         BRISTOL                                            ASHLEY GREENUP
         TEMPLE                                            RAILWAY COMPUTER
         MEADS                                               SIMULATIONS


INTRODUCTION
------------
   Bristol Temple Meads is the West Country railway location which acts as an
important interchange between InterCity and Regional Railways passenger
services as well as the area centre for parcels activity. The simulation here
is set in the summer of 1990, and your task during a five-hour shift as Duty
Traffic Controller is to direct all passenger, parcels and railfreight workings
passing through the main station area (with an assumed deputy fitting in behind
the scenes shunt movements, local trips and any necessary light engine
movements to and from the adjacent Bath Road traction maintenance depot). Your
performance is being monitored by Regional Control at Swindon, and at the end
of the game you will be given a rating as to how you have got on.

STATION LAYOUT AND OPERATING PRACTICE
-------------------------------------
   The station layout and approach trackwork is shown schematically in the
diagram below.

   Please refer to the image file rtcbrist.png for a plan of Bristol Temple
Meads.

   Trains arrive at the East end of the station on the Filton (FL) and main
(ML) lines. The former carries traffic from the North, the Midlands and South
Wales as well as the local dmu shuttle service from Severn Beach, whilst the
latter handles traffic on both the ex-Great Western mainline from Paddington
and the cross-country route from the south coast via Westbury. All main
arrivals at the west end of the station are routed in on the Up Main (UM) line,
although there is considerable empty stock movement on the carriage line (CL)
in connection with servicing activity at Bristol West depot.

   There are five main through platforms (with separate numbering for east and
west ends), a west end bay (P1), a dedicated parcels platform (P13), and both
up and down through goods loops (UT & DT) available for use. Station operation
is very flexible with all main platforms signalled for bi-directional use, the
only restrictions in the simulation being that:

1)  InterCity trains must on arrival be directed to the far end of a through
    platform (although a Regional Railway service can then be put in behind),

2)  Parcels (PCL) trains must use P13, and

3)  passing through freights must be initially staged in the appropriate goods
    loop, passing there before onwards direction towards their destination.

   In practice InterCity trains to the North (ie those booked to depart on the
FL line) generally use P3 adjacent to the main station concourse, whilst the
Severn Beach locals tend to operate from P1. You are however free to handle
traffic in the simulation as you think best, and you will rapidly become aware
of operational constraints such as the Portsmouth-Cardiff shuttles reversing at
the East end of the station and UM arrivals inhibiting westbound departures
from low-numbered platforms. To help you plan subsequent movements, trains
which after arrival require servicing at Bristol West depot (BrW) are those due
at 1019 (from Paddington), 1059 (from Gloucester), 1113 (from Weymouth), 1149
(from Paddington), 1259 (from Worcester), 1322 (VSOE "Orient Express" charter
from London Victoria), 1331 (from Weymouth), 1356 (from Paddington) and 1408
(from York).

WORKINGS AND MOTIVE POWER
-------------------------
   All workings are referred to by their British Rail four-digit reporting
numbers, a first digit of 1 denoting a mainline express, 2 a stopping passenger
service, 3 a parcels service, 5 an empty stock working and 4 and 6-8 various
Railfreight traffic (detailed here as FLT-freightliner, COY -company train),
SLK- Speedlink, SCN- Speedlink Coal and DPL- departmental engineering train).
Originating and destination locations are given by a three-letter abbreviated
code which for convenience are listed over the page by exit routing:

Exit Route                     Destination
----------                     -----------
    FL      Edb (Edinburgh), Gls (Glasgow), Lvp (Liverpool), Mcr (Manchester),
            New (Newcastle), Yrk (York), Lds (Leeds), Dby (Derby), Glc
            (Gloucester), Wor (Worcester), Cdf (Cardiff), SvB (Severn Beach)

    ML      Pad (Paddington), Rdg (Reading), Swd (Swindon), Wey (Weymouth),
            Pts (Portsmouth), Sot (Southampton), Vic (London Victoria)

    DM      WsM (Weston-Super-Mare), Tau (Taunton), Ext (Exeter), Plm
            (Plymouth), Pgn (Paignton), Pnz (Penzance)

    CL      BrW (Bristol West Carriage servicing depot)

   Details of the motive power operating each working are given as you issue
movement directives, all stock being identified by its BR TOPs number
(including first generation dmus even though in practice these numbers were not
always displayed). A prefix of "+" in front of a locomotive number indicates a
double-headed working, with only the number of the leading locomotive given.

