Creating and Editing Warrants

A Warrant contains the information needed to run a train. This includes the DCC address of the locomotive(s), the route train will take, the settings of the turnouts to traverse the route and the throttle commands to use at various points along the route - e.g. speed, when to show lights, sound horns, bells or other sound effects.

NOTE: Warrants can only be created if the PanelPro configuration has at least two OBlocks defined.

There are three steps in creating a warrant, define the route, select a train and record the throttle commands.

Defining a Warrant Route

Origin, Destination and Via Blocks

A warrant route is created by selecting the the Block and path where the train will begin its trip and the portal by which it should leave. Then select the Block and path and entry portal of the path where the train should end its trip. Press the Calculate Route button and the the computer will determine all the intermediate paths needed to make the trip.

NOTE: in the upper right hand portion of the Create/Edit Warrant frome is a table listing all the OBlocks you have defined. Either the System Name or the User Name can be dragged and dropped into the location blocks on the upper left hand side of the frame.

• Originating Location: - Consists of a text field for the originating Block Name, a drop down menu to choose the starting Path Name and a drop down menu to select the Exit Portal Name.
  Note that the block may have several paths and the default path showing may not be the one where you intend the train to start.
  Also, Since paths usually have two portals, the default portal showing may not be the one the train should pass through.

  Setting the Exit Portal determines the direction the train will take. There is no further need to specify direction, since the algorithm will provide the route.

• Destination Location: - Consists of a text field for the destination Block Name and a drop down menu for the terminating Path Name and a drop down menu to select the Entry Portal Name.
  Note that the block may have several paths and the default path showing may not be the one where you intend the train to finish its run.
  Also, Since paths often have two portals, the default portal showing may not be the one the train should pass through. Specifying an Entry portal for the destination is needed for layouts containing reversing loops. Dog-bone layouts in particular typically have additional routes through their reversing loops so specifying the Entry portal helps in reducing the number of unwanted routes.

• Via Location: - Consists of a text field for the destination Via Name and a drop down menu for the terminating Path Name.
  Typically, it is not necessary to enter any block name in this field, since it likely the algorithm will detect the route you want. This group of entries is used when there are multiple routes possible from origin to destination. Entering a block and path will make the computer contimue its search for a route that passes through the selected block and path.

More information about OBlocks, Portals and OPaths can be found at The Occupancy Block Tables.

Calculate and Debug

After the origin and destination blocks and paths have been chosen, press the Calculate Route button. Typically, more than one route will be found. The "Searching for Route" text box will show some statistics on the number of routes and their length in blocks that have been found while searching for routes. The text field "Max Number of Blocks in Route" limits how far the computer will look routes. The Stop button will terminate the search for routes. After the Stop button is pressed or the computer exhausts all the possible routes less than or equal the "max length", it presents a list of those that it found and their lengths. Choose a route by pressing its radio button. Pressing the Review button will display the route for you to examine in the Route Table. Each block, path and portals used to traverse the route is displayed.

You may inspect all the routes in this manner. Choosing a route and pressing the Select button will fill out the Route Table and dismiss the dialog. If exactly one route is found, the list dialog is skipped and Route Table is filled out.

Sometimes the dialog message "No Route found from "Origin Block', path ..." etc. is displayed. Responding Yes to the question, "Show the search tree?" will open a window with a graphic description of all paths begining at the Origin block, path and exit portal. Trace what you believe to be a likely route by clicking on the nodes. Each node is a block path and will display its path and block name and the entry and exit portals it uses. At the end of each branch, the leaf node will be the point where the route could not continue. Normally these leaves are spurs. However, these are also the places where you may find an error or omission that you made when defining the OBlocks, OPaths and Portals.

Choosing a train

If you have defined an JMRI engine roster, the train names are displayed in the Engine Roster drop down ComboBox. Selecting a name from this list will fill in the text fields: Train Name, Road Name and Number, DCC Adddress.

You may also choose a train by entering a DCC address in the DCC Adddress text field. This address will be used whether or not it is found in the IJMRI engine roster.

Learn Mode

Throttle commands are created by recording the commands you send to a train while operating it manually from a screen throttle in Learn Mode.

"Teaching" a Train

Pressing the Start button in the Learn Mode box will display a throttle on the screen. Operate the train just as you would with any other throttle. All speed changes and button presses on the throttle are recorded in the Throttle Command Table.

Pressing the Stop button will end the recording.

