Not commonly known by many and perhaps one of the best freebies available to a model railroader or V scale modeller, is that the most complex switch list software which used to cost hundreds, Protrak (
https://protrak.org/wpt/) is now free after the passing of it's creator. His family was gracious enough to allow its distribution for free given the large community following it has. The software has been around for almost four decades and is what many serious model railroaders and clubs used and still use. It is in many ways as close as you can get to the real thing in terms of simulation. I purchased the software more than a decade ago which quit working with windows 10 64bit and I ownly recently discovered that the free copy they put up on the site with the creator's passing actually works with 64bit systems. Originally when I purchased the software the creator provided me with a custom package which eliminated most of the model railroading aspect as I explained exactly what I wanted to do with his software before purchasing to see if it would fit my needs for Railworks / TS20xx before outlaying such a large expenditure. The software's creator Jim, was a very devoted guy to his software and the hobby itself and was continuously updating the software prior to his passing.
I can say provided you read the massive amount of documentation that is provided and have a clear understanding of the program, it will be the only switch list software you ever need. It is a very complex program to understand and has a steep learning curve however once you learn how to use it and setup your own route, it is an amazing tool. For those serious about giving Protrak a try, read a bit of the cut down manual (it is called the Recipe Book) which basically sums up the other 950 or so pages of documentation into 82 pages. Next give the demonstration railroad that comes with the software a whirl and run it through a couple of sessions, printing off the paper work to gain an understanding of what you are working with and change the format to a style you like. From there I would suggest modifying the demonstration railroad that comes with the software with simple learning projects, such as adding a new customer, a new freight car, adding a new locomotive, changing the routing of an interchange and eventually adding a branchline or second mainline with it's own industries. If you are going to use the software to eventually convey your own TS Classic route there are some tricks for getting the software to work with a real full length railroad.
1. Use HO Scale, there is no 1:1 scale setting so you need to recalculate everything in inches. Example real world mile =5,280ft which is converted to HO by the following formula (5280 x 12)/87 = 728.27 inches, or 1 HO mile. If you have a timetable for the route you want to convey, copy it into Excel and you can make a template which makes the calculations for you between mileposts and sidings along with converted spur and siding lengths. If there are any who are serious I can provide some examples on how to do this with my own templates.
2. Set the fast clock to 24 hour, you are recreating a real world railroad not a model railroad.
3. Setup a Excel spreadsheet with your customers and approximate carloadings a week for that customer.
A suggestion, start small with this program as taking on too much can lead to being overwhelmed and frustration when something goes wrong. The software is incredibly complex and can be unforgiving sometimes requiring regular backups of routes before making major changes.
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