Advanced Rail Systems, ARS, is a manufacturer and supplier of Rail Yard automation. The heart of the system is the YM-16 closed loop hydraulic switch machine. The machine runs off a 12 volt battery and requires no regular maintenance. It is designed and built for increased safety and to excel in the railroad environment. The YM-16 is also controllable via DTMF or push button for simple applications. The brains of the system, the Pathfinder control software, provides the ability for flat yard automation, stacked and entrance/exit routing, car tracking and inventory management. The Linux based program is scalable to add, subtract or change the layout and comes with the tools so it can be managed by the customer if desired. The system can integrate any type train detection technology requested and provides all required indicators and controls. The system also works for rail heaters, blue flag or derail control via data or DTMF radio. The system is available with sensors for monitoring functions for maintenance scheduling and performance. A simple event log with plain English description is part of the system and can be set up to be accessed remotely via blue tooth.