I was not to sure about this when I ordered it but being a person who does not spend a lot of time keeping records of things.
In order to start using it you must actualy know your layout, rolling stock, buildings and grades. It makes you measure you sidings and yard tracks to make sure cars fit. You have to go over every siding, junction and yard track to asign it a name or number so that a train can be scheduled to use it.
Rolling stock is great, you have to understand how many cars, road names, numbers and where you would use them. Also their scale weight.
Engnes are assigned based on their Prototype pulling power which is translated into scale pulling power. This way an 0-4-0 does not get a coal drag of 100 cars.
The fact that you must take in consideration the grades (program allows for this when making up a train) you will find any grades on a route that do not work as you had wanted.
All in all it is a good program. Lots more things it can do, The best thing is it DOES NOT RUN THE TRAINS. It just helps you have more fun running them by making each operating session different.
This is a program that helps you manage your layout, not a simulator. Price range $99.95 to $139.95. We went with the $139.95 due to the other bells and whistels that came with it. You can get a FREE demo if you want to look at it. I have no ties with Rail-ops just a satisfied customer.
I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with “Rail-ops.” Is this a train simulator, or a computer program used to manage your MR layout? Sounds pretty educational, either way.
rail op is basically a switch list/manifest generator. I have done a few op sessions on layouts with rail op and would love to get it, but havent convinced myself to spend $100 on it yet.
Yikes! That’s kind of steep for my particular situation right now (small layout, about 40 ft of mainline & total of 12 turnouts). Sounds like a good tool to keep in mind when I get my basement empire someday, but for now, that $100 will get me another P2K locomotive! [:)]
Yeah i tried the demo a while back, the problem with the demo is you cant actually USE it. It just shows you how it works. If you want to really understand what rail op does then get the demo, but dont expect to run an ops session with it.
Stokesda, i feel kind of the same way. I have a small layout (11x11) and have been looking for cheaper software that will do the same things. No luck yet. My birthday is coming up, but its no use asking since I’m really hoping for a new car[:P]
Dan, GOOD money management.
Joe, the way it is written, the program, you can do ALMOST the same thing as far as database work with Microsoft Access. That is where I started then got hooked on gadgetmania.
Ours is 1200sq ft, 4 mains, 135 turnouts with 750 ft of track. I built it for a local club that had no place to run. so I told them I would supply the space (2300 sq ft basement) maoney and materials all they had to do was help. They have to a point where starting from a blank room on 11/12/2005 we will have a operating session on 9/1/2006 using ALL the “PLYWOOD CENTRAL”. That is a lot of work in that amount of time. We will run like that for about 6 months before any scenery goes in. Cheaper than ripping out a mountain for a new siding.