The proceedings of the First International Conference on Computer Aided Design, Manufacture and Operation in the Railway and other Mass Transit Systems, held in Frankfurt, West Germany, have been published in three volumes, Computers in Railway Operations, Computers in Railway Management, and Computers in Railway Installations, Track and Signalling. This volume contains 18 papers. Operating problems faced by railways worldwide include efficient energy use, traffic control, and signalling. However, Europe, with short-haul, dense traffic, and North America, with long-haul, sparse traffic, use computers differently for planning, operational aids, and on-board controls.

Advanced train control (ATC) simulations in North America aim to improve traffic flow, reduce operating costs, and use rolling stock efficiently. Energy conservation, in individual train operations and in integrated systems, is studied by another modular suite of simulation software. The original design for mass transit has been generalized to include long-haul freight service. A working application describes a suite of programs that handles all aspects of crew management for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK), using methods also suitable for air, highway, and water transport. The modeling of locomotive adhesion on heavy grades and sharp curves is illustrative of a more detailed study.

Electric traction is common in Europe. Early electronic traction control--in direct current by ‘choppers’ in the armature circuit and in alternating current power factor by change of phase angle--used preset parameters optimal for only the most commonly used speeds. On-board microprocessors now choose from several sets of parameters, each optimal for a different range of operating conditions. Urban mass transit reaps other economies through control of acceleration, coasting, and regenerative braking. A useful by-product of control by micros is the ability to test, diagnose, and record equipment faults before and during operation. An analysis of the dynamic fault log may often identify intermittent or incipient problems not revealed by static tests.

The most unfortunate by-product of electric traction is electro-magnetic disturbance (EMD)--from power grid, substation, locomotive control, and traction motors. The crosstalk of EMD to high-technology signal systems compromises safety. Simulations for both substations and traction control aim to reduce EMD at the source, while signal systems must be designed to be more tolerant of residual EMD.

A computer-based, menu-driven, portable spectrum analyser has been developed in the United Kingdom to measure EMD either on board or in the field.

Computers appear widely in signal systems. Auxiliary simulations aid in planning traffic flow and schedules. Embedded computers perform control functions ranging from a single interlocker to an entire traffic system.

A few of the collected papers describe CAE/CAD. Danish State Railways design their catenaries using almost paperless CAE software that inter- faces to that of their construction contractors. CAD is used in the preliminary energy design of a projected transit system. The converse approach develops efficient operational strategies within the existing civil engineering constraints.

Railway operations being basically similar worldwide, the studies on either side of the Atlantic are of mutual interest. For example, European experience may provide clues in cases where high-technology signal malfunctions have already been suspected in some North American wrecks.

These proceedings will be of value to appropriately knowledgeable readers among railway researchers, research and development, operations research, and technical managers. The papers are generally well prepared, with good figures and graphs (particularly the 3-D illustrations). Many have a table of symbols (a good feature), but a few would benefit from a table explaining their alphabet soup. Unfortunately, a few authors still submit camera-ready manuscripts that become faint upon photoreduction. Others fail to display the organizations behind their thoughts by not using subheadings and a numbering system. However, on balance the material is easily read and used.