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TMS Guide: Advanced Automation

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All information in this document, as well as the software to which it pertains, is proprietary material of RMI, and is subject to an RMI license and non-disclosure agreement. Neither the software nor the documentation may be reproduced in any manner without the prior written permission of RMI.

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

About This Manual

The TMS Guide: Advanced Automation is an instructional document designed to be used as a reference while using RailConnect, TMS, RMS, ShipperConnect Rail Carrier Interface, and Cash Application applications, products of RMI.

This version of the TMS Guide includes changes made to the system for TMS Release 18.3.

Trademarks

RailConnect, TMS, RMS, ShipperConnect Rail Carrier Interface, and Cash Application are registered trademarks of RMI.

TMS Guide: Advanced Automation

Table of Contents Automatic Blocking

Basic Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Blocking Table Master File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Ordering Blocking Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Creating Blocking Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Selecting Cars Using EIF Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Automatically Loading Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Creating Auto-Movement or Auto-Charge Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Resequencing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Setting Up a Default Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Using Blocking Tables to Automate the Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Sample: Inbound EDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Sample: Interchange Blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Sample: Applying RWCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Sample: Reverse Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Sample: Loading and Releasing Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Sample: Using Car Ranges to Block Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Sample: Correcting Data Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Sample: Station Blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Sample: Controlling Car Movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Sample: Controlling Special Car Movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Sample: Assigning Empty Equipment to a Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Sample: Applying Holds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Sample: Inbound EDI/Early Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Sample: Identifying Improperly Blocked Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Sample: Setting Destination for Reverse Route Blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Sample: Car Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Sample: Automatic Movements, Constructive Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Sample: Automatic Movements, Loaded Car Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Sample: Automatic Movements, Empty Car Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Sample: Automatic Movements, Car Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Sample: Automatic Movements, Unload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Sample: Automatic Charges, In-Plant Switching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Sample: Automatic Charges, Inbound Switching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Sample: Tracking Interchange Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Sample: Blocking From Other Railroads’ Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Sample: Inbound EDI 420 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Sample: Outbound EDI 420 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Sample: Demurrage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Sample: Plant/Reader Interchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Sample: Outbound 419 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Sample: Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Sample: Car Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Revised 8/11 TMS Guide: Advanced Automation 3

Table of Contents

AEI ConsistsBasic Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Creating and Modifying an AEI Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Adding a Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Defining AEI Automated Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Reviewing AEI Consists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Reviewing and Modifying Cars in an AEI Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Building an AEI Inbound Interchange Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Building an AEI Outbound Interchange Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Creating a Pending Train from an AEI Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Creating a Work List Using an AEI Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Resequencing a Consist or Train According to an AEI Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Processing Train Events Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Reviewing the Auto Events Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Reviewing Bad Tag Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Reviewing Auto Train Events in Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Reviewing Auto Train Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

4 TMS Guide: Advanced Automation Revised 8/11

Automatic Blocking Basic Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Blocking Table Master File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Ordering Blocking Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Creating Blocking Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Selecting Cars Using EIF Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Automatically Loading Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Creating Auto-Movement or Auto-Charge Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Resequencing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Setting Up a Default Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Using Blocking Tables to Automate the Railroad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Sample: Inbound EDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Sample: Interchange Blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Sample: Applying RWCs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Sample: Reverse Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Sample: Loading and Releasing Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Sample: Using Car Ranges to Block Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Sample: Correcting Data Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Sample: Station Blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Sample: Controlling Car Movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Sample: Controlling Special Car Movements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Sample: Assigning Empty Equipment to a Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Sample: Applying Holds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Sample: Inbound EDI/Early Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Sample: Identifying Improperly Blocked Cars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Sample: Setting Destination for Reverse Route Blocking . . . . . . . . . .69 Sample: Car Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Sample: Automatic Movements, Constructive Placement . . . . . . . . . .74 Sample: Automatic Movements, Loaded Car Placement. . . . . . . . . . .77 Sample: Automatic Movements, Empty Car Placement . . . . . . . . . . .80 Sample: Automatic Movements, Car Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Sample: Automatic Movements, Unload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Sample: Automatic Charges, In-Plant Switching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Sample: Automatic Charges, Inbound Switching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 Sample: Tracking Interchange Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Sample: Blocking From Other Railroads’ Requirements . . . . . . . . . . .97 Sample: Inbound EDI 420. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Sample: Outbound EDI 420 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Sample: Demurrage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Sample: Plant/Reader Interchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Sample: Outbound 419. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Sample: Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Sample: Car Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115


Automatic BlockingBasic Procedures

Basic Procedures

TMS Auto Blocking provides railroads with a means of automatically applying important information such as Repetitive Waybill Codes, blocking instructions, switching instructions, and car hire relief information to EDI waybills, bills of lading, or other EDI messages. Without this feature, users must manually review inbound bills or car movements in order to make changes.

See “Using Blocking Tables to Automate the Railroad” on page 33 for hints about the best ways to set up and use the blocking table feature.

Auto Blocking works by running waybill information through a series of tables. These blocking tables are composed of rules, each of which has two components: selection criteria and apply instructions. TMS uses the selection criteria to match the rule against the inbound EDI waybills or bills of lading. If a match is made, TMS then uses the associated apply information in the rule to supplement the bill.

TMS TROUBLESHOOTING: Users should note that it is very important to carefully understand how this feature works before putting it to use. Pay particular attention to the sections on setting up matching criteria (“Creating Blocking Rules” on page 9) and ordering the blocking rules (“Ordering Blocking Rules” on page 8).

Blocking Table Master File

Blocking rules are managed from the blocking master file. You can choose from the following blocking tables:

TMS TIPS: The options you see on this menu depend on which blocking table categories have been activated for your operation.

1. Inbound EDI: used to apply blocking rules to waybills or bills of lading received from connecting carriers or online shippers.

2. Interchange: used to apply blocking rules to cars received at interchange. This option is often useful when you do not want to alter a car’s blocking or waybill information until the car is actually brought online. These rules are applied at the actual inbound interchange time so that the system knows exactly when and where the car was brought in. Blocking rules applied by this table override those applied under option 1.

TMS TIPS: You will probably need to use the Interchange Blocking Rules table only if you receive cars from one interchange partner that should have been delivered to you by another carrier.


Automatic BlockingBasic Procedures

3. Station Blocking: applies blocking rules when cars move from station to station on the railroad. This option is useful if cars should be “re-blocked” when they arrive at stations en-route on your railroad.

4. Reverse Route: applies blocking rules when cars are unloaded online. This option is very helpful for diverting traffic to online customers or complying with SCO/90 empty car return obligations. Note that many roads use the car distribution blocking table (option C) to perform these functions.

5. Inbound EDI 420: applies blocking rules to EDI 420 blocking requests you receive from connecting carriers.

6. Outbound EDI 420: determines 419/420 blocking instructions for outbound shipments.

8. Automatic Charges: automatically applies charges to cars as they move from track to track or station to station. This option is very useful for automatically generating charges for situations such as in-plant moves.

TMS TIPS: You can also use the Automatic Charges table to generate charges based on interchanges.

A. Automatic Movements: used to automatically move cars or generate notifications as cars move over the railroad. For example, you can use the table to automatically place empty tankcars into storage when they are received online.

C. Car Distribution: distributes empty cars to loading or holding points on the railroad and automatically assigns cars to orders.

D. Demurrage: applies a custom demurrage code to equipment subject to a special demurrage rate, contract, or tariff.

F. Plant/Reader Interchange: applies blocking rules and creates consists based on AEI readings.

G. Outbound 419: send an outbound 419 for the traffic you specify.

S. Storage: applies a custom storage code to equipment subject to a special agreement.

T. Car Schedule: creates a car schedule automatically for cars that meet the selection criteria you specify.

X. Classification: automatically assigns cars to classification tracks. Currently, this table is only used by hump operations or very large classification yards.


Automatic BlockingOrdering Blocking Rules

Ordering Blocking Rules

Within any blocking table, you can create as many rules as you need to handle your traffic. As you create rules, it is important to keep in mind that when a particular table is used, TMS searches through the rules in numerical order.

Note that in the following example (Figure 1), the rules are numbered (10, 20, and 30) and so on. If the

Note that in the following example (Figure 1), the rules are numbered (120, 130, and 150 and so on). If the waybill matches the first rule (number 120), TMS stops and uses that rule. It will not keep searching to see if there is another rule with more criteria matches. Therefore, you must be very careful how you order your rules.

You should follow these guidelines as you begin building your blocking tables:

• Place the specific rules ahead of the more general rules. For example, if you have several rules dealing with a like category, such as one customer or one commodity, give the more specific rules with the most criteria a higher priority number than the more general rules for that customer or commodity.

• Place the rules you use most often as close to the top of the list as you can, keeping in mind that you must put specific ahead of general. For example, if 70% of your traffic is corn, place the entries associated with that commodity near the top of the table.

• Use the Description field to give each rule an easily recognizable name.

Figure 1


Automatic BlockingCreating Blocking Rules

Creating Blocking Rules

To create a new blocking rule:

1. Go to the Select Blocking Category window. (Figure 2)TMS Main Menu 31 Master Files 24 Blocking TableFast Path = BLOCK

2. Choose the table with which you want to work. For more information on which table to use, see “Blocking Table Master File” on page 6.

For most options, the Blocking Table Rules list window appears, customized for your selection. (Figure 3) The name of the table you are working with is listed in the upper left corner.

For options 8 and A, you must first specify a movement selection. For more information on adding rules to these tables, see “Creating Auto-Movement or Auto-Charge Rules” on page 24.

TMS TIPS: The windows in the following example are those that appear when you create a new Inbound EDI Blocking Rule. The windows for other categories will be slightly different; for examples of these, please see the sample blocking records in “Using Blocking Tables to Automate the Railroad” on page 33.

Figure 2



TMS TIPS: There are several views available for the Blocking Table Rules window; each view gives you different information about the rules in the table. Select Alternate View to see the different views.

