05-10-2011, 11:36 PM
This is another thread that I haven't updated in a long time, and am trying to catch up on a few that I feel need updating.
After spending more hours then I care to think about, fiddling with the ShipIt program and actually using it to create switch lists; I've pretty much decided that I won't be using it myself.
Too many prototype situations that, try as I might, I can't get ShipIt to duplicate. The switch lists don't look like anything that I've ever used or seen used and use a lot of paper. Even the "Condensed" switch list form option, which does resemble a prototype switch list, is a mess, with everything jumbled together and it's very hard for visiting conductors to understand as it uses short abbreviations for the towns/industries and is not split into groups for each town/industry as you'd see on the prototype.
I find that spending about 10 minutes making up my own list works much better and allows me to incorporate some other prototype situations. At some point, I'll set up a form similar to railroad demurrage forms to keep track of what cars are spotted where and when and use that to keep track of car movements. Not as easy as just pressing a couple of buttons on a computer program, but does allow me to assume the roll of railroad agent and even the customers.
I do like the randomness that ShipIt tends to produce, but it takes so much time to fine-tune it's just not worth it to me. I will say that the program would probably work fine for many modelers, so if you're looking for a computer program to generate switch lists and keep track of your cars, try it out. Perhaps having worked in the industry for many years and in several different positions slants my view of the program, but it's just not for me.
After spending more hours then I care to think about, fiddling with the ShipIt program and actually using it to create switch lists; I've pretty much decided that I won't be using it myself.
Too many prototype situations that, try as I might, I can't get ShipIt to duplicate. The switch lists don't look like anything that I've ever used or seen used and use a lot of paper. Even the "Condensed" switch list form option, which does resemble a prototype switch list, is a mess, with everything jumbled together and it's very hard for visiting conductors to understand as it uses short abbreviations for the towns/industries and is not split into groups for each town/industry as you'd see on the prototype.
I find that spending about 10 minutes making up my own list works much better and allows me to incorporate some other prototype situations. At some point, I'll set up a form similar to railroad demurrage forms to keep track of what cars are spotted where and when and use that to keep track of car movements. Not as easy as just pressing a couple of buttons on a computer program, but does allow me to assume the roll of railroad agent and even the customers.
I do like the randomness that ShipIt tends to produce, but it takes so much time to fine-tune it's just not worth it to me. I will say that the program would probably work fine for many modelers, so if you're looking for a computer program to generate switch lists and keep track of your cars, try it out. Perhaps having worked in the industry for many years and in several different positions slants my view of the program, but it's just not for me.
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"