WHAT METHODS TO USE IN MAKING AN ACI STUDY

Use of Automatic Car Identification requires a systems study to determine long and short range usage. One railroad made a complete study to determine operating information requirements. Next it was determined where ACI could help: accurate consists, no bills and overbills, open records, interchange records, switch lists, car and locomotive movement records, train identification, and new information. Scanner requirements were investigated in three areas: location, optional features, and communications and power supply. Scanner output modes involved: local, or local and central; or direct printout, or feed to computers. Priorities were based on: savings, improvement in quality of service, improvement of data quality, compatability with information objectives, and other factors. A systems team was led by an industrial engineer. Meetings were held with regional operating officers. Operating officers wanted more accurate and timely information rather than new information. ACI can help: purify advanced consists, provide passing reports, prepare outbound consists, prepare inbound consists, prepare switch lists, prepare interchange reports, provide yard inventories, provide terminal situation reports, permit car tracing. An inset gives Missouri Pacific ACI testing results.

• Corporate Authors:

  Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

  P.O. Box 350
  Bristol, CT  United States  06010
• Publication Date: 1970-2

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 22-23
• Serial:
  • Railway Signaling and Communications
  • Volume: 63
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic car identification; Information systems; Yard operations
• Old TRIS Terms: Yard and terminal information systems
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00041093
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Railway Signaling and Communications
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 19 1973 12:00AM