I don't want a computer running my layout!

It doesn't. It's not connected in any way. You run the trains, you switch the points, you shunt the vehicles. You don't even need the computer in the same room. But most layouts cease running because the operators get bored. They run out of imagination. Wagonflow answers this by continually supplying new movements - and best of all, it can closely copy real railway operating practice!

People who buy Wagonflow and tailor it to their layout (about two evenings' work, but depending on the size of the layout) repeatedly come back saying (a) their layout is much more fun, and (b) is the next version due out yet?!

How much time gets spent on the computer when the layout's running?

For 1-3 stations, about five minutes per hour with Flow, or about two minutes with Autoflow, usually in odd fragments. The more trains and stations, the more time involved, but the vast majority of the time still goes into making up trains and running them. The computer is an assistant, not a competitor.

Does my computer have to be alongside the railway?

If you want to run the full system, selecting wagons as the traffic is called for, then yes. But Wagonflow has several modes, and the Autoflow option lets you pre-print traffic movements. Doing this means that the computer doesn't even need to be in the same town! So you could run the program at work in your lunchtime (say) to quickly print out the movements, then spend the weekend operating them. This also lets you take layouts to exhibitions and use Wagonflow without bringing the computer.

How long does it take to set up?

Wagonflow comes with full sets of sample files that you can experiment with, and you can also borrow from them so you don't have to set up your own files all at once. Assuming you've already had a look at the manual, dealt with the need for unique wagon numbers, and you're a reasonable two-fingered typist, a single station layout with 40 wagons could have its wagon-related files set up in about one evening.

You don't have to have a timetable, but if you've already got one worked out, this is almost a straight typing job, plus the time to put in station codes (again, the manual covers these). Probably another evening in total, depending on how complex your timetable is.

Anything that isn't right at first can be easily altered until you're satisfied.

How big can Wagon and Timetable files be?

Although Wagonflow 3 and its predecessors had deliberate file limits for Wagons and Timetables, no such limits are built into the present version. It is possible that the programming language may impose limits, but files have reached fairly huge numbers during tests before the program complained.

The limit that always exists is the amount of RAM in your machine. If this is adequate, you should be able to run files of many hundreds of wagons, and timetables of many hundreds of lines.

Will my computer run Wagonflow?

Wagonflow needs Windows 95 (minimum), a colour monitor, 16Mb of RAM and 4-5 Mb of hard disk space including your own files. CPU speed isn't important: anything that can support Windows 95 will run Wagonflow. The screens were designed for 640/480 and 800/600 resolution, but higher resolutions are supported. A printer is useful for a small layout, but almost essential for a large one.

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