Locomotive parking management tool
First Claim
1. A method for managing locomotives in a railyard including a parking yard and a service yard, based on possible future states of the parking yard and the service yard, using a system including a computer, said method comprising the steps of:
- establishing an initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard;
enumerating possible present locomotive railyard parking options;
enumerating possible future railyard parking configurations arising from each possible present locomotive railyard parking option;
examining each possible future railyard parking configuration;
determining a metric for parking decisions using the initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard. an inbound schedule that identifies the locomotives arriving on an inbound train consist, an outbound schedule that identifies which outbound train consist to which each locomotive is assigned, and the possible railyard parking options; and
choosing a resent locomotive railyard parking option based on the examination of the possible future railyard parking configurations and the metric.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for managing locomotives in a railyard including a parking yard and a service yard, based on possible future states of the parking yard and the service yard. The system includes a computer and utilizes an algorithm that enumerates possible present locomotive placement options, enumerates possible future railyard states arising from each possible present locomotive placement option, examines each possible future railyard state, and determines a present option based on the examination of the possible future railyard states.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. A method for managing locomotives in a railyard including a parking yard and a service yard, based on possible future states of the parking yard and the service yard, using a system including a computer, said method comprising the steps of:
-
establishing an initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard; enumerating possible present locomotive railyard parking options; enumerating possible future railyard parking configurations arising from each possible present locomotive railyard parking option; examining each possible future railyard parking configuration; determining a metric for parking decisions using the initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard. an inbound schedule that identifies the locomotives arriving on an inbound train consist, an outbound schedule that identifies which outbound train consist to which each locomotive is assigned, and the possible railyard parking options; and choosing a resent locomotive railyard parking option based on the examination of the possible future railyard parking configurations and the metric. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A networked system for managing locomotives in a railyard including a parking yard and a service yard, based on possible future states of the parking yard and the service yard, said system comprising:
-
a client system comprising a browser; a database for storing information; a server system coupled to said client system and said database, said server system configured to; establish an initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard; enumerate possible present locomotive railyard parking options; enumerate possible future railyard parking configurations arising from each possible present locomotive railyard parking option; examine each possible future railyard state parking configurations; determine a metric for parking decisions using the initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard. an inbound schedule that identifies the locomotives arriving on an inbound train consist, an outbound schedule that identifies which outbound train consist to which each locomotive is assigned, and parking options; and determine a present option based on the examination of the possible future railyard states and the metric. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
Specification