CANADIAN NATIONAL CONNECTS ACI TO MINICOMPUTER IN REAL-TIME

Canadian National has installed automatic car identification scanners at entrances to a small interchange yard near its large Montreal classification yard. At Parsley yard, CN interchanges approximately 120-150 cars daily with the Canadian Pacific. As part of the joint agreement with CP, the ACI scanners were also to be part of a stand-alone installation supplying standard Baudot Teletype listing to the CP yard office. The ACI scanners are connected to a minicomputer in real time using a high speed frequency modulated carrier link. The computer prints out on standard ASCII Teletype and also sends to the CP yard office teletypewriter. From a cost standpoint, CN found that the economic advantage of using the minicomputer comes about from not ordering existing options. It is assumed that the computer will do nothing more than produce the same output data as a standard scanner. Options not required at each installation include a calender clock, message generator, core storage and carrier index, totaling $9,460. Not estimated were costs for air conditioning and a 220-volt AC line. Typical costs for a minicomputer are $7,900 or $12,800 depending upon main memory size. The computer provides the ability to change the output format. Also, one computer could service 6 to 12 scanners depending upon the degree of sophistication required for operations.

• Corporate Authors:

  Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

  P.O. Box 350
  Bristol, CT  United States  06010
• Publication Date: 1970-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 14-18
• Serial:
  • Railway System Controls
  • Volume: 1
  • Issue Number: 9
  • Publisher: Business Press International Limited

Subject/Index Terms

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

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00041057
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Railway System Controls
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 9 1973 12:00AM