3. You can perform the following functions from the Blocking Table Rules window (Figure 3):

Figure 3

If you want to then

select or modify an existing rule type 1 next to the rule, then select OK.

make a copy of a rule to create a new rule with similar information

type C next to the rule, then select OK.

activate or deactivate a rule type 6 next to the rule, then select OK.

delete a rule type D next to the rule, then select OK.

review information or add comments about how and when a rule has been used

type 8 next to the rule, then select OK.

review equipment history and waybill data for cars processed by a rule

type U next to the rule, then select OK.

resequence a rule type R next to the rule, then select OK.



4. Select Add to add a new rule.

TMS TIPS: If the rule you are creating is similar to an existing rule, you can make a new pattern from the existing rule. Enter C next to the existing rule and select OK. TMS creates a copy of the existing rule and you can then modify the new rule with any necessary changes.

Depending on the blocking category you have chosen, an Assign Rule window may appear asking for Road, Station, and/or Order. The order number is optional. If you do not assign a number, TMS puts the new rule at the bottom of the rules table. You can reorder the rule later, if you wish. (See “Ordering Blocking Rules” on page 8 and “Resequencing Rules” on page 29 for further guidance.)

5. Depending on the blocking category you have chosen, an Assign Rule

TMS TIPS: Any of the blocking rule categories that require a Road or a Station can be assigned to multiple roads or stations by using the Assign Rule function key as you create the blocking record.

add or change the default rule select Default.

change the window to see only active, only inactive, or all rules

select Active/Inactive/All.

Figure 4

If you want to then



6. On the Edit Rule - General Selection window (Figure 4), enter a free-form rule description or name in the Description field. Use a description that will help you identify the rule.

7. Enter a free-form group name in the Class field. Rule classes help you to organize and group your blocking rules according to function or type.

8. Enter your selection criteria in the fields shown on the window. This is the information against which TMS matches your inbound waybills or bills of lading to determine if the rule should be applied. You must complete at least one criteria field, but you can complete as many as necessary, depending on how specific you want the match to be.

For more information about the fields that appear on the Edit Rule - General Selection window, see “Selection Criteria Field Definitions” on page 13.

9. Press the PgDn key to view the Edit Rule - Apply window. (Figure 5)

10.Enter your blocking instructions on this window. The instructions that you enter will be applied to any waybill exactly matching the criteria you specified on the Edit Rule - General Selection window. You must enter at least one apply field.

For more information about the fields that appear on the Edit Rule - Apply window, see “Apply Blocking Instructions Field Definitions” on page 17.

11.When you have completed all appropriate fields for the blocking instructions, select OK to save.

Figure 5



Selection Criteria Field Definitions

Active/Inactive This field is automatically set to Active (A). I in this field sets the rule to Inactive. Inactive rules will not be checked against or applied to any shipments.

Activity Select based on activity indicator.

Activity: Stn or District

Select cars for which an activity took place at that station. You can use the District master file to set up groups of stations on your railroad.

Bad Order H selects equipment on heavy bad order; L selects equipment on light bad order.

Block To Select equipment blocked to a particular block to point.

Car Group Select only cars within a particular car group. You can use the Car Group master file to set up groups for your operation.

Car Hire Select only cars with the specified car hire rate status.

Car Hire Group Car hire rate group selects only cars using rates that fall in a particular car hire grouping. Car hire groupings are established using the Car Hire grouping master; see the TMS Guide: System Maintenance for details. This option enables you to pick cars based on a range of hourly car hire costs. For example, you can set up a group called HG to represent cars that have an hourly rate in excess of $.90 per hour. You can then run an online inventory report to look for empty cars with a high per diem cost.

Car Kind Select by your internal car kind code. Note that this is not the four-position Car Type assigned by the AAR.

Car Owner Car owner selects only cars belonging to that railroad. For example, enter NS to select all equipment owned by Norfolk Southern. This would include NS-, SOU-, and NW-marked cars.

Car Range Selected

Selecting this field indicates you have entered a range of cars using the Car Range option. You can use this option to select based on a series of cars assigned to or destined for your road or a customer on your line.

Car Type/To Select by AAR car type. You can enter a single car type or a range of car types.

Commodity Group

Pre-defined commodity group code selects only cars carrying loads that fall within that group. See the TMS Guide: System Maintenance for information on how to set up groups for your operation.



Customer 1-6/Desc

Select a car according to any customer associated with it. You must enter a customer type in the first field to identify how the customer is used in the waybill. Common customer types include CN Consignee C1 Care of party SH Shipper PF Party to receive freight bill NP Notify party for shipper.

You must also enter all or part of a customer ID or a customer group in the second and third fields. If you enter only a partial customer ID code, you are instructing the system to select any matching customer codes that begin with the value you entered.

You can also use this field to block based on customer groups. (For more information about creating customer groups, see the TMS Guide: System Maintenance.) To enter customer groups in this field, enter /G in the customer suffix field, then enter the customer code in the first field. For example, CARGIL /G would represent a set of customers grouped under the name CARGIL.

NOTE: In order to match any customer codes you must have your synonym file properly set up.

TMS TIPS: You can select waybills that are missing customer codes by entering NULL in any customer field. For example, you could use this value to identify and correct cars on interchange without a Block To value.

DestinationCity/State/FSAC

Select by waybill destination. You can enter a city and state without an FSAC.

Early Warn: Ind/Number

Select cars based on their early warning indicator. You can enter either MA (Maintenance Advisory) or EW (Early Warning) in the Indicator field. You can also select cars based on a particular early warning message by entering a message number. Using this field enables you to send cars received under a particular early warning message to an alert queue or to flag these cars to be rejected or subject to special handling.

You can use an asterisk (*) as a wild card in the Number field. For example, if you enter 35* in that field, the table will select any value that begins with a 35.



EDI 418 Road Select equipment according to the road that sent the EDI 418 message to you.

EIF Selected Selecting this field indicates you have input additional matching fields using the EIF option. You can use this option to match on a car's dimensions or capacities.

Equipment Group

Select equipment that belongs to a particular equipment group. The group you specify must be set up in the equipment group reference file.

Exact Rte Match

Selecting this field indicates that the Route you enter on the blocking table must exactly match that on the incoming waybill in order for the rule to apply.

Final Road in Route

Select equipment by destination road (last road) in the route.

Fleet Name A fleet name selects only cars that are part of that fleet. You can assign cars to a fleet using the TMS Fleet master file.

Foreign/Private

F selects only foreign-owned cars; P selects only private cars. (A private car is a car owned by a leasing company.)

Junction Select equipment coming to you at junction by entering the junction in the route immediately prior to your road.

Load/Empty L selects only loaded moves; E selects only empty moves. Leave this field blank to apply the rule to both.If you use this rule to apply an RWC code to a car, the load/empty status of the incoming bill must match that of the RWC to apply. Note that you cannot match the L/E status for intermodal conveying cars.

Message Type Select by the EDI message type you enter, such as 404, 417, or 418.

Next Rd/Rte Select equipment by next road (road immediately after your road in the route).

OriginCity/St/FSAC

Select by waybill origin. Unlike waybill data entry, you can enter a city and state without an FSAC.

Pool Select equipment by seven-position pool number from the Equipment Identification File (UMLER).

TMS will also accept a partial/wildcard value in this field. For example, if you entered 327*, then it would match pool cars with a 327 in the first three positions of car’s pool assignment code.

PP/CC Select only equipment using a particular method of payment.

Prev Rd/Rte Select equipment by prior road (road immediately prior to your road in the route).



Priority Select equipment according to priority code. Use one of the following:

A High Priority B Delayed C Priority 3 D Priority 4 E Priority 5.

NOTE: Priority A and B cares are flagged as high priority loads in the system.

Product Group Product group code selects only cars carrying that product. You can use the Product Group master file to set up groups for your operation. See the TMS Guide: System Maintenance for more information.

Reclaim Code Car hire reclaim code selects only cars with that code.

Route Select only cars whose route matches the parts of route you enter. You can enter as much or as little of a route as needed.

RWC RWC code selects equipment with that RWC in the waybill.

Special Handling

Select cars that are subject to special restrictions. You can enter up to four special handling codes. Common examples include Excessive Dimension (ED), Do Not Hump (NH), and High Wide (HW).

Spot Selecting this field chooses equipment with a value in the Destination Track field.

STCC/To Select according to commodity. You can enter a single STCC or a range of STCCs.

Storage Selecting this field chooses equipment currently in storage.

Traffic Type Select equipment with a particular traffic type carried in the waybill: Local (1), Interline Forwarded (2), Interline Received (3), or Bridge (4).NOTE: This waybill field is calculated based on the route and is not always accurate for switching or junction settlement roads because the route is often incomplete.

Train Select cars moving in a particular train. Train name must come from the train master file.

Transport Method

Select by transport method code: Conveying Car (C), Rail (R), or Intermodal (X). Leave blank to include all equipment types.

Unit/Multi M applies the rule to multiple shipments; U applies the rule to unit trains.

Weigh Selecting this field chooses equipment with a “to be weighed” flag set to Y.



Apply Blocking Instructions Field Definitions

Activity Activity indicator.

Block to Final blocking point for the matching traffic. This location is usually the ultimate online destination for the car.

Car Kind Override the internal car kind TMS would normally assign to the car. This is a useful option for setting car types to handle a particular type of product.

Change Loaded Status to Empty

Selecting this field instructs the system to change a loaded status (L) to empty (E). This is a useful option if other railroads transmit cars to you with the incorrect L/E status. For example, if empty carloads containing dunnage are transmitted to you as loaded cars, you can use this option to identify the cars with a dunnage STCC code and change them to empties.

Demurrage Demurrage charge plan to be applied to the selected equipment (this field appears only in the Demurrage blocking table).

Exception Queue/Reason

Hold queue type and a reason code moves cars to that hold queue. This allows you to recognize cars moving under exception and drive them to queues for review.

TMS TIPS: The Online Inventory report contains an option to print cars that are listed in those work queues.

Exclude Selecting this field exempts matching equipment from applicable charges (this field appears only in the Demurrage and Storage blocking tables).

Exclude from Car Schedule

Selecting this field exempts matching equipment from the car scheduling module.

Ignore Future Block

Selecting this field instructs the system not to have the car run through blocking tables again in the future. This allows you to flag a car moving under an exception, such as early warning or high wide, and to prevent that car from being automatically blocked in the future in tables such as Station Blocking.Use caution when setting this flag as it will instruct the system to ignore the movement from that point forward as it passes through any table in the system.

