How To ID 1 of Three Boxcars Incoming From Portal??

[boleyd]

I have a consist (3 boxcars) coming into Portland, Maine from Boston(created by portal). The consist arrives in the Portland (Rigby) yard. The engine returns to Boston. Sometime later I want a local (yard) engine to deliver each of the three boxcars to three different customers. My problem is, how do I get the identification of one of either one the two boxcars which are available for coupling (3rd in middle of consist)? The Boston Dispatcher has sent me the IDs of each of the 3 boxcars. However, there is no info on which is a specific lead or trailing car.

 

[wilts747]

With difficulty. As each specific type of asset, loco, boxcar, etc is placed on your route it is given a sequential number starting at 1. Inspect the details of your boxcars and you will see the number added to the end of its name. Assets will take the next available higher number as you place them, or they exit the portal hence if you have placed quantity 10 of a specific asset on your route then removed a number of them its likely the next you place, or the next to exit a portal will be numbered 11. However there is an exception, if you have not previously used a particular asset or all those you have used you drive into a portal leaving none on your route generally the first out will be number 1 as there will currently be none of that particular asset on your route. I hope that makes some form of sense. Like you I do shunt and re-route rolling stock produced by portals. I have found using such rolling stock not used elsewhere on my route makes the planning a lot easier. Peter

 

[boleyd]

Given the number allocation and maintenance, it seems that care needs to be taken when using the numbered assets. In my case I will need to find the "current" number of a particular assets emitted by a portal. I could hope that the number changes but it looks like the number of an asset emitted by a portal will be different from the assigned number. I will probably be deleting the assets by sending them back to the portal. If a portal does not store them they go back to the pool.

Thanks for information I never knew.

 

[stagecoach]

"Couple at trackmark" does not need to know the wagon number, it just couples to the first wagon nearest the TM.

 

[boleyd]

Thanks for the pointer to the right rule!

Unfortunately, that rule is defective, as is a similar rule from PGUY. Neither, as shown on the DLS, have a File Size.

 

[boleyd]

Stop The Presses:

I fiddled around some more looking at the DLS and suddenly s filesize appeared, and as they say "the rest is history".

Thanks - Learned about asset numbering and the perfect "script" to allow me to couple to random train assets.

Regards,
Dick

 

[boleyd]

Just as a little story: All went well but --

Portal delivered box cars from Boston to the yard.
Dropped them at the proper place, tripped the Trackmark and made a hasty retreat back to Boston (portal).

An engine in the yard was looking for the Couple at Trackmark's status, saw it and proceeded to couple at the trackmark.
It went VERY slowly and made its way toward the trackmark that was holding the three box cars from Boston.
I mean slow - it ran at 1 mph for awhile making its way through the yard.
But in a few minutes its speed dropped below 1mph. It was moving but.....
After awhile I used the magic SHIFT key (speedup).
Coupling took place and the now new train made a normal run north to the Maine-Bath Steel Works.
Dropped one boxcar and began to leave via the loop.
The recently placed boxcar was dropped on a sloping part of the loop and drifted to the loop's switch at the same time as the exiting train. BOOM scenario over! Timing was perfect. Who said Trainz intelligence was artificial....



The scenario worked BUT!

 

[JCitron]

It went VERY slowly and made its way toward the trackmark that was holding the three box cars from Boston.
I mean slow - it ran at 1 mph for awhile making its way through the yard.

This has to do with a signal in the way. The AI have issues in yards with signals. I found that out the hard way as well. The engine was moving so slow, a person in real life could run around the engine 20 times before they had to wait for it to get out of the way! Once I removed the intervening signals, the AI drivers zipped around the yard at their top speed of 15 mph allowed.