Dispatcher in IL can't see her trains

[Rockingham Racer]

The Mainline dispatcher says she can't see where the trains are at Montgomery, on the Mendota Sub,due to a new system. What gives with that?

[Joe]

BNSF is getting a new dispatch system....
TMDS (Train Management & Dispatching System) is the new "in-house" system replacing Digi-Con. All desks on the BNSF are getting this system...Digi-Con is a contract and BNSF is getting a whole new system that they are creating that won't require them to pay a yearly license on each "pod." Each license costs $25,000 to $40,000 and there are 125 desks alone in the dispatch center in Fort Worth. Obviously it will save a ton of money.

It might just be a testing phase of the new product so they are just getting the kinks out I would think.

[Rockingham Racer]

Thanks for that info. The Aurora Sub dispatcher was saying something similar, so that explains it.

[route_rock]

You want kinks we got em here at BNSF! When they cut digi out we had a system wide computer meltdown. Printers wouldnt print and signals wouldnt signal. Yd. control had no control and had crews tossing the dual control switches and talking them by all the reds.
Also same day but up in Chicago as we are cruising in on the home stretch we here the DS go " i dont know what happened but you say all the lights are red now in front of you?" Seems a train proceeding along watched all its green crash to red as far as the eye could see. Luckily everything popped back to normal as the commuter parade was just begining at the time.

[Rockingham Racer]

Anybody know the advantages of the new system, besides the cost-saving factor?

[route_rock]

Just cost saving is all I have heard. They dont lease anything with the new system so it looks like this was a bean counter move.

[freshmeat]

Thanks to this new system, I saw red as far as the eye could see while working in Newton last week. It was night and the track straight so for about 5 blocks was nothing but red. Also one more plus is that dog catching out of terminals with the new system installed has increased about 50%. You gotta love it!

[AmtrakFan]

Also one more plus is that dog catching out of terminals with the new system installed has increased about 50%. You gotta love it!

Ya that's good for everyone's overtime.

[2nd trick op]

In the words of the late John R Crosby, PRR/PC/Conrail engineer and occasional Trains contributor:

"Kid, you will never change them; Just sit back and let them make you rich."