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Short Line Data Systems Inc. ROCS Update – January 2008 Website: www.sdsrocs.com Happy New Year! We are starting the new year off at high speed, with new customers and products. In this update we will bring you up to speed on these new developments, and we will take some time to look back at 2007 and where we have been. There’s lots of news to report, so let’s get started. TRACCURATETM Now Available TRACCURATE, our affordable AEI tag reading system, is now available. This system brings the price of a wayside tag reading system down to the point that any railroad can afford it. We have been working for the last year with our hardware supplier, Short Line Technologies, LLC , on this system, which incorporates new concepts and technology to bring the cost of the system to realistic levels. This fully functional tag reading system, when combined with the ROCSScanTM data management software will, at a minimum, interface with your traffic management system or create lists of cars for your personnel to use. The system comes with a built in wireless connection that eliminates the need for communication wires. Other communication methods are available upon request. AC power is standard, and we will have a solar power option available shortly. So, if you are considering AEI tag readers, please contact us about this exciting new product. What is a VAN? About three weeks ago, CSXT sent out a notice to its short line railroad partners that they were changing their policy on VANs. I received three or four questions from people who didn’t know what a VAN was, and how the policy changes affected them. A Value Added Network, or VAN, provides EDI data to railroads from Railinc, and takes the railroad’s own data and passes it on to Railinc. These companies, such as Kleinschmidt or Intellitrans, then can use the data for their own services that they provide to shippers. The VANs also provide communication and customer service networks, and have been a useful part of railroad data communications for a long time. For years, in an attempt to get railroads to do their own electronic billing and event reporting, the Class 1 carriers paid for both the traffic management system and for the VAN, or for a direct Railinc account (Railinc is similar to a VAN, but as the repository of all railroad traffic data, they are the base that all others add the value to). The cost of the VAN or Railinc on a per railroad basis is not great (about $50-$200 per month for minimal data), but when you are paying for dozens of railroads, it starts to add up. In addition, data charges really have become a cost of doing business, so it was time for everyone to carry their own weight. CSX does offer a direct data path to their systems at no cost, so railroads can still send their data for no additional cost to them. New Customer We are pleased to announce that the Alberta Prairie Steam Train has joined the SDS family as the first contracted user of the PETROCSTM passenger excursion ticketing system. Located in Stettler, Alberta, the Alberta Prairie offers excursions throughout the year on their trains, powered by both steam and diesel engines. We will be heading up there in a couple of weeks to set up the PETROCS system on their computers (trust me, I didn’t pick the dates to head up to the Great White North). Product Updates We have been continuing with the updates to all of our products, and the tests of the new improvements have been going well. If things continue as they are, we will start rolling out version 11 of ROCSTM to the users during the second quarter of this year. As planned, V11 will feature a minor reliability revision, revised data communications, and revised screens that will work on both widescreen and standard monitors. We have been continuing with the revisions to the Rating DBTM, which is our settlement system for CSX Junction Settlement railroads. SGLR has had the system for a month now, and has familarized itself with its use, while we have been completing the work on the import system for the CSX electronic settlement statements. The HRRC has been evaluating the revisions to system in an active environment, and their inputs have been incorporated in both the HRRC and SGLR systems. If the work on ROCS and Rating DB is completed on our current schedule, we will probably release version 7 of ROCSDispatchTM late in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter of this year. We are still compiling the full lineup of new features, but we will keep you updated on the changes as the year goes on. Where In the World has Steven Been This Year? It’s time again for that annual feature in the ROCS update that recounts where I have travelled in the last twelve months. This year I travelled about 38,000 miles on roughly 40 flights or trains, and here is the best recollection of the places I have been: San Antonio, TX Midlothian(Dallas), TX Washington, DC (at least five times) Baltimore, MD Jacksonville, FL Roanoke, VA Spokane, WA Saginaw, MI Sioux Falls, SD Rural Hall, NC Wilson, NC Portland, OR Burlington, VT Myrtle Beach, SC Knoxville, TN New Orleans, LA Throw into the mix a couple of personal trips, and a move to a new house, and it has been another very busy year. I want to thank everyone for their loyalty throughout the year. We are all looking forward to another exciting year for Short Line Data Systems. We’ll be back in February (if we defrost from the trip to Canada) with the latest news. Stay safe, Steven Friedland President |
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