Train Dispatcher is a program that is situated on the borderline between a simulator of a train dispatcher's station and a game. One could say that it is similar to Kennedy Approach, but in a railway setting.
Train Dispatcher was created by Signal Computer Consultants, Ltd. in 1983. The authors are Robert W. Brey and Thomas B. Levine.
Unfortunately Mr. Brey died at the end of the '90s. However, I managed to contact Tom Levine.
Thus I found out that Tom developed train dispatching systems for multiple railroads when he worked for Union Switch & Signal.
He decided it would be an interesting game / simulation on personal computers.
So he and Robert Brey wrote Train Dispatcher for the following platforms:
For Atari it was available on tape and diskette for 24.95 USD and it required Basic. Tom Levine is not sure how many copies were sold.
Later (in 1986), a variant for IBM PC (DOS) was added - see [4].
In 1997, Signal Computer Consultants released Train Dispatcher 2; later even Train Dispatcher 3. However these versions were only available for PCs with MS Windows.
I was unable to find the original (or any other) guide for Train Dispatcher.
I couldn't find a manual (original or otherwise) for Train Dispatcher, which kept me from understanding and controlling the game for years. It wasn't until the beginning of 2023 that I was able to make significant progress. It was then that I decided to write this article to share my findings with the FLOP readers.
In the course of work on the article (specifically in April 2023), a digitized version of the original manual appeared on Atarimania [1]. This saved me work and saved the readers from possible inaccuracies, which I would have certainly committed by trial and error.
The player is a dispatcher who controls switches and signals on a 150-mile line from a central control room.
The line is single-track, with a longer double-track section in the middle and three double-track points (stations) between the aforementioned central section and the beginning and end of the line.
The player's goal is to control traffic so that as many (up to 12) trains as possible pass along the line (to the destination stations).
The length of one shift is 8 hours of game time. However, the actual time passes much faster (15 - 30 minutes) depending on the chosen difficulty level.
The player does not control the individual trains or communicate directly with them. They only build the path by operating switches and signals.
Once the train has a clear path in front of it, it automatically follows it up to the signal prohibiting movement.
The system is aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of dispatchers. It is not intended to detect a player's susceptibility to commit errors.
Therefore, the program has built-in safety mechanisms that do not allow a train to enter an occupied section or, for example, to switch a switch in an already built train path.
So far, the program has been available (unofficially) from the Internet in two forms:
Both, however, have their disadvantages...
When booting the original disk image, you must use a device that supports ATX. Atari Basic must be enabled at boot time. This is announced with the READY prompt when DOS is loaded. To run the game, enter the command:
RUN "D1:DISPATCH"
and press the RETURN key. Then you have to wait, because the program takes some time to load.
Running the file is certainly easier. The patch available so far, which probably originated from the cassette version, is 9156 bytes long. But be careful. It has a defect. There are blocks of unwanted characters in the K and L zones.
I contacted Fandal with this problem and he willingly created a new patch in a short time. It is 7999 bytes long and during testing I did not discover any aesthetic or functional defect.
And finally, the best news. Thanks to the kind permission granted by Tom Levine himself (see e-mail), Fandal's edited version is officially and legally brought to you right here in this FLOP!
Since the original (English) manual for the game is available (see [1]), it is not necessary to describe the details of its design and control here.
I will only include here a diagram of the line with the distances (in miles) between each point, which I created for the Czech version of this article:
Y=1=A-13-B==4=C-15-D==3=E-...
...-11-F==3=G-23-H==3=I==4=J=...
...==4=K==3=L==3=M-15-N==3=O-...
...-12-P==2=Q-13-R==3=S-11-T=1=Y
Dashes (-) indicate single-track sections, equal signs (=) indicate double-track sections.
The letters A to T indicate the points with switches and signals that can be controlled by the dispatcher.
Y (Yard) are entry and exit points of the line, i.e. stations (or depots) where trains enter or leave the line.
As a train fan, I am of course glad that such a game for Atari exists. I'd be even happier if the program offered a choice of multiple tracks, including more complex, multi-track schemes, etc. But let that, for example, be an inspiration for some future developer.
Thanks to Tom Levine for his answers to my questions, his permission to distribute the modified program for free, and above all for having created Train Dispatcher for Atari.
Also thanks to Fandal for modifying the game to make it easier to run.
And I wish everyone who decides to try Train Dispatcher a lot of success and fun.