Ignore 420 Selecting this field instructs TMS to ignore blocking instructions from the 420 for matching cars. Use caution when setting this flag as it will instruct the system to ignore the movement from that point forward as it passes through any table in the system.



Interchange Station

Interchange station for scheduling purposes.

Hump Code One of the following values classifies cars in the hump interface: Loads (A), EJE Empties (B), or Other Empties (C).

Match Found - Process Flag

Under normal circumstances when a car finds matches a rule in the blocking table, that entry is used to block or bill the car, and the system stops searching for any more matching rules. By entering a C in this field you can instruct TMS to use this rule but then continue checking other blocking table entries for further instructions.For example, you may set up a block table to look for cars subject to early warning and drive those cars to alert queues. By entering a C in this field you can have TMS then continue to check the table for further matches.

Priority Priority code for the shipment. You can use this flag to identify high priority or delayed cars. Use one of the following:

A High Priority B Delayed C Priority 3 D Priority 4 E Priority 5.

NOTE: Priority A and B cares are flagged as high priority loads in the system.

Product Group Product group code to be assigned to the waybill. You can use the Product Group master file to set up groups for your operation. See the TMS Guide: System Maintenance for more information.

RWC:

Load/Seeding

Empty/Seeding

Repetitive waybill code you want applied to loaded or empty waybills, respectively. The RWC can generate charges, reclaim codes, blocking points, or demurrage exceptions.

If the Seeding flag is set to Yes (Y), TMS will completely override the car’s waybill with the billing contained in the RWC. If the flag is set to Partial (P), TMS will partially override the cars waybill with the RWC billing.

The RWC contains a partial seed table that controls which RWC fields will be used to override the bill. See the TMS Guide: Customer Service for more information on partially seeding waybill information from the RWC.

Serving Station

Serving station for scheduling purposes.



Special Hand You can apply up to five special handling codes to matching cars. Common examples include Excessive Dimension (ED), Do Not Hump (NH), and High Wide (HW).

Station/Track/Spot

Station, track, and spot of the shipment’s destination location.The Station field is populated automatically from the customer record associated with the Block To value.

Storage Storage charge plan to be applied to the selected equipment (this field appears only in the Storage blocking table).

Switch To Switch to point to which the car should be moved next. It may or may not match the block to point for the car.

Switch Instr Free-form switching instructions you want applied to the matching traffic.

To Be Weighed

Selecting this field instructs the system that the car should be weighed. This field appears on various reports and windows in TMS.

Weigh Party Party to bill for a weighing charge.

420 Block Code

Blocking code that will be sent to the road in the EDI 420 message. This is the code that the railroad which will be blocking the car for you will expect to see in its system. Note that this field is used only in the 419/420 blocking tables.


Automatic BlockingSelecting Cars Using EIF Information

Selecting Cars Using EIF Information

You can select cars for automatic blocking based on specific dimension and capacity information from the equipment information file.

To select cars based on EIF information:

Select EIF from the Edit Rule-General Selection window. (Figure 6)

Use any of the parameters listed on the Edit Rule - Select EIF Info window to specify height, weight, capacity, or clearance ranges, or to specify car type or grade criteria. The blocking rule will be applied to all cars that fall within the ranges you specified.

You can use the following weight fields to flag cars as over or under weight:

Figure 6

Select if Weight Exceeds

Enter the maximum weight that the car will be allowed to carry. This is a useful field for flagging cars subject to an embargo.

Select if Weight Exceeds Car Capacity

Enter the maximum weight over the car's capacity that will be allowed. This field is useful for flagging cars that can be overloaded, but only to a certain level. You can express the overweight limit in pounds or in a percentage of car capacity.


Automatic BlockingSelecting Cars Using EIF Information

Weight Tolerance

Enter the minimum weight allowed over tare weight. If the car is loaded, TMS will check to see if the waybill weight is less than the tare weight plus the value entered in the field. If the car is empty, TMS will check to see if the waybill weight is greater than the tare weight plus the value entered in the field.

This field is useful for flagging cars that have been scaled and determined to be too light. In particular, you can use this field to select cars that are marked as loaded in the transportation system but have scaled out as empty. For example, you can set the flag to warn you if the car is less than 10,000 pounds over the light weight of the car.


Automatic BlockingAutomatically Loading Cars

Automatically Loading Cars

You can instruct TMS to generate a load event automatically based on your blocking rules.

To apply an auto-load:

Select Auto-Load from the Edit Rule - Apply window.

Enter the appropriate values in the following fields on the Edit Rule - Apply Auto Load window (Figure 7) to generate a load event automatically for cars matching the specified selection criteria:

Figure 7

Car L/E Status Matches Inbound EDI Bill

Specify how you want to handle cars for which the Load/Empty status in the inbound EDI waybill matches the status in the online waybill--for example, if the car is already loaded online and TMS receives a loaded bill of lading.

Enter O if you simply want to overlay the online waybill with the new inbound EDI bill; enter R if you want to re-bill in addition to overlaying the online waybill with the new inbound EDI waybill.


Automatic BlockingAutomatically Loading Cars

For each option, you can also specify whether a release should be generated once the car’s L/E status is updated and whether the car must be placed for these updates to occur and whether the car must be placed for these updates to occur. The Require Placement flag also has an option (C=Create PACT) that instructs TMS to create an actual placement move if one is missing.

Car L/E Status Does Not Match the Inbound EDI Waybill

Specify how you want to handle cars for which the Load/Empty status in the inbound EDI waybill does not match the status in the online waybill--for example, if the car is empty online and TMS receives a loaded bill of lading.

Enter L to load all empty cars, enter U to unload all loaded cars, or enter B to change the status of both loaded and unloaded cars.


Automatic BlockingCreating Auto-Movement or Auto-Charge Rules

Creating Auto-Movement or Auto-Charge Rules

When you use generate automatic movements or apply automatic charges, you must specify an additional movement selection layer before you create the selection criteria and application instructions for the rule.

To create a new auto-movement or auto-charge rule:

1. Go to the Select Blocking Category window.TMS Main Menu 31 Master Files 24 Blocking TableFast Path = BLOCK

2. Choose either 8 for automatic charges or A for automatic movements. The Work with Automatic Selection window appears, customized for the table you chose. The following example shows the window for the Automatic Movements list. (Figure 8) Each record listed represents a group of blocking rules that will be checked for each car that makes the specified movement.

Figure 8

If you want to then

select or modify an existing selection group

type 2 next to the selection group and select OK.

delete a selection group type 4 next to the selection group and select OK.

add a blocking rule to be used for that selection group




3. Select Add to add a new movement selection group.

4. Enter details on the Movement Selection window (Figure 9) to specify a movement upon which a selection may be made. For example, if you enter STEA in the TO: Move Type field and CHGO as the TO: Station, all cars moving into storage at Chicago will be run through this blocking table. (Figure 9) You can also use From: Activity Indicator, Track, or Track Group as selection criteria.

5. Select OK.

generate movements automatically only at certain times or on certain days


TMS TIPS: The Processing Time option (8) allows you to set up a fixed time to constructively place (PCON) cars. For example, you may want to set the rule to generate PCONs automatically at 09:30 each day for all cars arriving at a serving station in the previous 24 hours. This is helpful for operations where the crew is scheduled to serve a customer at a particular time each day.

renumber the list of selection groups in increments of 10

select Renumber by 10.

change the selection group order select Group Order and enter the necessary changes.

Figure 9

If you want to then



6. On the Work with Blocking Rules window, you can either choose an existing blocking rule in the table or Add New Rule. The movement selection you created will not be saved until you attach a rule to it.

7. If you create a new rule, enter your selection criteria as you would for any other blocking rule on the Edit Rule-General Selection window (Figure 10), based on waybill information and EIF data. For more information, see “Creating Blocking Rules” on page 9.

8. Press the PgDn key to view the apply window.

Figure 10

Figure 11



• If you are working in the automatic movement table, use the fields on the Assign Auto-Movement window (Figure 11) to specify the details for the movement you want all matching equipment to make.

For example, if you are automatically placing cars, you can indicate when the placement should occur (Advance Hrs/Mins after the movement that prompted the car to run through the blocking table), the Station and Track at which the cars should be placed, and the placement Customer. You can also specify whether you want all automatic movements to be listed in the Auto-Event queue, or whether this queue should show errors only. The Notify Txt field allows you to send notifications for the following movement events: Bad Order, Placement, In/Out of Storage. You must maintain notification details in the notification text master file to use this option.

This movement will be generated automatically for any cars that match the selection criteria and have met the movement selection.

• If you are working with automatic charges, enter charge information on the Apply Charges window (Figure 12):

Figure 12

Charge Code Pre-defined charge code used to generate the charge.

Charge To Road/Cust/Code

The party to be charged, either a customer or a railroad. This value may be populated automatically from the Charge Code you have entered. You can accept, enter, or modify a value in this field.

Hold Q Selecting this field indicates you want matching cars to appear in the missing charges hold queue.

Rate/Rate Qual The charge rate and the associated rate qualifier will be populated automatically from the Charge Code you have entered.



9. When you have completed all appropriate fields, select OK to save, then Exit. The charges you have specified will be applied automatically to any cars matching the selection criteria and which have met the movement selection.

10.On the Work with Automatic Move Selection window, you can use the Group Order function to put the new auto-move selection in the proper sequence in the list. (Figure 13)

11.To associate another blocking rule with your movement selection criteria, enter 5 next to the movement selection you just created, then Add New Rule again.

Figure 13


Automatic BlockingResequencing Rules

Resequencing Rules

The auto blocking function routes an inbound EDI message or car through the blocking table, starting with the lowest numbered rule and continuing down the list until it finds a match. It stops at the first exact match it finds. Therefore, the numerical order of the rules is critically important.

There are several ways to order and reorder the rules in any of the rule tables:• You can resequence them manually, changing the order by changing the

numbers.

• You can renumber them by 10. This option numbers your rules 10, 20, 30, and so on. It gives you room to add new rules in between existing ones.