TRAFFIC MOVEMENTS
-----------------
   For each of the main input routes you are given up to 15 minutes advance
notice of the next arrival, although this can be considerably shortened when
trains follow one another in. As each working nears Bristol the caption will
change from "due..." to "approaching..." and you can then set up its path in.
If you take no action then arrivals will first be checked, and then eventually
held, at the approach signals. (An operating hint here is that by deliberately
checking an arrival, it may be possible to get a departure working out on time
which would otherwise be significantly delayed.) For departures from Bristol
West depot you will just be notified when stock is ready for departure to
Temple Meads, and you should then fit in the required movement as soon as
operationally convenient.

   The procedure for setting up a route is to press the SPACE BAR (after ACCEPT
on the Spectrum) and then in response to the INPUT prompt enter the appropriate
two digit code for the approach line that the train is on (eg FL) and then
press RETURN/ENTER. In response to the EXIT prompt then type the code for the
platform or goods loop that you want the train to move to (eg P1, P3, P4...,
P12, P13, UT, DT) and then press RETURN/ENTER again to initiate the move. (Note
that pressing the RETURN/ENTER key directly after either prompt restarts the
simulation without penalty and may thus be used to give thinking time or take a
break from play.)

   If a route is correctly requested for a particular working, and does not
conflict with routes previously set up, then the train will be signalled in and
in due course will traverse the route. A similar procedure is followed for
outgoing workings, but note that routes for these cannot be set up until you
are notified by the station or operating staff that a train is actually ready
to depart. You will be penalized for the subsequent holding of any train apart
from freights in UT or DT, which should be accorded lower priority than
passenger or parcels workings. As a reminder that a route or routes are set, a
small square is displayed on the appropriate side of the station until all
movements on that side of the station are complete.

   Acceptable route codes are: P1, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, P10, P11, P12,
P13, UT, DT, UM, DM, FL, ML, CL.

SPECTRUM SCREEN
---------------
   The Spectrum screen shows the track plan, platforms and through lines. When
you set a route, the track involved will turn magenta and as the screen is
updated each minute the amount of track cleared by the moving train during the
previous minute will turn back to yellow, allowing if required, another route
to be set. Details of trains arriving are shown at the top of the screen with
contents of the western platforms shown at the bottom left and eastern at the
bottom right.

   "App" means approaching station, "Sig" signalled and "Run" running into
station. "Arr" means arrived in platform. NB- Local trains travelling between
Fletton and Platforms 1 & 2 will use the relief line.

GETTING STARTED
---------------
   BBC & AMSTRAD:          CHAIN "BRISTOL"
   SPECTRUM:               LOAD"" then press ENTER
   COMMODORE 64:           Press RUN/STOP and SHIFT at the same time

   Having loaded the program, take note of any special traffic conditions and
then press a key as instructed and wait for the screen to fill with movement
information. Press the SPACE BAR to give you time to assess the situation
(after ACCEPT on the Spectrum) and then either continue through the route
setting process or let the clock tick on by pressing RETURN/ENTER.

   The simulation runs from 1000-1500 hrs (although on Spectrum and C64 you can
end the game at any time after the first hour by pressing and holding the
letter "q") and you will find that you need to concentrate hard to keep traffic
flowing with the minimum of disruption. Good Luck!

      RTC BRISTOL TEMPLE MEADS POWERBOX COPYRIGHT (C) 1992 ASHLEY GREENUP
