Adding RR cars in Driver

[nwhitney]

Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions, how I could add a rr car while running a session?
I've made a reach bar, used to connect disconnects (is that an oxymoron?) that has a load attachment so that narrowgauge's metal disconnects can now haul logs. I don't believe they would be connected to the disconnects when empty, and plan on making a product out of them to haul on an idler car. But at loading time, I'd like to uncouple a disconnect, add a reach bar, couple back up to the next disconnect, then load.
I can envision what's needed. It would be a driver command, but I'll never understand scripting, I've tried, it's just beyond my comprehension. pguy, if you're listening, I sure could use some help.
Thanks for any ideas.
Norm

 

[narrowgauge]

Norm

To do exactly what you want is, I believe, impossible except perhaps you can use two portals, one to remove your close connected disconnects, and the other to provide a consist of reachbar (load enabled traincar) connected disconnects. What about a balloon loop around a knoll which could hide the skullduggery.

Another possibility is to create an invisible train car reach bar, the existing one with no body but a hidden reachbar attachment, with attachments for invisible bogies and a load point, and as part of the loading process the reachbar car can have the reach bar image appear.

Getting complicated, wish I hadn't started.

It is nice to know that those models are getting used. They were fun to make.

Cheers

Peter

 

[nwhitney]

Thanks Peter, that's what I was afraid of. Seems like there should be a way to script an 'add car'. If you can have 'delete train', or Lars can script an interchange track that removes cars and adds cars, there's got to be an opposite reaction. The clue has to be in Lars' script if I could only dissect it.
With an invisible reach bar, wouldn't there still be a gap between the disconnects, or am I missing something?
Thanks again for replying.
Happy Holidays
Norm

 

[narrowgauge]

Norm

If Lars has a script that will interchange cars, is it not possible to use that just as intended? I don't know any details of the script but it seems that if you made a very short invisible car to use between adjacent closecoupled disconnects, could that function as the car to be interchanged with the reachbarcar.

Even start off with more disconnects than you need in the closecoupled train and interchange every 2nd, 5th, 8th disconnect with a reachbar. As the spacing will be constant, could you set Lars script up to act in unison with the log loader. Kinda like as you load one log car set, interchange the disconnect with the reachbarcar after the next disconnect in line.

Cheers

Peter

 

[nwhitney]

Peter
Lars' interchange track works somehow by knowing if a car is loaded or unloaded, removes that car, exchanging it for a like car with the opposite load or unload as I understand it. This occurs with all the cars within his trigger radius, so right now it's not possible to selectively exchange a car. But the idea is pretty cool.
While we're on the subject. How do I make a mesh invisible. I've tried using the opacity map, but must be doing it wrong.
Thanks
Norm

 

[narrowgauge]

Norm

Invisible Mesh. Make a mesh, just a plane (2 polys), map it with a texture, then scale it down until it disappears, and/or hide it in the ground below the car, far enough below that it does not show on a trestle.

Cheers

Peter

 

[nwhitney]

Thanks again Peter.
That's what I was told before, but didn't believe it. Thought there must be some trick similar to making windows.
Norm

 

[narrowgauge]

Norm

What do you intend doing? If you are going to make the replaceable/interchangeable traincar type connector thingy, make it as the coupling loop, this means you can see it to place it and there will not be a visible gap between adjacent cars. Then you wouldn't need an invisible mesh.

Cheers

Peter

 

[nwhitney]

Peter
Haven't decided yet what to do. A post you made a little while ago got me back running Northbay and a balloon track just won't work. Going to take some experimentation. I think I'll post over in the scripts part and see if anyone has any suggestions.
Thanks again for all your help, I enjoyed talking with you.
Norm

 

[Swordfish]

An idea: There is the "emit train now"-rule for driver. You make an invisible Portal on a siding. You put a man, configured as a locomotive, near this invisible portal. You give the command with emit-train-now "emit the reach bar at the invisible portal", the portal is emitting the reach bar, the man is coupling at the reach bar .... and so on.

Regards

Swordfish

PS: The download of TheCowboys revised locos is running in the background.

 

[nwhitney]

Well now, that's something I never thought of. Will a portal emit just a traincar? Alfred or man working would do for the loco. I'll give it a shot. Thanks Markus
Norm

 

[nwhitney]

Update:
It looks like Swordfish's idea will work, albeit clumsily. As Emit Train Now gives an error when trying to set up traincar to use in '06, you have to go through the whole list when hitting the New Train button. I've done a search on it, Steve claimed he updated it for '06, but it's nowhere to be found now. Steve's Unportal and Emit Train on Trigger looked even better, but I couldn't get them to work at all. Too bad, they're a great idea.
Thanks again Peter and Markus.
Norm

 

[mjolnir]

Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions, how I could add a rr car while running a session?

Norm,

No, I don't have an idea how to do it, but I'd encourage you to cross post this request into the "Suggestion Boxcar" forum. The same principle you are looking to accomplish would be quite handy for an interchange track, to which one could deliver a quantity of cars to a connection, and receive back a different set of cars, not necessarily agreeing in the type or number from the same connection.

ns

 

[nwhitney]

It's too bad Noel, that Lars' interchange script is encrypted. Then we could figure out how he reads what's on the track and how to add cars in session. I posted in Scripts to see if anyone could help, but I guess they're getting ready for Christmas.
Happy Holidays,
Norm