AI ales how I worked with artificial intelligence to design layout




AI Ales – How Artificial Intelligence Assisted 

Welcome to AI Ales, a microbrewery-themed switching layout designed to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can optimize rail logistics.

Using a custom-trained GPT logistics engine (nicknamed YardBot 1.0), this layout simulates realistic rail-served industry operations in a compact space. Here’s a look at how AI helped configure the tank farm, spot assignments, and switching moves.


Tank Farm Operations

The AI Ales brewery receives essential brewing supplies by rail via five dedicated tank unloading spots:


Tank Spot

Commodity

Purpose

Tank 1

Food-Grade CO₂

Carbonation and pressurization

Tank 2

Corn Syrup

High-gravity brewing adjunct

Tank 3

Caustic Soda

Clean-in-Place system sanitation

Tank 4

Phosphoric Acid

Water pH treatment

Tank 5

Liquid Malt Extract

Fermentable sugar base

These tank car assignments were suggested by AI based on real-world brewery operations from companies like Anheuser-Busch and Sierra Nevada.

Switching Strategy

  • Reefer cars serve the cold storage dock.
  • 50-foot boxcars bring in packaging and dry goods.
  • Tank cars are rotated into five chemical unloading spots.
  • AI logic prioritizes spotting loaded inbound cars and pulling empties efficiently.

Why AI?

The purpose of AI Ales isn’t just fun — it’s to demonstrate that artificial intelligence can improve logistics, even in HO scale. Whether you’re planning a full-size brewery or a tabletop layout, AI can help reduce unnecessary moves, optimize car flow, and simulate realistic industrial behavior.

AI is great to helping you set up framework to organize a lot of data into tables that are useable.  It did get my son interested in trains so there is something that is really interesting, and can draw the attention away from video games that the kids like to play. So for that I think I will keep trying to get it to work.

It isn't always prototypical, and at times it is very frustrating, and if you don't correct it likes to make things up as it goes, this sucks if you are trying to make a prototypical layout. If you want new ideas it is great, but it is worth playing with to seem what you can do with it.





Coming Soon:

More photos, car rosters, and behind-the-scenes operations will be shared soon. Stay tuned as we continue to bring AI to the railroad



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