Train Director 3
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ETR 460 at Alessandria station

Last update: October 19, 2014 - Version 3.8v

Train Director is a clone of the popular Train Dispatcher simulation software. With Train Director you can simulate the work of the Centralized Traffic Control (CTC). Your task is to direct trains running in a territory to their final destination, by throwing switches and clearing signals. Penalties are collected for incorrect or inefficient operations, or for trains arriving late. You can also create your own territories with the included track layout editor. Train Director is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

### Installing on Windows

Download the file tdir38win.zip (8 MB).
Create a directory (e.g. `C:\TRAINDIR3`).
Unzip the content of the file using a decompressor that can handle long file names, such as WinRar.
Run the file `TRAINDIR3.EXE` from the same directory.

### Installing on Linux

Download the file tdir38Ubuntu.zip (1.6 MB).
Create a directory (e.g. `~/traindir3/`).
Extract the content of the file with the command `unzip tdir38Ubuntu.zip` in the created directory.
Run the file `~/traindir3/traindir3` from the same directory.

### Installing on Mac OS X

Download the file tdir38mac.tar.gz (1.8 MB).
Create a directory (e.g. `~/traindir3/`).
Extract the content of the file with the command `tar zxf tdir38mac.tar.gz` in the created directory (in case your browser didn't uncompress the file automatically).
Then open the file `~/traindir3/td3.app` from MacOS's Finder.
Note: if you downloaded a previous version to version 3.0 on the same computer, it's advisable to download Train Director 3 in a different directory, since the executable and the run-time libraries are not compatible. It is not necessary to re-download the scenarios.

### New in Version 3

Version 3 of Train Director features a new and more modern look-and-feel, closer to that of other native Windows or Linux applications. The following image shows the welcome page, from where you can load a previous simulation or start a new simulation.

Once loaded a scenario, the most relevant data to the execution of the simulation are shown in the same window frame. In the following image you can see the layout, the time table in the lower left corner, and information about a train in the lower right corner.

It's also possible to remove undesired elements from the screen, such as the toolbar at the top or the status bar at the bottom, so as to maximize the area used to show the layout.

It is now possible to show and print the summary pages (such as the performance page, the station schedule and the train timetable) directly from inside the program.

It is also possible to scroll the view of the layout using the arrow keys (use Ctrl+arrow for bigger scrolls).

Lastly, it's possible to load a scenario directly from the .zip file, without the need to expand the scenario in its own directory.

In version 3.1 it is now possible to zoom in/out the layout; this is very useful when looking at very packed territories.

Also new in version 3.1 is the possibility of always showing the layout coordinates, and also the ability to insert/delete lines/columns or move blocks during the editing of the layout.

In version 3.2 you can define up to 8 train types. Also a new action has been added to the trigger: "assign @". With this new command, one can automate almost every operation, allowing for full unattended simulation of a scenario. A lot of minor bugs have also been fixed.

In version 3.3 you can define approach signals and define signals with multiple aspects. This is accomplished by writing separate scripts that are associated with each signal, and that provide the logic for changing the signal's aspect according to the traffic conditions.

Version 3.4 introduces the management of rolling stock that is separate from running trains. It is now possible to split and join trains, thus increasing the simulation realism, especially when trains have the length information.

Version 3.5 is the first version that can be compiled and run on Mac OS X. This version uses Unicode support for the Mac OS X and Linux versions. I fixed a few bugs and I introduced the possibility of saving the performance report in a text file, as well as the possibility to select an itinerary from a list or using the Shift+Click on the beginning and ending signal of the itinerary (as in version 1.19).

Version 3.6 extends the scripting capabilities to cover tracks, signals and trains. See the scripts page for more information. It also introduces the ability to automatically display information about the simulation from HTML pages in the "Scenario Info" window.

Version 3.7 allows scenario creators to specify random delays for the entrance time and departure time of trains. Moreover it is now possible to connect to Train Director from another program and to control its behavior and receive user-generated events. Also, it is now possible to save an image of the layout as a BMP, JPG, GIF or PNG file through the File + Print menu. Finally many bugs caused by the split and join train feature have been fixed.

Consult the user's manual for further information.

### Bugs and To-do

Since version 3 has required a rewrite of most of the graphical user interface to use the new run-time libraries wxWidgets, it's possible that new bugs had been introduced with respect to the previous version.

The layout editor still requires more enhancements. At this moment it's necessary some practice to use the editor.

This page is maintained by g_caprino@gmail.com
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Created on June 1, 2000