Te learn script should be done with a completely clear route - All turnouts set, all blocks unoccupied (except origin), all signals set for clear runing and no changes made during recording period. When the train is run executing the script, any changes in these completely conditions will be taken into account. As a safety feature, whenever a warranted train has permission to enter the next block, the turnouts are (re)set. Having permission from signals means that resetting the turnouts should not interfere with any interlocking logic. In the absence of signals, occupancy or allocation to another warrant also may deny permission. It is the most restrictive of these three conditions that gives the auto-run train permission to proceed. When such a denial is cleared, the train will proceed automatically. The only thing that overrides having permission to proceed is if the user has set "Halt". The train will not move until the user sets "Resume". (see below how to set these user commands.

Throttle Command Table

The Throttle Command Table has the following columns:

• ET(msec): - The elapsed time in milliseconds to wait after a command is sent before issuing the next throttle command.
• Command: - The throttle command that was recorded (direction, speed, or button press or release).
• Value: - The value of the command.
• Block: - The block the train has last entered when the throttle command was recorded.
• Delete: - Deletes the command. Note that this will also remove some of the elapsed time between the previous and next commands of the deleted command.

In addition to the commands you entered from the throttle, a marker when each block is entered is also recorded. A marker row in the table has the elapsed time from the last throttle command, the command name "NoOp" (i.e. no command to send to the train), the value "Enter Block" and the block name being entered.

All of the columns in the Throttle Command Table can be edited. Perhaps you want to touch up the horn blasts or modify the speeds. Just enter the data you want.

Synchronizing Commands to Block boundaries.

If the consist of a train changes, or if power is changed, the recorded elapsed times may not allow the throttle commands to execute at the same points on the route where the "Learn Mode" train recorded them.

If this is the case, Enter the word "Synch" in the "ET" (elapsed time) column. When the train is run in "Run Mode", it will hold back or advance a "Synch" command until it reaches and enters the block specified in the "Block" column of the command. The marker rows can be edited into Synch commands or otherwise identify where synchronization can be done.

NOTE:Be sure that the block named in the "Block" of a "Synch" command has not been entered by the train. If the train has already reached that block, the command and no further commands will be issued. The computer is holding the sequence of commands waiting for the block to change state from unoccupied to occupied.

Also, if block ahead of the train becomes occupied before the train can enter it, a "Synch" command may execute prematurely. This can happen if a "rouge train" enters a block on the route ahead of the train.

Running Trains on Dark Blocks.

The Learn mode and Run Mode functions can be used on blocks that do not have detection sensors. However, without detection, other than the initial setting of turnouts and signals, turnouts and signals cannot be set on the fly while the train is enroute. This means there is no protection from rouge trains fouling the route or from turnouts being changed while the train is enroute. Therefore use these features with caution over dark blocks. "Synch" may not be used as well.

Run Mode

Pressing the Run button in the Run Train box will send the throttle commands to the train specified in the warrant.

NOTE:Be sure that the train is located on the Path of the Origin block of the route and the direction of the engine is compatible with the first direction specified in the throttle commands.

The Run Train box will display each block entered by the train as it traverses the route. Each time an auto running train enters a block it check the succeeding two blocks for occupancy. Depending on what is detected, signals are set for clear, approach or stop and the current speed is modified accordingly (normal, limited or stop). This check for occupancy will also reset the turnouts for the route, if they have been inadvertently changed from another source.

The occupancy detection and synchronized commands used to notify a train when it enters a block depends on accuracte occupancy detection. If the layout does not have reliable occupancy detection, automated trains may run with unexpected consequences. Trains may wait indefititely when false detection occurs. The block protection done when entering a block can be disabled. The following radio buttons set this:

• Run with block Protection: - Runs the train with the occupancy detection when entering blocks and with the synchroniation features.
• Run with blocks dark: - Runs the train as described for Dark Blocks.

Controls

The Run Train box also is a drop down ComboBox that has the following commands that can be sent to the train.

• Halt: - Stops the train.
• Resume: - Restarts the train at the speed setting it had when stopped.
• Abort: - Terminates the automated run.

Save Etc.

There are three buttons at the bottom of the window.

• Save: - Saves the warrant so it can be shown in the list of warrants on the Warrant Table. A permanent copy of the warrant is saved when the panel is saved to the Configuration file.
• Cancel: - Cancels any editing that may have been done.
• Delete: - Deletes the warrant when the panel is saved to the Configuration file.

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