--- |---|                                                      7, BITTON AVENUE
| D | K |  DEE KAY SYSTEMS                                     TEIGNMOUTH,
|---| ---                                                      S. DEVON,
                                                               TQ14  8HD


                      RAIL TRAFFIC CONTROLLER LIME STREET


INTRODUCTION

Lime Street is the terminus of Inter-City and Provincial Sector routes into
Liverpool.  Your task on a busy summer Saturday in the mid 1980's is that of
traffic controller, directing all movements in the station area between 06.30
and 13.30.


STATION LAYOUT AND OPERATING PRACTICE

The station approach tracks in Lime Street cutting are termed fast and slow,
but since the closure of Central (high level) station the fast lines in fact
serve routes to Manchester Piccadilly and the south, and the slow lines being
those to Manchester Victoria and the north (see figure 1).

Please refer to the image file rtclimes.png for routes through Lime Street
station.

There are nine platforms, P1-4 are normally used by slow line traffic and P5-9
by fast line traffic, although there is no rigid divide so you have
considerable flexibility in directing arrivals to platforms (provided routes do
not conflict with those already set up).

Trains over the South Pennine route to Sheffield, Cleethorpes, Hull and
Yarmouth use P6, and parcels trains use P7 (note on a summer Saturday normal
passenger services may need to depart from this platform).  'Flagship'
Inter-City services to Euston should use P8.  You should attempt to adhere to
regular practices as outlined above.

There are four storage roads interspaced between the platform lines, SB and SD
(between platforms 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 respectively) being available in the
simulation for the stabling of locomotives between duties.  These can hold up
to three engines and are operated on a last in first out principle, using
either the fast line neck (NK) or the slow line hold (HD) as headshunts.  Only
one locomotive may be held in HD, but two may use NK (again working last in
first out).  No access to SD is possible if P5 is occupied by a loco-hauled
train, a sprinter or HST, for this reason P5 is normally used by local diesel
or electric multiple units using the fast lines.

Motive power encountered in the simulation, both locomotives and units, are
referred to by their TOPS numbers even though not actually carried by some of
the older diesel multiple units.  Restrictions on locomotive allocations are:

   Electric locomotives of Classes 87 and 86 must be provided for Euston
   trains, these Classes may also work trains to the South Coast along with
   Class 47 diesels (the electrics being removed at either Willesden or
   Birmingham).  Electrics of Classes 81 and 85 are restricted to local ECS and
   parcels duties.

   Class 45 or early Class 47 locomotives (47401-20) should if possible be
   allocated to all loco-hauled North Pennine workings, substituting other
   Class 47's if necessary.  Some Trans-Pennine duties are worked by sprinters,
   a cross in front of the TOPS number denoting coupled units.  Class 45 and
   47's may work any trains to Lancashire, Carlisle, Glasgow and North Wales.
   Only Class 31's may be allocated to work the South Pennine route.


TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM

An overview of traffic in the area is given on two display screens (with the z
key used to switch from one to the other).  On the first you are informed about
pending arrivals, movements over the throat trackwork and of space in the hold
points SA, SB, SD and SE denoted by a red box if full, and * if there is spare
space and blank if empty.  On the second screen there is a scrolling list of
departure workings, details of platform occupancy and of engines in the hold
points and headshunts NK and HD.

Movements are initiated on the first screen by pressing the SPACE BAR, and in
response to prompts setting a route by entering the appropriate abbreviation of
the input and exit points on the simplified trackplan.  There are three general
rules: (1) once a route is set it will remain set until a movement occurs; (2)
routes for arrivals can only be set after you have been informed that the train
concerned is approaching Lime Street (failure to set a route within three
minutes of this notification will result in the arrival being held at the
approach signals) and (3) routes for public departures can be set up to five
minutes beforehand, but the movement will not occur until the advertised time.
Routes set up are indicated in red on the screens trackplan with segments
reverting to yellow as the movement progresses.  Invalid routes or routes which
conflict with those already set are denoted by a buzzer and appropriate warning
caption.

To help in setting up routes the first screen contains information from the
second about both platform occupancy and the status of departure workings.
This appears in the form of coloured squares to the right of the platform
numbers (red denoting that the platform is occupied and no further traffic can
be added, yellow that a departure locomotive is required and a blank that the
platform is empty and available for use).

