Using The ShipIt! Computer Program On An ISL

[FCIN]

Today I was thinking about my layout and the shipping patterns and possibilities (...)
(plus in the arrows means loaded, minus means empty)
(interchange is the staging yard)
(Off layout means stored in drawers under the layout shelves and represents the cars traveling all over the country)
Off Layout ++++++++> Interchange ++++++++> Industry ---------> Interchange ---------> Off Layout
Okay, that one seems pretty simple to set that up for the ShipIt program to work.

Another simple one is when a shipper on our layout needs an empty:
Off Layout ----------> Interchange ----------> Industry ++++++++> Interchange ++++++++> Off Layout

Now, with me having interchange at either end of the layout, still shouldn't be that difficult. I have a 1970s rail map that indicates where each road went, and I'll set up the cars so each one's home yard is at the appropriate interchange.

All that sound reasonable so far?

But then we have the scenario where a load comes in, gets emptied, then the empty is sent to another industry and loaded, then sent back to the interchange:
Off Layout +++++> Interchange +++++> Industry ---------> Industry +++++++> Interchange ++++++> Off Layout

Does the ShipIt program do this automatically? Take an empty which is headed off the layout, and use it for a load which is headed in the direction that the empty car was going anyway?

Gary;
All this is quite feasible to do in ShipIt. You more or less have the same set up as I do, but of course I don't have an interchange point - but am simply operating like cars are coming from a nearby yard to the industrial spur. This nearby yard is where my cars are stored offline. Staging on my layout is actually at the end of the industrial spur, but regardless, the concept is still the same.

ShipIt has basic information in the help file and manual (Chapter 14) that shows you how to set up interchanges. I think it involves setting up divisions and storage tracks. Basically as I understand it, your railroad (home road) is by default "Main" division. You would need two other divisions to represent the connecting roads, then set up storage tracks/yards, etc. to enable the interchange movements. It's also possible to route through shipments from one connecting road - over your road - to the other connecting road. Like this:

RR1 -------> AGT -------> RR2 or RR2 ------> AGT -------> RR1

Nifty feature!

I've never really experimented with using the interchange setup, although I've planned many layouts that would require it. There is an example layout included with ShipIt (Example Layout 2) that has a couple of interchange points and you would probably want to look that over to see how it's setup.

As for ShipIt using an empty at one industry and spotting it at another for loading, yes it does do that. You have to set a program option on though. It's found under File -> Options -> Options 3. There are a lot of options like that that you can set on or off - so use the help file!