• You can number the rules as you add them. Normally, when you add a new rule, the system defaults to the next consecutive number. For example, if your last rule is number 50, the next rule you add will be numbered 51. You can insert a rule anywhere on the table by assigning it an unused number.

To resequence rules:


2. Enter the blocking table you want to renumber. The following example shows the Work with Rules window for Inbound EDI.

3. Type an R next to any one of the rules in the table and select OK.

4. On the Resequence Blocking Rules window (Figure 14), you can manually renumber the rules by replacing the existing number with the new number. You

Figure 14


Automatic BlockingResequencing Rules

can also select Renumber by 10 to keep the rules in the same sequence, but renumber all the rules in increments of 10.

TMS TIPS: The Renumber by 10 option is useful for creating space to add new rules.

5. Select OK to save the new sequence.


Automatic BlockingSetting Up a Default Rule

Setting Up a Default Rule

If a waybill fails to match any of the rules you have set up, it will go to the default rule, provided you have created one. Otherwise, you will have to manually block any waybill that has not matched a rule.

TMS TROUBLESHOOTING: Be careful when using the default rule function. This powerful feature will apply an RWC Block To code to every inbound waybill received via EDI that did not find a match in the blocking rules table.This feature can, however, be very helpful. Any car with this block code can be quickly identified as one that needs to be checked and manually blocked.

To add a default rule:


2. Enter the blocking table for which you want to add a default rule.

3. From the corresponding Work with Rules window, select Default.

Figure 15


Automatic BlockingSetting Up a Default Rule

4. On the The Edit Rule - Apply window (Figure 15), complete the appropriate fields:

For more information on completing fields on this window, see “Apply Blocking Instructions Field Definitions” on page 17.

5. When you have completed all appropriate Apply fields, select OK to save.

RWC Repetitive Waybill Code you want applied as a default. The RWC can then generate default charges, reclaim codes, blocking points, or demurrage exceptions.

Switch Instruction

Switching instructions you want applied as a default.

Block to Final blocking point for the waybills. Many roads use the Block To default to flag the car as needing more information. Examples of this would be HOLDCAR CHI or NOBILL CHI. Note that the block to codes must already be set up in the customer master file.


Automatic BlockingUsing Blocking Tables to Automate the Railroad

Using Blocking Tables to Automate the Railroad

Using the blocking tables efficiently can help you automate processes with maximum effectiveness. The sample blocking rules in this chapter demonstrate how to use the various types of blocking tables that are available.

To learn how to...See sample on

page...

set up a simple blocking record for inbound EDI waybills or bills of lading. These inbound messages can be received from your connecting carrier for cars being interchanged to you. They can also be received from customers loading cars on your operation.

36

create a simple rule for interchange blocking. This table is used to block cars at the point they are brought online.

38

set up Inbound EDI Blocking table and Repetitive Waybill Codes (RWCs) to correctly identify, block, and apply charges to all Inbound waybills.

41

set up a reverse route blocking rule for cars unloaded on your railroad.

43

use the Auto-Load feature of the Inbound EDI Blocking table to load and release cars automatically as electronic billing is received.

45

set up the Inbound EDI Blocking table to apply blocking based on actual car initial and numbers.

48

set up the Inbound EDI Blocking table to help correct existing waybill data errors and omissions by “scrubbing” in corrected or missing data.

51

create a blocking rule for station blocking. This table blocks cars as they move from station to station on your road.

53

set up the Station Blocking table to allow the system to control movements across the railroad automatically, such as staging cars in different locations based on service needs.

56

set up the Station Blocking table to allow the system to control the movements of “Bad Ordered” cars, “Weigh” cars, and any other special movement cars automatically.

58

set up the Inbound EDI Blocking table to block empty equipment to a customer using car type, car capacity, and dimensional EIF information.

60



set up the Inbound EDI Blocking table to identify exceptions and apply Hold Queue reason codes.

63

use a blocking table to identify cars moving under Early Warning alerts.

65

create a default rule to identify any cars that are not properly blocked to allow for easy review of exceptions, then set up procedures for reviewing and correcting these cars.

67

set up the Reverse Route Blocking table to direct empty cars to the proper destination.

69

set up a simple blocking rule for assigning cars to car orders. 71

automatically generate a constructive placement for loaded cars received for a particular customer at a particular station using the automatic movements blocking table.

74

automatically place loaded cars received for a particular customer with a specific product at a designated station using the automatic movements blocking table.

77

automatically place empty tank cars received from any station into storage using the automatic movements blocking table.

80

automatically store loaded cars of plastic wheeled from one station to a particular set of tracks at the next station using the automatic movements blocking table.

83

automatically unload and release cars on a unit train for which the same movements are made on all cars, every time.

86

apply in-plant switching charges to cars moved within a facility 89

apply inbound switching charges to cars received at a station 92

identify unusual interchange movement timing and set up notices based on those movements using the Interchange blocking category.

95

use EDI 419 and 420 messages to block cars automatically based on connecting railroads’ requirements.

97

create blocking rules for Inbound and Outbound 420 blocking. 99, 102

Inbound EDI 824

use the demurrage table to indicate that cars loaded with a particular product by a demurrage customer should be exempt.

105


page...



create a waybill for cars moving onto your road without an advance EDI transmission.

108

instruct TMS to send an outbound 419 to cars destined for a particular road in the route.

111

use the storage table to indicate that cars are subject to a special storage agreement based on car type.

113

schedule cars of a particular type 115


page...



Sample: Inbound EDI

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for inbound EDI waybills or bills of lading. This sample shows how an entry is set up to automatically block all carloads of corn destined for Chicago, IL to the customer Peavy in Chicago.

Selection fields identify the rule and define matching criteria:

Figure 16

Field Example Selects equipment...

Destination City/State/FSAC

CHICAGO, IL destined for Chicago, IL.NOTE: destination must exactly match the value entered in the table.

STCC From/To 0113210 - 0113215

loaded with any STCC in the range representing corn.



Application fields specify action to be taken with any matching records:

Figure 17

Field Example Result

RWC/Load CXSCORN Applies CXSCORN to loaded car.

Block To PEAVY CHI Changes blocking point to Peavy.

Switch To PEAVY CHI Changes switching point to Peavy.

Switching Instructions

Spot South/Mill Applies instructions to car.



Sample: Interchange Blocking

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for interchange. This rule will block all carloads of corn interchanged with Norfolk Southern and destined for Chicago, IL to the customer Peavy in Chicago. Blocking rule entries included in this table will only be applied at the time the car is interchanged.

Assign Rule fields affect the application of the rule:

Figure 18


Road NS Rule will be run on shipments being interchanged with the Norfolk Southern railroad.

Order Number 20 Rule has a high priority.NOTE: The goal is to set up your most commonly handled traffic at a high priority so that the system has fewer comparisons to make. For example, if 70% of your railroad’s inbound traffic is grain, set these blocking entries with a low numerical order number (high priority).




Figure 19



CHICAGO, IL destined for Chicago, Il.NOTE: destination must exactly match the value entered in the table.

STCC From/To 0113210 - 0113215


Prior Rd/Rte NS with Norfolk Southern specified as the road immediately prior to your road in the route.

Junction CHGO with Chicago specified as the junction immediately prior to your road in the route.




Figure 20


RWC/Load NSCORN Applies NSCORN to loaded car.

Block To PEAVY CHI Changes blocking point to Peavy.

Switch To PEAVY CHI Changes switching point to Peavy.


Spot South/Mill Applies instructions to car.



Sample: Applying RWCs

The following sample windows show how an entry is set up to apply RWCs, which will allow you to correctly identify, block, and apply charges to all inbound waybills using the Inbound EDI blocking category.


Figure 21


Origin City/State/FSAC

Indianapolis/IN/70700

originating from Indianapolis, IN, station 70700.NOTE: origin must exactly match the value entered in the table.

STCC From/To 2991425 loaded with the STCC representing corn.

Customer 1 CN ISG PCS with ISG PCS specified as the consignee on the waybill.

Customer 2 SH CITGASCOK IND

with CITGASCOK IND specified as the shipper on the waybill.




Figure 22


RWC/Load 7NS-PINCOKEINDCITECHISG

Applies 7NS-PINCOKEINDCITECHISG to loaded car.

Block To ISG COKE IND Changes blocking point to ISG COKE Indianapolis.

Switch To ISG COKE IND Changes switching point to ISG COKE Indianapolis.

Product Group Citizen Identifies shipment as part of the Citizen product group.



Sample: Reverse RouteThe following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for reverse route. This rule will automatically apply blocking instructions to all empty railcars moving on a route from road TSTA to BNSF at Houston.


Figure 23


Transport Method R transported by rail.

Load Empty E marked as “empty.”

Route TSTA HUSTN BNSF

with the TSTA to HUSTN to BNSF sequence in the route. NOTE: You can enter as much or as little of a route as needed to block the move.




Figure 24


Block To BNSF-11 NEW Changes blocking point to BNSF-11 NEW.

Station 11 Automatically populated from the destination station in the customer record.



Sample: Loading and Releasing Cars

The following sample windows show how an entry is set up to load and release cars automatically, based on electronic billing using the Inbound EDI blocking category.


Figure 25


L/E L that is loaded.

Origin City/State/FSAC

Morris/IL/93 originating from Morris, IL, station 93.NOTE: origin must exactly match the value entered in the table.


East Morris/IL/31 destined for East Morris, IL, station 31.NOTE: destination must exactly match the value entered in the table.

STCC From/To 2821139 to 2821144


Customer 1 SH EQUISTAR EMO

with EQUISTAR EMO specified as the shipper on the waybill.

Customer 2 C1 A&RDIST EMO

with A&RDISTEMO specified as the care of party on the waybill.

Customer 3 PF EQUISTAR HOU

with EQUISTAR HOU specified as the freight bill party on the waybill.




Figure 26


Auto Load Applied Y Indicates that the Edit Rule - Apply Auto Load window has been completed.

RWC/Load 6-EQUEMO-A&REMO-2821142

Applies 6-EQUEMO-A&REMO-2821142 to loaded car.

Seeding Y PARTIAL Sets RWC as a partial seed.

