TOPS - what became of it?

[jonny777]

I never said they were, nor have I ever thought they were (there for my benefit, that is).

 

However, I doubt that the same attitude was not presented to Eric Treacy or Derek Cross in quite such patronising terms.

[jamie92208]

This was the interior of Bristol TOPS in 1980.

I suspect it was a Saturday afternoon and I was on my own.

We were still using card punches then, one of the card racks can be seen on the end wall,

2 machines working on-line at 200 Baud, the 2 end machines, (one out of sight to the left)

were off-line machines for shunt/train lists.

It all seems prehistoric now.....

 

Bristol TOPS 24/5/80

 

cheers

 

That's a great photo and brings back many memories. In the mid 70's when i was a young beat bobby (with dark hair) in Hunslet, South Leeds, the TOPS office at Hunslet Yard (Now where Freighliner HH stables it's wagons opposite Midland Road depot, was one of my regular teaspots on nights. They used to do printouts for me of what was on depots on a Saturday so that I could plan for trips out with a group of railfans that I used to run from my home village of Woodlesford. They hd several tales to tell me of the start up of TOPS and shifts spent poking around in odd sidings finding wagons that had got lost and getting them on the system.

 

Operationally the system was very similar to the Police National Computer, with a need to construct a command and then poll to send it. I believe that there were many similarities between the two systems which came on stream at roughly the same time. I belive that even today both of them are still running with the basic code whuch they were set up with and supporting many other newer systems by supplying real time data. Both ahve since been modified with Windows based front ends.

 

Jamie

[Rivercider]

Back in the late 1970s / early 1980s I had a couple of people who I regularly gave info to when I was working in Bristol TOPS,

one was a colleague from my previous office. I don't remember it being particularly frowned upon, but not encouraged either.

Of course when we were too busy then the answer was a polite no.

Later on when in Westbury TOPS there were one or two freight customers / contractors who asked for TOPS loco printouts

and we generally obliged, but I very rarely gave anything away to anyone we did not already know.

 

Although a locos current whereabouts was always available, when a particular train had terminated the file only remained live for an hour or two

so after that the only way to find out a trains loco or wagon formation was to ask the responsible TOPS office to get the paper copy out of the filing cupboard.

At Bristol I think we kept records for about 3 months before they were binned.

We did get a few official requests for a copy of a train consist that had run days or weeks previously, usually if the train had been involved in a incident,

perhaps wagons damaged by contractor during unloading, or sometimes British Transport Police were following up a wagon graffiti enquiry.

 

cheers

 

edit

Much later, in the 1990s there was a Loco History report ( I cant remember the enquiry type)

which I think would list all activity for one loco for up to about 14 days previously - trains worked, exams, loco fuelling.

[Fay Singpoint]

Pardon my ignoreance, but what does GENIUS stand for and what is different about the information it contains compared to TOPS?

 

Have a read here http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/page/Train+Allocation+Systems

[jonny777]

I didn't address it to you personally, it was a generic remark.

 

As for the rest, well, I'm a railway professional and I do see quite a few 'stereotypical railway enthusiasts'...

 

That's ok. I tend to get a bit sensitive over these issues, mainly because I have always had the utmost respect for the railway and the staff. I suppose that it comes from a 1950s upbringing when we were taught to obey the rules - or else.

 

I never even bothered with info on locomotives, but just preferred to take everything as a chance. It mattered not to me if I went all the way to Glagow to see an Eastfield loco, only to find out from the locals that it had left 5 minutes before I arrived having been transferred to Bath Road.

 

Such is life.....

 

I would make sure that I had a good day out in any case.

[RJS1977]

http://www.networkra....uk/data-feeds/

 

Nice new 'open data' policy from Network Rail - extract below: -

 

We now have a number of operational data feeds available to developers of mobile apps and websites. By providing access to these data feeds we hope to encourage the development of new products of interest to those who use the railway.

The data feeds available will be:

• Train Movements - train positioning and movement event data
  
• TD - train positioning data at signal berth level
  
• TSR (Temporary Speed Restrictions) – details of temporary reductions in line speeds across the rail network
  
• VSTP (Very Short Term Plan) – schedule records created via this process (and thus not available via CIF)
  
• RTPPM (Real Time Public Performance Measure) - this shows the performance of trains against the timetable, measured as the percentage of trains arriving at destination on time
  
• SCHEDULE – extract of train schedules from the Integrated Train Planning System
  

 

Interesting to see that this also includes movement data for the Ffestiniog Railway!

[pete_mcfarlane]

Two interesting links.

 

This Network Rail Document lists railway computer systems, and what they do.

 

This site has an early history of TOPS from one of the people who worked on it, as well as some further links on TOPS