TOPS
TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), Stanford University and IBM as a replacement for paper-based systems for managing rail logistics.
During mid-1968, the first phase of the system was introduced on the SP, and quickly proved its advantages over the traditional methods practiced prior to its availability.
The acquisition of an existing system rather than develop an indigenous programme was reasoned to be both cheaper and quicker to implement; it was noted, however, that TOPS was not capable of performing all desired functions.
[1] During the 1950s and 1960s, it was increasingly recognised that the adoption of computer-based management systems could provide substantial benefits in various operations, particularly those involving logistics.
[2] IBM repurposed much of their work on the US Air Force's SAGE project, designed to direct interceptor aircraft against approaching Soviet nuclear bombers, to instead serve the needs of the Southern Pacific.
The company was also motivated to protect its reputation, and thus provided assistance to other railroads interested in TOPS, to improve its chances of success.
[2] Some operators, such as the Canadian National Railway, opted to introduce TOPS as an interim measure while its own bespoke system was developed as a long-term successor.
[2] During the late 1960s, British Rail (BR) was looking for ways to increase efficiency, particularly of its declining freight operations, and identified a computer-based system as a key tool for improving both planning and control.
[2] Groundwork on TOPS' financial case had commenced in the summer of 1970, during which a four-year timescale for implementation had emerged as the preferred option.
[2] From an analysis performed in 1971, it was found that, even in the event of the most pessimistic assumptions being true, TOPS' introduction retained a healthy gain in net value of £34m per annum.
[2] Due to its foreign origins, the purchase of an IBM System/360 mainframe to operate TOPS had to be approved by the Heath cabinet, which was given in October 1971.
[2] Aside from the computers themselves, and suitably trained staff to operate them, perhaps the most technically challenging aspect impacting implementation was telecommunications, necessary to bring the system's geographically disparate elements together.
According to Amott, the implementation of TOPS was undertaken without any significant adverse reaction in terms of industrial relations or senior management.
Sequentiality was all that was required but, given the need to renumber, it was decided to adopt a logical system for classification, and the five- or six-digit TOPS number was divided into two parts.
The division of British Rail and privatisation has also hurt TOPS, because it was not designed for that purpose; some freight operating companies do not keep information as up to date as they should.
