SQL. No way was I going to let the client’s data reside in Access tables - it was for controlling his plant security system!
This of course is strictly for my own use, unless Dave would have no problems with me giving it to others.

–Randy

ereimer · July 27, 2005, 10:32pm

http://www.modelrailroads.net/Model_Railroad_Links/Model_Railroad_Software/

has links to lots of MRR software

SpaceMouse · July 27, 2005, 10:33pm

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrinker

Well to actually CONTROL the railroad you have RR & Co, Traincontroller, and a couple of others.

If by ‘dispatching’ you mean generates car cards and waybills, there’s a ton of them. But if by oe written in Access you are referring to Dave Husman’s program, it’s probably the only one I’ve seen where I COULD go in and modify it. All the others I’ve seen are strictly locked down as compiled applications with no source code. And most of them use text files or something equally bad as the database. One of the many things on my plate is ‘upsizing’ Dave’s program to use SQL Server (actually the free MSDE version - would be kind of silly to buy $800 worth of software to store my train collection) instead of touchy Access. I did this for a client once, integrating another application with an Access one (which is another part of the project - I want to store the decoder defs from DecoderPro in the database as well - a bunch of individual XML files is NOT my idea of a ‘database’) and gettign rid of the Access data storage and using SQL. No way was I going to let the client’s data reside in Access tables - it was for controlling his plant security system!
This of course is strictly for my own use, unless Dave would have no problems with me giving it to others.

–Randy

The one I saw was at Bob Hartles layout. It basically denoted the sidings and yards and tracked train movements. Trains call numbers could be dragged and dropped to where the trains had been cleared. This one was written in Access by Bob’s son. I’ve seen 20-25 trains manged on his layout at the same time using this software system.