New Track Maintenance Procedure

The OPS crews have been asking for some more variation to the sessions to provide more challenges.  So I have decided to add a Track Maintenance function to the Traffic Generator.  This will be in addition to the Water Tower Maintenance and could be scheduled during the same session as a Water Tower Maintenance.  If both occur during the same OPS session the dispatcher will have to decided if he wants to combine these work extras or run them separate.

Just like all of the other functions on the E&P the Track Maintenance function will be random.  The traffic generator will randomly generate Track Maintenance at a specific location and for a specific duration.  Track Maintenance can occur between any two towns (such as between Flat Top and Hood) or at any town (including White Hall).  The probability of  Track Maintenance occurring is 1% per location for a total of 21%.  Track Maintenance duration will be from 1/2 to 4 hours in 1/2 hour increments with equal probability.  For any Track Maintenance duration of two hours or more there will be one 1 hour period of exclusive use of the maintenance area by the work train.  The rest of the time the work train will have to clear the work area for all scheduled trains.  (The clearing for Extras will be at the discretion of the dispatcher.)  The timing of the exclusive use period will be determine by the dispatcher.  All track maintenance work extras will leave White Hall at 6:00 AM.

Since I have just added this function it will be at least the May session (there is no weekend session in March) before we have to deal with it.  April would be the first chance for a Track Maintenance request to be generated and then the MWTK car will need to be moved from Furnace to White Hall before the work extra could be scheduled.  So if the Traffic Generator does generate a Track Maintenance request in April we would move the MWTK car during that session and schedule the Work Extra for May.

Time will tell.