Patent ID: 11970195
Assignee: BNSF RAILWAY COMPANY
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A system comprising:
one or more memory units configured to store a plurality of train rules and a current inventory of railcars in a railyard; and
one or more computer processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memory units and configured to:
access a list of selected railcars for an outgoing train;
generate, using the plurality of train rules, a plurality of train consists that each comply with the plurality of train rules, each particular train consist comprising the selected railcars for the outgoing train and an associated number of railyard switch moves needed to build the particular train determine an expected switch distance associated with each generated train consist, the expected switch distance indicating a combined total distance that the selected railcars within the railyard would traverse to form the associated train consist;
display indications of the plurality of generated train consists and their associated number of railyard switch moves on an electronic display;
receive a user selection of a desired train consist from the plurality of displayed train consists;
generate a plurality of switch lists according to the desired train consist and the current inventory of railcars in the railyard, the plurality of switch lists comprising instructions about how to form the desired train consist in the railyard; and
display the plurality of switch lists on the electronic display.