Block To A&RDIST EMO Changes blocking point to A&RDIST EMO.

Switch To A&RDIST EMO Changes switching point to A&RDIST EMO.



Fields on the Edit Rule - Apply Auto Load window (Auto Load from the Edit Rule - Apply window) instruct TMS to load or release matching equipment automatically:

Figure 27


Auto-bill B Both empties and loads will be auto-billed.

Require Placement

Y Car must be placed before it will be automatically loaded by the incoming bill of lading.

Generate Release Y The car will be automatically released after billing.



Sample: Using Car Ranges to Block Cars

The following sample windows show how you can enter car ranges and use those ranges for blocking using the Inbound EDI blocking category.

From the Edit Rule - General Selection window, select Car Ranges to enter a car range for matching.

Figure 28



On the Select Car Ranges for Rule window (Figure 28), enter the cars for which you want to generate a match. When you select OK then Exit to save the range and return to the Edit Rule - Selection window, the value of the Car Range Selected field automatically changes to Y, indicating that you have entered a car range to be used in blocking. If any of the cars you entered goes through your blocking table, a match will be generated.

Figure 29




Figure 30


RWC/Load 9VOPAKTERMFLEETLDS

Applies 9VOPAKTERMFLEETLDS to loaded car.

Seeding Y PARTIAL Sets RWC as a partial seed.

Block To VOPAKTERM SPT

Changes blocking point to VOPAKTERM.

Stn/Track/Spot 25 798 SP Blocks car to station 25, track 798, first available spot.

Switch To VOPAKTERM SPT

Changes switching point to VOPAKTERM.



Sample: Correcting Data Errors

The following sample windows show how a rule is set up to correct existing waybill data errors and omissions by “scrubbing” in the corrected or missing data using the Inbound EDI blocking category.


Figure 31


Prior Rd/Rte BNSF with BNSF specified as the road immediately prior to your road in the route.

Final Rd/Rte LIRC with LIRC specified as the final road in the route.




Figure 32


RWC/Load 9BNSF-CHGO-LIRC

Applies 9BNSF-CHGO-LIRC to loaded car.

Seeding Y-PARTIAL Sets RWC as a partial seed.

Match Found - Process Flag

C Record will continue to be processed through the blocking tables, even though it matched this rule.



Sample: Station Blocking

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for station blocking. This rule automatically will apply bad order switching instructions to all cars under light bad order at the Chicago station.


Figure 33


Station CHGO Rule will be run on all cars at the Chicago station.

Order Number 10 Rule has a very high priority.NOTE: This record would receive a priority in the matching routine over the rule created in "Sample: Interchange Blocking" which had an order number of 20.




Figure 34


Bad Order L under light bad order




Figure 35


Switch To BADORDRLT Changes switching point to bad order light.


BAD ORDER CAR

Applies instructions to car.



Sample: Controlling Car Movements

The following sample windows show how to set up the Station Blocking table to control car movements across the railroad automatically using the Station Blocking category. This is a particular help when you have to stage cars in different locations based on service needs.


Figure 36


Block To AGRIFOS Z25 with a final block to value of AGRIFOS Z25 on the waybill.




Figure 37


Switch To PASADENA1 YRD

Changes switching point to PASADENA1 YRD.



Sample: Controlling Special Car Movements

The following sample windows show to set up a rule to control car movements for cars that have been flagged as bad order cars based on a weigh flag using the Station Blocking category. The same procedure can be used to control the movements of any type of special handling cars.


Figure 38


Bad Order H under heavy bad order (H) on the waybill.




Figure 39


Switch To BAD ORDER HEAVY

Shows the car as being under heavy bad order in lists throughout the system.

Activity Indicator RP Indicates car has been sent to a repair facility.



Sample: Assigning Empty Equipment to a Customer

The following sample windows show how an entry is set up to assign empty equipment to a customer based on car type, car capacity, and door dimensions using the Inbound EDI blocking category.


Figure 40


Loaded/Empty E that is empty.

Car Type B357 - B357 that is AAR car type B357.



Fields on the Edit Rule - Select EIF window (EIF) further refine the match-ing criteria according to equipment information:

Figure 41


Side Door Width From/To

12’00-16’00 with a door width between 12 and 16 feet.

Load Limit From/To

180-220 with a load limit between 180-220 tons.




Figure 42


Block To ACF LOU Changes blocking point to ACF Louisville.

Switch To ACF LOU Changes switching point to ACF Louisville.


Spot at Door 1 Applies instructions to car.



Sample: Applying Holds

The following sample windows show how a rule is set up to identify exceptions and apply holds to those exceptions using the Inbound EDI blocking category.


Figure 43


Special Handling ED marked as having excessive dimensions.




Figure 44


Block To HOLD CAR HLD Shows the car as being on hold in lists throughout the system.

Switch To HOLD CAR HLD Shows the car as being on hold in lists throughout the system.

Special Handling HW Applies the High Wide special handling code to the waybill.


HW/HW Places the car in the High Wide hold queue with a reason code of HW.



Sample: Inbound EDI/Early Warning

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule used to identify cars moving under Early Warning (EW) alerts using the Inbound EDI blocking category. If a car is subject to Early Warning it is flagged by the system at inbound interchange. You can use the blocking tables to drive these cars to hold queues or flag them on windows and reports.


Figure 45


Early Warn: Ind/Nbr

EW, 9028 moving under early warning type 9028.




Figure 46


Block To HOLD CAR Blocks the car as being on hold. NOTE: The code HOLD CAR must be set up as a customer in the customer master file.

Switch To RIP TRK Switches cars to the RIP TRK. NOTE: The RIP TRK must also be set up in the customer master.


Move to RIP Applies instructions to car.


RJ/EW Indicates that the car is moving under an exception and the reason for this exception. This drives the car to the exception queue from which users can print reports or work with cars that are moving under exception on the railroad.



Sample: Identifying Improperly Blocked Cars

The following sample windows show how an entry is set up to identify cars that are not properly blocked. This allows you to review exceptions easily and quickly using the Inbound EDI blocking category.

You can set up the Edit Rule - General Selection window to flag cars that have improper blocking. Once a car matches, the Block To and Switch To fields can be changed using automatic blocking to identify it as an improperly blocked car.


Figure 47


Block To CHECKINFO BAD

Identifies equipment as improperly blocked.

Switch To CHECKINFO BAD

Identifies equipment as improperly blocked.



You can then use the inbound Waybill View/Select window to manage the improperly blocked cars that were blocked to the default you defined in your inbound EDI blocking rule (Figure 48).

Figure 48



Sample: Setting Destination for Reverse Route Blocking

The following sample windows show how to set up a rule to direct empty cars to the proper destination automatically using the Reverse Route blocking category.


Figure 49


Customer 1 CN CHEVRON PCS

with CHEVRON PCS specified as the consignee on the waybill.

Customer 2 SH KTNGULCOA

with KTNGULCOA specified as the shipper on the waybill.




Figure 50


RWC/Empty C&D-2-CHEVRON

Applies C&D-2-CHEVRON to empty car.

Block To CHEVRON SPT Changes blocking point to Chevron.

Stn/Track/Spot 24 714 SA Changes destination to Station 24, Track 714, first available spot.



Sample: Car Distribution

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for assigning cars to car orders.


Figure 51


L/E E that is empty.

Car Kind A that is car type A (equipped boxcars).




Figure 52


Block To/Switch To

CARGIL CHI TMS changes the blocking/switching point to CARGIL CHI.

Station CHGO Automatically populated from the destination station in the customer record.



Fields on the Edit Rule - Apply Car Distribution window (Car Order from the Edit Rule - Apply window) instruct TMS to which order(s) matching cars will be assigned:

Figure 53


Check Car Orders for Customer Code/Group

CARGIL CHI The CARGIL CHI entry in this field instructs TMS to look for open car orders placed by Cargill and attempt to match the cars up to that order.



Sample: Automatic Movements, Constructive Placement

The following sample windows show a blocking rule record that will automatically generate a constructive placement for loaded cars received for a particular customer at a particular station.

Movement fields indicate the movement criteria that will trigger the rule:

Figure 54


Move Type ICHR Rule will be run on cars with inbound interchange moves.

Station CHGO Rule will be run on cars to be interchanged at CHGO.




Figure 55


Loaded/Empty L that is loaded.

Block To CARGIL CHI blocked to Cargil Chicago.




Figure 56


Const Place/Advance Min

30 The car will be constructively placed 30 minutes after it is received in interchange. For example, if the matching car is received at 12:00, the constructive placement time written in history will be 12:30.

NT Code M TMS will use the time of the move (12:00 in the example) rather than the actual time the record was entered for the constructive placement time.



Sample: Automatic Movements, Loaded Car Placement

The following sample windows show a blocking rule record that will automatically place loaded cars received for a particular customer with a specific product at a designated station.


Figure 57


To/Move Type ICHR Rule will be run on cars with inbound interchange moves.

To/Station CHGO Rule will be run on cars to be interchanged at CHGO.




Figure 58



Block To CARGIL CHI blocked to Cargil Chicago.

STCC 1121110-1121290 loaded with any STCC in the range representing types of coal.




Figure 59


Placement/Advance Hours

1 The time that will be used for the placement will be one hour after the car is received in interchange. For example, if the car is received at 12:00 the placement time written in history will be 1:00.

Placement/Station, Track

CHGO/CARGIL The car will be placed at station CHGO, track CARGIL.

Placement/Customer

CARGIL CHI The car will be placed under the account CARGIL CHI.



Sample: Automatic Movements, Empty Car Placement

The following sample windows show a blocking rule record that will automatically place empty tankcars received from any station into storage.


Figure 60


To/Move Type ICHR Rule will be run on all cars on inbound interchange moves.




Figure 61


Loaded/Empty E that is empty.

Car Kind T that is car type T (tankcars).




Figure 62


Storage/AdvanceMinutes

1 TMS will mark the car as moving into storage one minute after it is received in interchange. For example, if the car is received at 12:00, the storage time written in history will be 12:01.

Storage/Customer GATX CHI The car will be stored under the account GATX CHI.

Storage/Code GATXSTORE TMS will use the GATXSTORE code to generate storage billing. NOTE: This code must be a valid storage code set up in the Demurrage/Storage master file.



