Despatches by Rail (Trains)

• Despatches by Rail (Trains)
• • Train Creation
  • Train Status
  • Train Structure
  • Loading and Unloading Trains
  • Tonnage Correction
  • Activities Common to all Despatch Types

Rail despatches or train despatches are known in MineMarket as 'trains'. Despatching by train involves transporting bulk material or discrete units along a train route from a loading location to an unloading location and all associated activities (for example, sampling). Despatch orders can be associated with a train to provide the link between sales or purchase contracts and the despatched material. Service charges can be added to calculate the costs of freight or other services that can be invoiced.

Trains must be created from a template. The template defines the default train structure (including locomotives, rakes and rail wagons), loading type, route and may define default process flows and stockpiles for loading and unloading transactions.

See Train and Train Despatch Configuration for information about locomotives, rail wagons, train templates and train schedules.

Train Creation

Use the Train Explorer to create, view and edit trains; and to create multiple trains from a template or schedule.

Alternatively, you can create individual trains from the (right-click) context menu of a train template in the Solution Explorer.

Train Status

If the Train status definition exists, when you create a train, the train is assigned the initial status. This status definition controls whether the train is editable and selectable. See Status Definitions.

Train Structure

Although the train structure is defined in the train template, the rakes and their rail wagons can be edited for each train if required.

Loading and Unloading Trains

Trains are loaded either by rake or by wagon.

For bulk material, the transfer of material from a stockpile onto a train is a train loading transaction and the transfer of material from the train to a stockpile is a train unloading transaction. A process flow with the loading rail siding as a destination is required for train bulk loading. A process flow with the unloading rail siding as a source is required for train bulk unloading. See Create a Process Flow.

For discrete units (DUs), the transfer of packages or package groups from a warehouse onto a train is a train loading movement and the transfer of packages or package groups from the train to a warehouse is a train unloading movement. A movement flow with the loading rail siding as a destination is required for train DU loading. A movement flow with the unloading rail siding as a source is required for train DU unloading. See Create a Movement Flow.

When predefined routes are used for a train, the Loading Only, Unloading Only or Both setting for the route point locations is inherited from the train route. See Create a Train Route.

When dynamic routes are defined, whether a route point location is Loading Only, Unloading Only or Both is determined by whether material flows (that is, process flows or movement flows) exist from or to that location. If material flows only exist from that location, the activity at the route point is deemed to be Loading. If material flows only exist to that location, the activity at the route point is deemed to be Unloading. If material flows exist from and to that location, the activity can be either Loading or Unloading, with Loading used as the default.

Tonnage Correction

A tonnage correction with a back calculation corrects the quantities of bulk loading or unloading transactions. A tonnage correction may be useful if measurements from a weighbridge are available and are more accurate than the measurements recorded by loading or unloading equipment.

Example: At loading, the tonnage was estimated to be 100 wagons * 87 tonnes = 8700 mt. If the actual tonnage recorded at the unloading point is 8900 mt, this leaves a balance of -200 mt from the train, creating 200 mt of unassigned contributors on the destination stockpile. Applying the back calculation is optional; however, updating the transaction quantities ensures that the product stockpiles at the mine are adjusted based on the accurate tonnage.

Activities Common to all Despatch Types

For information about despatch states, load states, direct loading between despatch types, despatch quality, traceability, costs and service charges, see Despatches - Common Activities.