Patent ID: 7006957
Filing Date: 2006-02-28
Classification: B61B,B61L,G08G

Abstract:
1. A method for managing locomotives in a railyard including a parking yard and a service yard, based on possible future states of the parking yard and the service yard, using a system including a computer, said method comprising the steps of: establishing an initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard; enumerating possible present locomotive railyard parking options; enumerating possible future railyard parking configurations arising from each possible present locomotive railyard parking option; examining each possible future railyard parking configuration; determining a metric for parking decisions using the initial state of the locomotives in the parking yard and the service yard. an inbound schedule that identifies the locomotives arriving on an inbound train consist, an outbound schedule that identifies which outbound train consist to which each locomotive is assigned, and the possible railyard parking options: and choosing a resent locomotive railyard parking option based on the examination of the possible future railyard parking configurations and the metric.