Sample: Automatic Movements, Car Storage

The following sample windows show a blocking rule record that will automatically store loaded cars of plastic wheeled from one station to a particular set of tracks at the next station.


Figure 63


From/Move Station

CHGO Rule will be run on any car moving from Chicago.

To/Move Type WHL Rule will be run on wheel move.

To/Station, Beginning/Ending Track

FRANK Rule will be run on cars moving to station Franklin, tracks YD1-YD4.




Figure 64



STCC From/To 2821139-2821156 loaded with any STCC in the range representing types of plastic and resin.




Figure 65


Storage/AdvanceMinutes

1 TMS will mark the car as moving into storage one minute after it is received in interchange. For example, if the car is received at 12:00, the storage time written in history will be 12:01.

Storage/Customer EXXON CHI The car will be stored under the account EXXON CHI.

Storage/Code EXXONSTORE TMS will use the EXXONSTORE code to generate storage billing. NOTE: This code must be a valid storage code set up in the Demurrage/Storage master file.



Sample: Automatic Movements, Unload

The following sample windows show a blocking rule record that will automatically unload and release cars on a unit coal train at a specified time after placement. This saves time when the same moves are performed on all cars, every time.


Figure 66


Move Type ICHR Rule will be run on cars with inbound interchange moves.

Station CHGO Rule will be run on cars to be interchanged at CHGO.




Figure 67


TMC R identified as a railcar.


Cust 1 CN BASF LOU with consignee equal to BASF Louisville.




Take the Unload Process option from the Assign Auto Movement window.

Figure 68


Placement 1 HrsCHGO StationMCREW TrackBASF LOU Cust

The car will be constructively placed 1 hour after it is received in interchange. Placement will be made at the CHGO station, MCREW track, for BASF LOU.

Unload 1 Hrs5 Min

The car will be unloaded 1 hour and 5 minutes after it is received in interchange.

Release 1 Hrs6 Min

The car will be released 1 hour and 6 minutes after it is received in interchange. For example, if the matching car is received at 10:00, the constructive placement time written in history will be 11:00, the unload will be written at 11:05, and the release will be written at 11:06.



Sample: Automatic Charges, In-Plant Switching

The following sample windows show a blocking rule record that will automatically apply in-plant switching charges to cars moved within a facility.


Figure 69


FROM: Station CHGO Rule will be run on all cars within the CHGO station that are moving from tracks CARGIL1 through CARGIL4 to the same tracks within the same facility.

FROM: Beginning/Ending Track

CARGIL1/CARGIL4

TO: Station CHGO

TO: Beginning/Ending Track

CARGIL1/CARGIL4




Figure 70

Field Example Selects...

Trans Method R all railcars moving to and from those tracks to be considered for the charge.




Figure 71


Charge Code CARGIL A rate of $220 per car (as defined by the CARGIL charge code master file) will be applied to each car matching the selection criteria.

Hold Q Y TMS will generate the charge in a hold status for further review. This allows users to capture all potential charges, but still be able to review them before they become an actual charge.

This option is usually used for in-plant switches in which all movements may not be subject to the charge.



Sample: Automatic Charges, Inbound Switching

The following sample windows show a blocking rule record that will automatically apply inbound switching charges to cars received at a station.


Figure 72


TO: Move Type ICHR Rule will be run on cars that are interchanged online.

TO: Station CHGO Rule will be run on cars interchanged at CHGO.




Figure 73

Field Example Selects...

Trans Method R all railcars moving to and from those tracks to be considered for the charge.

L/E L equipment that is loaded.




Figure 74


Charge Code INBDCSX A rate of $200 per car (as defined by the INBDCSX charge code master file) will be applied to each car matching the selection criteria.



Sample: Tracking Interchange Timing

The following sample windows show how an entry is set up to identify unusual movement timing and set up notices based on those movements using the Interchange blocking category.

For example, you can use this option to look for cars being delivered to you that you have just interchanged off to the carrier. The system will notify you when a car has been incorrectly routed back to you by a connection. You can also use this table to generate a warning when a carrier is giving you an empty that you never handled as a load. This option in particular is useful for bridge carriers that have railroads dumping empties on them.

Fields on the Edit Rule Interchange Timing window (Interchange Timing from the Edit Rule - General Selection window) set up acceptable limits for various movement combinations:

All four timing fields are set to 12 hours. A match is made if any car was received in interchange within 12 hours of its last delivery.

The Return as Empty and last ICHD not Loaded field is selected. This tells TMS that a match should be made if a road is sending you an empty car and the last time you delivered that car to them it was not loaded. This field enables you to quickly reject cars given to you for a bridge move in which you did not handle the car as a load.

Figure 75




Figure 76


Switch To, Block To

NSSETBK CHI This customer is set up to flag movements for setback to NS.



Sample: Blocking From Other Railroads’ Requirements

The following sample windows show to set up a rule to block cars automatically based on information received from other railroads using the Inbound EDI 420 and Outbound EDI 420 blocking categories.


Figure 77


420 Block Code SLA with this code in the EDI 420 message.




Figure 78


Block To BNSF-11 SLA Changes blocking point to BNSF-11 SLA.



Sample: Inbound EDI 420

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for Inbound EDI 420 Blocking. This rule will automatically apply blocking instructions to all cars inbound on BNSF that have a particular blocking code on their EDI 420s.


Figure 79


Road BNSF Rule will be run on shipments being interchanged with the BNSF railroad.

Order Number blank If you leave this field blank, TMS puts the new rule at the bottom of the rules table.




Figure 80


420 Block Code NEW with this code in the EDI 420 message.




Figure 81


Block To BNSF-11 NEW Changes blocking point to BNSF-11 NEW.

Station 11 Automatically populated from the destination station in the customer record.



Sample: Outbound EDI 420

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for Outbound EDI 420 Blocking. This sample shows how an entry is set up to automatically apply a blocking code to all carloads of plastics at the UP.


Figure 82


Road UP Rule will be run on shipments being interchanged with the Union Pacific railroad.

Order Number blank If you leave this field blank, TMS puts the new rule at the bottom of the rules table.




Figure 83


Final Road in Route

UP destined for the Union Pacific.

STCC From/To 2821139 - 2821163

loaded with any STCC in the range representing types of plastic and resin.

Car Type C111 - C714 with an AAR car type that falls in the range.




Figure 84


420 Block Code STRG Code will be sent to the road in the EDI 420 message.



Sample: Demurrage

The following sample windows show how to use the demurrage table to indicate that cars loaded with a particular product by a demurrage customer should be exempt. You will normally use this table to override the demurrage code or customer normally assigned to a car.


Figure 85


Load/Unload L Rule will be run on loaded cars




Figure 86


Customer CARGIL CHI for which CARGIL CHI is the customer that the demurrage extract program has determined should pay demurrage for the move.

STCC 0113210-0113215 loaded with any STCC in this range that should be exempt from demurrage.




Figure 87


Exclude from Demurrage

A All cars that meet the selection criteria will be exempt from demurrage.



Sample: Plant/Reader Interchange

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for Plant/Reader Interchange. This sample shows how an entry is set up to create an empty car waybill for all covered hoppers for which an EDI transmission has not been received. Once this skeleton waybill has been created, you can use the information in it to quickly identify which waybills need manual enhancement to add the necessary blocking information.

TMS TIPS: Before you use the Plant/Reader Interchange blocking table, you must enter Y in the Use Blocking Table for Create Flags field on the Site Instructions window. This will instruct TMS to run AEI activity through this table.


Figure 88


AEI Site MKTCO3 Rule will be run on all cars heading east past the MKTCO3 reader.

Direction E




Figure 89


Class HOP identified as a covered hopper railcar.

TMC R

KD C




Figure 90


If No Waybill Found, Create Waybill?

Y Creates an empty car waybill for all cars that do not already have a waybill.

Empty (RWC) EMPTY HOPPER Uses the RWC “Empty Hopper” to seed the newly created waybill.



Sample: Outbound 419

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for Outbound 419s. This sample shows how an entry is set up to instruct TMS to send outbound 419s for traffic with a particular road (in this example, BNSF) in the route.


Figure 91


Class BNSF


Route BNSF that has BNSF in its route.




Figure 92


419 Road BNSF Sends outbound 419 to BNSF.



Sample: Storage

The following sample windows show how to use the storage table to indicate that cars are subject to a special storage agreement based on car type. You will normally use this table to override the storage code or customer normally assigned to a car.


Figure 93


Car Type T804-T873 with a car type that falls within the range.




Figure 94


Storage Code to Apply

GATXSTORE TMS will apply storage code GATXSTORE to all matching cars, overriding the normally applied storage code in the system.



Sample: Car Schedule

The following sample windows show a simple blocking rule record for car scheduling. This sample shows how an entry is set up to schedule all loaded tank cars.

TMS TIPS: This blocking table is called after all other tables have been processed. For example, during inbound interchange, the Interchange table, Station table, and Automatic Movements and Charges tables are processed before the Car Schedule table. This allows you to set your codes and preferences, then determine if the car should be scheduled.


Figure 95



LE L that is loaded

KD T identified as a tank car.




Figure 96


Create Schedule for Car

Y Creates a car schedule for all loaded tank cars.


AEI Consists Basic Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Creating and Modifying an AEI Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Adding a Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Defining AEI Automated Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Reviewing AEI Consists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Reviewing and Modifying Cars in an AEI Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 Building an AEI Inbound Interchange Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132 Building an AEI Outbound Interchange Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 Creating a Pending Train from an AEI Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134 Creating a Work List Using an AEI Consist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 Resequencing a Consist or Train According to an AEI Read . . . . . . . . . . .136 Processing Train Events Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138 Reviewing the Auto Events Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Reviewing Bad Tag Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 Reviewing Auto Train Events in Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142 Reviewing Auto Train Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

AEI readers are usually located along tracks near interchanges, yards, or mainline tracks. As a train passes by an AEI site reader, the reader’s radio receiver “reads” information such as the car initial and number, direction of the movement, and reader location. The information from each car is saved in a data file, and then all files received from the train are compiled into a message and transmitted to TMS.

