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4:56 pm
December 20, 2014
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Howdy folks,
Is anyone still using ProTrak? There haven't been posts in ages, although there are a few people downloading the software. We are thinking about sunsetting ProTrak.org.
What are your thoughts?
Kind regards,
Mike Corley
Webmaster
The following users say thank you to friscomike for this useful post:
jjoyce11:05 pm
April 26, 2015
Offline
Mike,
Good to hear from you but; could you choose a more uplifting subject the next time. What are the real costs (dollars and time) in maintaining the web site? You mentioned that there are a free downloads of the free ProTrak application. What about downloads of the PTBM. I cannot imagine anyone who acquires the application not needing the PTBM to go along with it.
How are you doing theses days? Is your health doing any better these days since you moved to Atlanta(??)? I've had a rough time since April 27-th when I had the first of two surgeries with a third surgery likely to be done in 2023.
Joe Brann
10:10 am
August 28, 2018
Offline
3
Howdy Joe,
Thanks for your note. Sorry to hear about your health. Hope the 3rd surgery does the trick. I had another heart attack in May. A stent failed that was put in after the Colorado attack. So a quad bypass and two heart attacks does not bode well for my future. I feel good, exercise daily, healthy diet, etc. I guess it is just the ole genes.
There is not a problem continuing the site, but I might be tilting at windmills if there are no users. Folks are still downloading the software, at least one or so a week. I haven't noticed the PTBM being downloaded though and completely agree with your perspective.
Since the Texas Western is hosting the website, there is no cost to us. (I don't know if they will use the software since I have moved.) I plan to use it for the small On30 mining layout that I am building. From my perspective, there isn't a problem for me to continue maintaining the site. However, with no user interest, who will manage it if I am not around? I don't have a plan.
The title of the original message was to elicit comments. Sadly, your response was the only one I received. That tells me something.
Have fun, mike
------ Original Message ------ From "ProTrak.org" To friscomike@hotmail.com Date 10/25/2023 2:05:43 PM Subject Re: Forum Post - ProTrak: [Is anyone using ProTrak? We are thinking about sunsetting ProTrak.org]
>
1:47 pm
April 28, 2015
Offline
Hi Mike and Joe!
For some reason, I didn't receive Mike's original post; I thought I was subscribed to just about everything. Bob Butler called my attention to this.
Yes, I am still using ProTrak and plan to continue; Bob B helped me work through some issues I was having regarding traffic and I've been doing some computer sessions, tweaking, not twerking, as I go along!
I would hope the website and ProTrak could remain viable; perhaps there is someone with the ProTrak community that could work with Mike as a backup maintaining the site.
Also, for those who may be interested, You Tuber contacted me to video my layout; he came over during an open house and returned about a week later to do a walk through, sans the background noise. You can see the walk through here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=195_pPHFM
Wishing everyone the best of health!
Jim Brewer
3:58 pm
April 26, 2015
Offline
Jim,
Good to hear from you.
Mike,
With the forum site hosted on the Texas Western computer what would happen if you just stopped doing whatever you are doing on a weekly/monthly basis in direct support of the forum? Does the forum need to be monitored in any way for it to continue to function? If so what are the duties/tasks you perform for the forum?
Joe Brann
6:10 pm
January 4, 2015
Offline
6
Howdy Jim,
Thanks for your response. A backup person would be good, but it does take some skill with Wordpress and the storefront Ecwid. At this point, I don't plan to shutter the site. As long as somebody is still using ProTrak, I'll do my best to keep it going.
Have fun, mike
------ Original Message ------ From "ProTrak.org" To friscomike@hotmail.com Date 10/29/2023 2:47:16 PM Subject Re: Forum Post - ProTrak: [Is anyone using ProTrak? We are thinking about sunsetting ProTrak.org]
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1:53 pm
April 27, 2015
Offline
I still use it!!! Despite its quirks and occasional bugs, I do a couple operating sessions a year on our layout, with my son and his friends. As I expand my layout, I add new shippers/consignees, and develop waybills for them. I also add new cars to the mix as needed to support traffic flows.
I've developed an elaborate scheme of checking that all waybills "work", that each car in the system gets loaded at least once in a while, etc. I'm using the most recent EXE version, 360. I still dream of the current holders of the source code someday making it available for examination and, potentially, modification.
JAJ
11:06 am
April 27, 2019
Offline
As a conductor/ railfan and modeller. I love the premise of protrak. JMRI is an amazing program that does it all beautifully until it comes to its operations program. It’s constantly trying to move cars just for the sake of play value. I was so excited when I learned about protrak. But that excitement was quickly dashed when the program did not match the manual and then did not work with my unique railway due to the bugs. I feel the program was a project that unfortunately was never finished before his untimely death. I had so much help from Joe and others that I appreciate. But ultimately I gave up on protrak. I still have it installed on my computer and open the program every couple of months, get frustrated and move on. But never giving up hope I can move my car as per the prototype.
I don’t know anything about programming, but I imagine even if you got access to the code of protrak, it would be a nightmare to figure it out and modify it to be less buggy. It might be easiest for a programmer to start from scratch using protrak as a template.
This is a long rambling post with no opinions one way or the other. But explains why I don’t use protrak but refuse to delete it in hopes for the future.
Respectfully
Micheal
11:25 am
April 27, 2019
Offline
I will add a quick note for Joe and others. My layout was designed for TT&TO control with 5 scheduled trains plus extras in each direction. But after a few operating sessions, I was not ever able to run a full session due to a lack of operators. So my railway has hit hard times. Sidings have been shortened and turned in to storage tracks, industries have vanished, over three quarters of my rolling stock placed in storage and all those scheduled trains have been replaced by single scheduled mixed train. The main 6 track yard at Waddington is intact but heavy weathering has several of the tracks lost in the weeds. Perhaps one day the CCR will get busier but for now it keeps me and if needed a small group of operators busy.
12:40 pm
May 11, 2015
Offline
10
Michael, it is interesting that you tried and gave up on JMRI operations. I operated on 2 different railroads using JMRI, early on, and was not impressed with it. Anytime I have a chance to talk to someone using JMRI now, I'm interested to see if some of their short comings have been addressed. For the most part, they all seemed to be happy with it but I also don't know what level of prototype operations they are happy with. I tried for years to get Protrak to operate as I needed it, and Jim was working hard to fix the problems that I had, when he saw them on his own railroad and understood my problems. But his passing put an end to any fixes. I am no longer interested in trying to make a computer based operations program work for my fairly complicated 6 railroad layout but I am interested to see if anyone will ever be able to make one work for all levels of operation. I hope you can find the crew that you need and the level of operation that will make you happy with your railroad and as much fun to operate as my crew and I do on the Nashville Road. Best, Andy Keeney
Â
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android On Sun, Nov 12, 2023 at 12:06 PM, ProTrak.org wrote:
Best, Andy Keeney
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