Home Page › Forums › Prototype and Historical › MP/T&P Documents › ZTS, CLIC, SPINS… what system did MP use? › Reply To: ZTS, CLIC, SPINS… what system did MP use?
Ryan, the computer system that UP uses was developed by the MP. It was named Transportation Control System, TCS, and it was first begun with federal assistance in the early 1970s. It was and is a very good system. It can be argued that one of the reasons that UP sought to merge with MP was this system. It survives in an updated state, but it is very much a part of the MP legacy. UP’s COIN, Computer Operated Information Network, was dropped like a hot rock after the merger.
UP is moving toward a PC based interface, but the old mainframe TCS system keeps chugging along in the background. Some argue that the base TCS system was difficult to use, but I “grew up” with it and had no problem. I would stack TCS up against any other system in current use. Zone-Track-Spot was an integral part of TCS and was MP all the way. It could have changed, recently, but a lot of UP’s IT development is still carried out in the old MP headquarters building in St. Louis.
There are several “power users” of TCS that are on this forum. That includes me and the moderator. We would be happy to answer any questions.