TMS can use the data fed to it from the reader to perform the following tasks:

• Build an inbound interchange consist.

• Build an outbound interchange consist.

• Create a work order.

• Create a pending train.

• Create an AEI consist that can be used to resequence a consist, track, or train.

• Automatically process defined train movement or work events


AEI ConsistsBasic Procedures

Basic Procedures

You must set up TMS to receive information from AEI readers. TMS expects to receive AEI data in industry standard T-94 or EDI 160 message format inside a PC file that is accessible to TMS. For additional information on submitting data in this format, contact your AEI vendor or RMI Customer Support.

You must also set up each reader in the AEI Sites master file to specify how TMS will use the information received. See “Creating and Modifying an AEI Site” on page 119 for more information.

When TMS finds an input file, it checks the AEI Master File to determine what to do with the data. Depending on how you set up your AEI sites, the AEI read automatically creates one of several types of consists for you. It also can create an AEI list that you can use to manually build consists or resequence trains or tracks.

AEI will also automatically process any defined train movement or work events that have been set up in the AEI master and log the processed events in the AEI events log for future reference.


AEI ConsistsCreating and Modifying an AEI Site

Creating and Modifying an AEI Site

The AEI Site Master is used to set up each reader and its location in TMS. This master file also instructs the system on what to do with information that is received by TMS.

When you create an AEI site, you must first add the new site to the master file, then define how the information received from that site should be used in TMS.

Adding a Site

To add a new site to the AEI Site Master:

1. Go to the AEI Site Master list window. (Figure 97)TMS Main Menu 31 Master Files 4 AEI SitesFast Path = MAEI

2. Select Add to create a new site.

3. The AEI Site Master window appears in add mode. You must enter the Site code representing the reader. The site code you enter in this field must match the code being transmitted to you by the reader.

You must enter a Description, Station and Track to identify the site. You can also add a Milepost to mark the location of the site and specify a field delimiter (Dlm) to separate the elements of the AEI message. If you leave the Dlm blank, the fields will be separated by a space.

4. Select OK to save the new site(s) and return to the AEI Site Master window.

Figure 97



Defining AEI Automated Functions

Once you have set up a reader in TMS, you can then direct the reader to automatically produce car lists, such as interchanges or trains, and perform train functions.

To define or modify the automated functions a reader can perform:

1. Go to the AEI Site Master list window.TMS Main Menu 31 Master Files 4 AEI SitesFast Path = MAEI

2. Type 1 next to the reader you want to work with and select OK.

3. On the Site Instructions window (Figure 98), select Add to create a new function.

Figure 98



4. When trains move past a reader, the reader is able to determine the direction of the train. You can use the site master to set up a separate set of instructions (or route) for each direction.

Enter information in the following fields as necessary to create or modify the route:

You can also use the TMS blocking tables to automatically block cars and create consists. Check the Use Blocking Table for Create Flags field to indicate that the Plant/Reader table should be used for this site. Once the flag is set, all AEI activity will flow through the table. For instructions on setting up this blocking table, see “Sample: Plant/Reader Interchange” on page 108.

TMS TIPS: You can create multiple routes in the same direction for a single AEI reader. If you choose to do this, enter route information as usual, but be sure to specify a different route number for each route.

Direction Type N for north, S for south, E for east, or W for west.

Route Route number and descriptive name.

Interchange Road

Interchange road if you will be using the reader to generate an interchange consist.

Create Inbound 418

Selecting this field instructs the site reader to generate an inbound interchange.

Create Outbound 418

X instructs the reader to create a 418 outbound interchange using a blocking table; Y instructs the reader to generate the 418 outbound interchange from the AEI consist.

Send OB EDI? Selecting this field sends the 418 via EDI.

Exclude OB Locos?

Selecting this field excludes all locomotives from the EDI 418.

Create Pending Train

Selecting this field instructs the reader to create a pending train.

w/ Pend Train ID

Train ID that should be created if you have selected the Create Pending Train field.

Create Work List

Selecting this field instructs the site reader to generate a work list.

w/ Work List ID Work list ID that should be created if you have selected the Create Work List field.

Apply Scale If the site reader is tied to an automated scale and you select this flag, the system will update the car's weight based on the scale reading when the car passes over the scale and by the reader.



5. You can perform the following maintenance functions from the Site Instructions window:

6. If you want to create or modify auto train events that are to be recorded at an AEI site, type X next to that direction/route.

If you want to then

activate/inactivate a route type A or I next to the event and select OK.

delete a route type D next to the event and select OK.

view a list of rules available for a particular site, direction, and route

type R next to a matching entry and select OK.

view a list of all blocking rules for the AEI site

select Outbound 418 Rules.

add a new route select Add.

Figure 99



7. On the Site Auto Events window (Figure 99), select Add to create a new event or modify information in an existing event. Use the following fields as necessary to describe the automated functions a reader should perform:

8. Select OK to save the information, then Exit.

Seq Sequence number for the event.

Event Event type for AEI automation. Events are separated into two categories: Movement events and Work events.

Auto Selecting this field indicates that you want AEI to automatically process the event.

Station Station at which the event will occur.

TMS TIPS: In addition to entering a specific station, you can also enter either *ALL or *ANY. If you use one of these values, TMS does not consider the station when it processes the event. To use this option, *ALL/*ANY must be defined in your Station master file.

Offset Time Amount of time to be added to or subtracted from the AEI time to calculate the Event time. Use the O=Offset Time option to enter multiple offset times.

Match: Toler % Percentage of cars on the AEI read that must match the cars on the train consist in order for the event to occur.

Match: DIr Direction in which cars should be moving in order for the event to occur.

Match: Type T (Train) requires a complete match of AEI to complete train consist. If you leave this field blank, a subset match of individual cars on AEI to cars on train is enough to complete the consist.

Ignore Fix Y instructs TMS to process the consist with no modifications if the train passes with matching tolerance to the AEI read.

Auto Process X (PlacCar) indicates that you want TMS to move the car automatically with no train match required. Leave the field blank (Train) to require a match with a train consist.


AEI ConsistsReviewing AEI Consists

Reviewing AEI Consists

To work with AEI consists:

1. Go to the AEI Consists list window. (Figure 100) TMS Main Menu 1 Rail Operations 25 Work with AEI ConsistsFast Path = AEIC

TMS TIPS: You can also reach the AEI Consists window (Figure 100) by taking option 21 Work with AEI Consists from the EDI menu.

Figure 100



2. You can enter values in the header fields to filter which consists appear. For example, enter a Site to see only consists scanned by a particular AEI reader.

The following information is available for review:

3. You can perform the following management tasks from the AEI Consists window:

Station Station where the consist was read.

Site AEI reader site.

D North/South or East/West direction of train movement.

Date/Time Date and time the AEI read started.

Lead Car Lead car or locomotive in the consist.

IB/OB/PT/WL/SI

Five flags that indicate if an inbound consist, outbound consist, pending train, work list, or scale interface were created from this AEI read. A P shows that processing was completed; an E shows that an error occurred.

Cars Total number of cars and locomotives in the consist.

Train Match/Auto Event

Train to which the AEI consist was matched or event that was processed.

If you want to then

delete a consist type D next to the consist and select OK.

print a consist type P next to the consist and select OK.

resolve bad AEI reads by typing in car numbers manually

type R next to the consist and select OK.

create an inbound interchange based on the AEI read

type I next to the consist and select OK.

create an outbound interchange based on the AEI read

type O next to the consist and select OK.

select cars for a multicar waybill type M next to the consist and select OK.

create a scale interface based on the AEI read

type S next to the consist and select OK.

create a pending train based on the AEI read

type T next to the consist and select OK.



4. A consist header, containing basic information about the AEI read, is created when a train moves past an AEI reader. To review or modify an AEI consist header, type 1 next to that consist and select OK.

create a work list based on the AEI read

type W next to the consist and select OK.

automatically process a defined train event

type A next to the consist and select OK.

view the Auto Events Log type L next to the consist and select OK.

enter data in the Bad Tag Cars Reference table

press Bad Tags Reference.

toggle between a view containing all AEI consists, a view containing only the AEI consists with defined auto events, or a view containing only the AEI consists that have matched a train.

press Show AEI Sites.

view existing auto events processing errors

press Auto Events in Error.

view Auto Events Log for all processed events

press Auto Events Log/All.

Figure 101

If you want to then



5. Enter or modify information in the fields as necessary on the AEI Consist Header (Figure 101), then select OK to save your changes.

TMS TROUBLESHOOTING: The data that appears in the AEI consist header can vary depending on the type of reader used, the quality of the read, and the data transmitted from the reader. For example, data transmitted from a hand-held AEI reader may vary from that of a fixed position reader located at an interchange point.

Field Definitions

AAR Billing Code Reporting mark of the railroad generating the read.

Adjacent Track Flag Not currently used.

Average Speed Average speed of the train as it travelled past the site reader.

Car Status Code Status of the equipment passing the reader.

Data Format Version AEI message format version used by the reader.

Daylight Savings Flag indicating whether Daylight Saving Time is in effect in that time zone.

Direction Direction in which the consist passed by the reader.

End Time Time the train finished travelling past the AEI reader.

Locomotives: Read Status, Count, Tagged

Indicates the conveying status of the locomotives, the number of locomotives counted, and the number of locomotives tagged.

Maximum Speed Maximum speed of the train as it travelled past the site reader.

Minimum Speed Minimum speed of the train as it travelled past the site reader.

Move Status Type of movement made by the train as it went past the reader. The following are valid options:

A Thru movement, over 5 m.p.h.

B Thru movement, under 5 m.p.h.

C Thru movement, stop and go

D Thru movement, switching

E Simulation

F Reverse exit

R Reserved.



Railcars: Read Status, Count, Tagged

Indicates the status of the railcars in the train, the number of railcars counted, and the number of railcars tagged as they passed the site reader.

Site Code AEI site code.

Start of Scan Date/Time

Date and time the train began travelling past the AEI reader.

Status: Inbound 418 List

Indicates whether an Inbound 418 list has been processed from this read.

Status: Work List Indicates whether a work list has been processed from this read.

Switch Direction Flag

Switching direction in which the train moved beyond the reader.

