Drive onto train ferry/couple to wagons/drive off ferry

[lodger]

A December 2012 thread titled 'solution required' explained how to push wagons to freewheel down a slope onto the (Vulcan train) ferry (where they couple), and the ferry can drive away with its load under its own scheduled commands. Fine, but how do you unload the wagons in AI? A loco driving onto the ferry under command, say, 'couple to vehicle behind trackmark' will loose its own scheduled commands because it couples with the ferry, and the ferry and loco becomes a new consist with all the ferry's previously scheduled commands also disappearing.
I want AI to drive the loco onto the ferry, uncouple the wagons from this new (ferry) consist, couple wagons to the loco and drive off, with a set of scheduled commands, but so far only manually uncoupling the ferry consist and driving the ferry away, leaving the loco and wagons suspended on invisible rail, seems to work.
Any ideas please - I have downloaded every 'couple' and 'uncouple' command from the DLS, but none work in this scenario.....
John

 

[Scottish]

I am not sure which of Vulcan's ferries you are using. I have a layout where I am using his Transfer Table Ferry Odin 2 where I load wagons on to the ferry with a locomotive, the ferry then crosses the water to a dock on the other side. A different locomotive then drives onto the ferry, couples to the wagons and pulls them off. This is all done in AI using the Couple To (select the wagon that the loco can couple to) Command. The same can be achieved using the CoupleZ Command.

Scottish

 

[stagecoach]

The ferry refered to in first post is the older original ferries. The trick is to move the captain from the ferry before you couple. Place a bit of invisible track near the dock with a TM and a driveable car (or similar). Name the TM Rest room, When the ferry docks use the command move to train at TM, the captain will now be in the rest room while you continue to couple and unload the ferry. Once completed you can send the captain back to his ferry in the same way (a TM placed ahead or behind the ferry is needed.
Post message and wait for message and delete commands are useful in this situation so that no overlap of timing can happen.

 

[lodger]

Hi Scottish. I'm using Vulcan's Rail Ferry 2006 Kuid 60238:9025.2 I'll try Vulcan's Odin 2 to see if this is easier - thanks.
Hi Stagecoach: I'll try your device - I'll use 'wait for' commands as well to see if I can synchronize moving the captain too! Thanks
John

 

[lodger]

Hi all
The 'removing captain from ferry' idea works - thanks
John