A list of departure times appears in the top right of your screen.  Those with
platform numbers alongside need no attention, those with platform numbers in
brackets indicate that the train is in but not yet ready for departure, and no
platform number alongside indicates that the stock for this working is not yet
in.  You should endeavour to allocate locomotives to trains as soon as
possible, they need five minutes platform time for coupling up etc., before
departure time.  Allocations later than five minutes before departure will be
delayed.  EG. if a loco is allocated three minutes before departure the train
will depart 2 minutes late.


GETTING STARTED

The simulation starts at 06.30 with a number of departures in the platforms.
Press the space bar and wait for prompt.  You will notice at the bottom left a
prompt reading ENTRY POINT.  By looking at the screen you will see that there
is a 06.33 departure in P6.  By referring to the appendix departure working,
you will see that this is to Sheffield; this takes the South Trans Pennine
route via Manchester Piccadilly so uses the up fast (UF) for departure.  In
answer to ENTRY POINT type in P6 and then press ENTER/RETURN.  Your screen will
now show a second prompt reading EXIT POINT.  In answer to this type UF then
ENTER/RETURN.  Your route will now be set for departure.

By this time you will see in the top left hand of the screen the arrivals
display a train approaching on the down fast (DF), press the space bar and
await prompt, ENTRY POINT.  In answer to this type DF then press ENTER/RETURN,
on the second prompt, EXIT POINT type in P9 then press ENTER/RETURN and you
will see this route set.  All input and exit codes are two character as should
be apparent from the screen display.


LOADING THE PROGRAM

BBC  The program is loaded by typing CHAIN" " (users with disc or econet
interfaces having first returned to the cassette filing system by typing *
TAPE and PAGE = &E00)

AMSTRAD  Load by typing CHAIN "LIME

SPECTRUM  Load by typing LOAD""

COMMODORE  Press the RUN/STOP and SHIFT keys together.


                          APPENDIX: DEPARTURE WORKINGS

                     Loco-hauled workings are denoted by (L)
                  All departures to Manchester are for Victoria
                   and hence require despatch on the slow line.


   06.33 (L) Sheffield        09.38     Crewe            12.45(L)   Sheffield
   06.50     Wigan            09.40     Manchester       12.50      Wigan
   07.03 (L) Scarborough      09.45 (L) Hull             13.00(L)   Euston
   07.05 (L) Euston           09.50     Wigan            13.03      Leeds
   07.10 (L) Poole            09.55 (L) Blackpool        13.20      St.Helens
   07.14     Warrington       09.56 (L) Euston           13.37      Crewe
   07.20     Wigan            10.03 (L) Scarborough      13.40      Manchester
   07.26     Manchester       10.15 (L) Llandudno        13.45(L)   Sheffield
   07.31     Crewe            10.20 (L) Paignton         13.45(L)   Glasgow
   07.38 (L) Cleethorpes      10.20     St.Helens        13.50      Wigan
   07.45 (L) Preston          10.30     Crewe            14.03(L) Scarborough
   07.49 (L) Dover            10.40     Manchester       14.10(L) Portsmouth
   07.50     Wigan            10.45 (L) Yarmouth         14.20(L)   Euston
   08.03 (L) Newcastle        10.50     Wigan
   08.10 (L) Euston           10.55 (L) Blackpool
   08.10     Manchester       11.03     Leeds
   08.14     Warrington       11.20     St.Helens
   08.20     Wigan            11.25 (L) Euston
   08.33     Crewe            11.28     Crewe
   08.40 (L) Paignton         11.40 (L) Preston
   08.41 (L) Carlisle         11.43     Manchester
   08.45 (L) Sheffield        11.45 (L) Cleethorpes
   08.50     Wigan            11.50     Wigan
   08.56 (L) Weymouth         12.00     Penzance
   09.00 (L) Euston           12.03 (L) Scarborough
   09.03 (L) Scarborough      12.15 (L) Llandudno
   09.15     Rhyl             12.20     Wigan
   09.20 (L) Penzance         12.37     Crewe
   09.20     St. Helens       12.40     Manchester