Termination Status Termination status of the read. You can indicate whether it was a normal termination (N), a forced termination (O), or a time out (T).

Time Zone Time zone in which the reader is located.

Total Axle Count Total number of axles counted on the train.

Train Length Total length of the train.

Train Sequence Sequence number assigned by the reader.

Transmission Type Type of transmission being sent by the reader. You can choose from Appended (A), First (F), Retransmission (R), or Summary (S).

Unit of Measure E indicates English measurements are being used; M indicates metric measurements are being used.


AEI ConsistsReviewing and Modifying Cars in an AEI Consist

Reviewing and Modifying Cars in an AEI Consist

As the train moves past the AEI reader, each tagged car in the train transmits its ID to the reader. This enables the reader, in turn, to transmit the standing order of the train to TMS.

To review the individual cars in an AEI consist:

1. Go to the AEI Consists list window. TMS Main Menu 1 Rail Operations 25 Work with AEI ConsistsFast Path = AEIC

2. Type 5 next to the consist you want to review and select OK.

Figure 102



3. On the AEI Equipment window (Figure 102), type 1 next to the specific car you want to review, then select OK.

4. Enter or modify information in the fields as necessary on the Edit AEI Equipment Details window (Figure 103), then select OK to save your changes.

Field Definitions

Figure 103

AEI Sequence Order in which the car appears on the AEI consist.

Axle Conversion Code

Shows the conversion code for the axles. Options include Bad (B), Good (G), or Sequence Logically Correct (S).

Axle Count Number of axles counted on the car.

Car Initial/Number Car initial and number.

Equipment Group Code

Indicates whether the car is a locomotive (D) or a railcar (R).

Hand Shakes Ant 1/Ant 2

Number of times the car was read as it passed the reader antennae.

Orientation Indicates whether the car was moving with the A end (A) or the B end (B) forward.

Platform Count Number of platforms counted on the car as it passed the reader.

Speed of Vehicle Speed at which the car was travelling when it passed the reader.



Tag Detail Status Bad Tag status reason.

Tag Status Shows the tag status of the car. The following are valid options:

G Good

L Left Tag Missing

M Mismatched

N No Tag Read

R Right Tag Missing.

Train Sequence Number

Order in which the car appears on the train.

Weight Weight of the car. Flag indicates whether the weight is the Gross Weight (G), Net Weight (N), or Tare Weight (T).


AEI ConsistsBuilding an AEI Inbound Interchange Consist

Building an AEI Inbound Interchange Consist

To build an inbound interchange consist:


2. Type I next to the consist you want to create as an inbound consist.

3. On the pop-up window (Figure 104), enter an Inbound Consist ID (from the train master file) and a From Road (the road delivering the cars).

You can also change the Date and Time. TMS defaults the time that the AEI consist was scanned.

4. Select OK to save the information, then confirm.

TMS takes you to the Cars on Inbound Consist window so that you can review the cars included on the new inbound consist. See the TMS Guide: Transportation for more information about working with inbound consists.

TMS TIPS: If the reader is located at an interchange point, you can instruct TMS to automatically create a consist for you. For example, if all northbound movements past a certain reader will be interchanged from CSXT, you can use the AEI Master File to instruct the system to build an inbound CSXT interchange each time the reader picks up a northbound train. For more information on this automatic function, see “Creating and Modifying an AEI Site” on page 119.

Figure 104


AEI ConsistsBuilding an AEI Outbound Interchange Consist

Building an AEI Outbound Interchange Consist

To build an AEI outbound consist:


2. Type O next to the consist you want to create as an outbound consist.

3. On the pop-up window (Figure 105), enter an Inbound Consist ID from the train master file.


4. Select OK to save the information, then confirm and return to the AEI Consists list window. See the TMS Guide: Transportation for more information about working with outbound consists.

TMS TIPS: If the reader is located at an interchange point, you can instruct TMS to automatically create a consist for you. For example, if all southbound movements past a certain reader will be interchanged to CSXT, you can use the AEI Master File to instruct the system to build an outbound CSXT interchange each time the reader picks up a southbound train. For more information on this automatic function, see “Creating and Modifying an AEI Site” on page 119.

Figure 105


AEI ConsistsCreating a Pending Train from an AEI Consist

Creating a Pending Train from an AEI Consist

To create a pending train from an AEI consist:


2. Type T next to the consist you want to create as a pending train.

3. On the pop-up window (Figure 106), enter a Pending Train ID from the train master file.


4. Select OK to save the information, then confirm and return to the AEI Consists list window. See the TMS Guide: Transportation for more information about working with pending trains.

Figure 106


AEI ConsistsCreating a Work List Using an AEI Consist

Creating a Work List Using an AEI Consist

TMS TIPS: This is an extremely powerful feature. Once you have instructed the AEI read to create a work list, you can do almost anything you want in TMS with those cars. From a work list, you can move or place cars and/or create an outbound interchange or pending train.

To create a work list from an AEI consist:


2. Type W next to the consist you want to create as a pending train.

3. On the pop-up window (Figure 107), enter a Work List ID. The ID can be from the work list master file or you can create a new name.


4. Select OK to save the information, then confirm.

5. TMS takes you to the Move Equipment window so that you can work with the cars included on the new work list. See the TMS Guide: Transportation for more information about working with work lists.

Figure 107


AEI ConsistsResequencing a Consist or Train According to an AEI Read

Resequencing a Consist or Train According to an AEI Read

You can use an AEI consist to resequence a train or consist. If you take this option, the train or consist sequence will change to reflect how the cars actually went by the AEI reader.

TMS TIPS: You can take the A=AEI option from either from the Pending Trains or Active Trains list windows or from the Inbound Advance Consist (Interchanges) or Outbound Consist (Interchange) windows. The example uses the Inbound Interchange path.

To resequence a train or consist using an AEI consist:

1. Go to the Inbound Advance Consist (Interchanges) list window. TMS Main Menu 1 Rail Operations 22 Inbound InterchangeFast Path = ICI

2. Type A next to the consist or train you want to resequence and select OK.

Figure 108


AEI ConsistsResequencing a Consist or Train According to an AEI Read

3. On the Select AEI window (Figure 108), type 1 next to the AEI consist that corresponds with the train you want to resequence and select OK.

4. On the AEI Match % window (Figure 109), the Train Sequence list shows the car sequence of the train or consist currently in TMS. The AEI Scan list shows the car sequence as it was scanned by the AEI reader. Select Resequence to AEI and OK to confirm. The window appears again. The cars in the train/consist now match the sequence in the AEI Scan.

TMS TROUBLESHOOTING: In order to resequence the train or consist, the train car count and the AEI car count must match, and all the AEI cars must be on the train. If the AEI read displays cars not shown on the train, you must add these cars to the train before you can resequence it.

5. Exit to return to the list window.

Figure 109


AEI ConsistsProcessing Train Events Manually

Processing Train Events Manually

Occasionally, your train events may not process automatically in the way that you have set them up. In that case, you may want to re-process them manually after you have corrected the problem.

To process train events manually from an AEI consist:

1. Go to the Inbound Advance Consist (Interchanges) list window. TMS Main Menu 1 Rail Operations 22 Inbound InterchangeFast Path = ICI

2. Type A next to the consist for the train you want to work with and select OK.

All train activity is listed on the Select AEI window. (Figure 110)

3. Type A next to the event(s) you want to re-process and select OK, then confirm. TMS will make the movements associated with the event.

Figure 110


AEI ConsistsReviewing the Auto Events Log

Reviewing the Auto Events Log

To work with the auto events log:


2. Type L next to the consist for the train you want to work with and select OK.

3. Select a train for which events were processed from the pop-up window.

4. The Auto Events Log window lists automatically processed events for that train. (Figure 111) You can perform the following management tasks from this window:

Figure 111

If you want to then

view event details type 1 next to the car and select OK.

view AEI delete log type 4 next to the car and select OK.

view AEI equipment associated with the event

type 5 next to the car and select OK.

view car history for any equipment associated with the event

type H next to the car and select OK.

view and modify site auto events type S next to the car and select OK or press Site Events.


AEI ConsistsReviewing the Auto Events Log

5. To review processing errors associated with an event, type E next to any event entry on the auto events log and select OK.

6. The AEI Errors window (Figure 112) allows you to review a list of errors showing why the AEI could not process.

view Train/AEI Match Log type L next to the car and select OK.

move equipment type M next to the car and select OK.

print auto train event log type P next to the car and select OK.

view waybill information for equipment associated with the event

type W next to the car and select OK.

view details about the train at the time a particular event occurred

type X next to the car and select OK.

edit the train consist select Edit Train.

view the train schedule select Train Schedule.

view the train history select Train History.

Figure 112

If you want to then


AEI ConsistsReviewing Bad Tag Cars

Reviewing Bad Tag Cars

To view and modify the AEI Bad Tag Cars list:


2. Select Bad Tags Reference.

3. The AEI Bad Tag Cars Reference Table window (Figure 113) allows you to see all cars with bad tags and associate the bad tag to the actual car. This allows the AEI process to continue without causing future errors.

You can perform the following file management tasks from this window:

Figure 113

If you want to then

delete an entry type D next to the event and select OK.

view latest AEI scan information type 5 next to the event and select OK.

add a new entry select Add.


AEI ConsistsReviewing Auto Train Events in Error

Reviewing Auto Train Events in Error

To view and modify the error list:


2. Select Auto Events in Error.

The Auto Train Events in Error window shows you all train events that are in error. (Figure 114) You can identify, correct, and reprocess the events from this central location.

You can perform the following file management tasks from this window:

Figure 114

If you want to then

view details about an error type 1 next to the event and select OK.

view auto events log for the train in error

type L next to the event and select OK.

reprocess the event that is in error type R next to the event and select OK.


AEI ConsistsReviewing Auto Train Events

Reviewing Auto Train Events

To view and modify the error list:


2. Select Auto Events Log/All.

3. The Auto Train Events Log/ALL shows you all auto events for all processed events. (Figure 115)

Figure 115


AEI ConsistsReviewing Auto Train Events

To view a summary of this information, select Summary.

Figure 116


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