The basic assignment contains the core of the equipment duties: The specification of the daily sequences of trains that should be driven by engines of a particular type. In a second step, the planning expert will extend a basic assignment with local operations. For each sequence, the expert must specify other operations that are required in order to actually drive the sequence. This amounts to a fully specifiying the engine duties.
Some of the local operations that need to be specified can be straightforwardly deduced from the sequence of trains. For example, before an engine can actually drive the first train of the sequence, it must be prepared. This action is called KLAPREP and includes operations such as starting up the engine, performing a brake test, heating the carriages, etc. Other actions immediately suggest themselves: if the place of arrival of one train in the sequence differs from the place of departure of the next train in the sequence, then a TRANSFER action must occur to actually move the engine from the place of arrival to the new place of departure (which possibly requires shunting).
In addition, at the end of a sequence there will be actions such as moving the engine from the place of arrival to a bundel (parking place) and shutting down the engine (PLAT).
The result of the second step is thus a specification of sets of duties which should be performed by physical engines of a particular type.
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