Does anyone use a web-based application (or service) to schedule train crews? Any ideas?

Thanks,
-Ed Lecuyer, WW&F

The group that I volunteer with has a "membership" section of the website, all the trains are listed with those that have stepped up to crew them so far. Any member can see what trains have crews and which ones don't. We can request a crew slot directly from the website or contact the crew caller.

We use a fairly basic home brewed system where you bid on a job, then the caller manually assigns based on seniority and other factors. It's web based but still fairly simple, and the "logic" part is all done manually. Since I'm qualified for any position, I don't know for certain whether or not it does any screening for what you can mark up for, but I don't think it does. Should somebody who isn't qualified bid, the caller would simply disregard that bid.

For a more sophisticated approach, I know that Dynamic Ticket Solutions offers something or at least they were working on it last time we spoke which was about 1-1/2 years ago.

Another option would be to convert one of the systems used by flying clubs and yacht clubs etc to assign the use of planes/ships. The basic framework is there, including the ability to check qualifications to reserve a particular aircraft. It would seem to be reasonably easy to modify that kind of setup to say "OK, Joe is qualified as brakeman, conductor and fireman, but not engineer, so don't let him mark up to run old #47 next weekend, but do allow him to sign up as fireman."

I know of two museums that used a web-based crew scheduling system. I presume they still do.
* The Willamette Shore Trolley (WTS) running out of Portland, Oregon
* The Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut

Our museum will be going to a web-based system in the not too distant future, provided I can find a volunteer who is familiar with the software and database associated with the WTS system. My review of the WTS system several years ago impressed me with its simplicity and straight-forward design.

Perhaps a rep from one or both museums who frequent this board might provide us with further info on their systems?

Thanks!

PSRM in Campo will be starting to use the web scheduling from Dynamic Ticket Solutions next month. They handle our normal ticketing, and have done so for several years, now. Can't tell you how well the crew scheduling works yet, since we haven't used it.

At Westen Railway Museum we use Trumba for scheduling. It costs $9.95 per month. It does not require use of a password to read. If you would like to look at it, go to www.trumba.com/calendars/wrmschedule. It does all the thinking for me and makes my life much easier.