I don't belong in the cab of any train!!!

[tomseeley]

Total newbie here. Got Trains 2010EE as a Christmas present from my goofy sister who knows I'm a train freak, but my problem is, I'm a train freak exclusively as a passenger! I've never been in the cab of a train in my entire 68-year life and I'm totally clueless!!! And judging from how many trains I've crashed so far, learning the jargon the hard way, I don't deserve to be in the cab of a train either!

I've read the printed manual, and it helps, but I'm so inexperienced I can't even decipher much of what I see on screen. Like for example when I see a message that the next switch is xxxxxxx Left what does that tell me? And how do I make it let me go Right if my view of the map suggests that's where I belong?

See how naive I am?!

Where could I go to read or download something in hard copy that I could study sitting in my favorite chair with a glass of eminently forgettable, chillable red next to me, instead of merely learning as I go, merrily down the track, trashing one train after another?! I'm having fun, sorta, but that's not the point at the moment! :'(

 

[TheWaluigiKing]

If your useing cab mode try DCC mode you can drive your train easier

 

[cascaderailroad]

I could help you learn to drive in the Cab of a loco.

In DCC Mode it is easy ... and in Cab Mode it is more chalenging, but is a total blast.

Basicly with a train you have to anticipate stopping @ 1000' in advance, or you will coast right on past intended stopping points.

CAB Mode: S, Q, F, W, V, WWWWWWWW ... XXXXXXXX, S, A 24 times, or Pause Break are common Keyboard comand press's to start and stop a train.

DCC Mode: S, WWWWWWWW, XXXXXXXX

-freeintcam in Trainzptions file is a great roaming tool, using the Keyboard arrow keys.

The FlyingCam is a great loco, as it is invisible and gives a great train driving view.

 

[bl4882]

The DCC advice is good. In a survey a while back a large majority of respondents said they usually drive in DCC.

Also, remember, when you crash in trainz no one dies, no Federal investigaion, no brownies. Keep crashing them and you will get the hang of it.

Bernie

 

[tomseeley]

Not quite what I'm asking for here...

Thx guys, for the help so far, but to be honest (and I'm embarrassed to have to say this) you're not going far enough back to square 1 yet!

First of all, trust me! I know enough not to use cab mode yet!

In DCC mode, I can make the train stop and go. My problem is, I don't know how to figure out ahead of making it go where to make it go.

For example, in the RBR Demo 2 Yard Mess scenario: I can find myself in the map view. I know what Consist means (I didn't at first; that's how inexperienced I am!). I know I'm supposed to find a bunch of cars and string them together to make two more consists. My problem is right now, even when I ctrl-M and view the map and find myself on it, I can't find the cars! And I can't find where I'm supposed to take them! Where's Nogura's Hut?

That's how naive I am right now!

 

[sniper297]

Instead of fiddlefaddling with the sessions in the routes, you might try clicking the Tutorials and follow the step by step stuff in order. Using the DCC controller is no different from a model railroad, and throwing switches is a simple matter of clicking the switch either in the 3D world or in the map and see which way the green arrow points.

 

[RRSignal]

I'll second that. Don't be afraid to go through the tutorials more than once, as well. They're really good.

 

[sniper297]

For basic basics, which way is the switch;

The green arrow is to the left, so if I drive through this switch I will take the left track. Click on the switch to change it, if it won't change I need to back up a little because it locks if you're within 20 meters of it. Approaching from this direction it's called a "facing point" switch because I'm facing toward the switch points, if I was coming the other way it would be a "trailing point" since there are two tracks merging into one. That's the number one cause of derailments, if you're coming from one of the two tracks on a trailing point switch, make sure the green arrow is pointed toward the track you're coming FROM.

Also have assorted filters in the map view to declutter the display, here I've turned the junctions on and trackside labels off to get just the arrows - follow the diagram, trace out the path you want to take, clicking on each switch in sequence to set the path before starting the train moving.

Another option if you just want to ride along, if you're playing a session that has AI (Artificial Intelligence) traffic trains, click on one of those to play passenger and admire the scenery while the AI engineer worries about where you're going.

Believe me tho, I sold all my model railroad stuff 10 years ago when I tried my first train simulator, since actually operating with realistic controls is much more fun once you get the hang of it. 10 years later I still make mistakes and crash or derail occasionally, but nothing gets broken so it don't really matter.

 

[oknotsen]

Nvm, ignore this post

Edit....
Okay... totally ignore this post... you already had the printed manual. Sorry.

Of what I hear, TRS2009 and 2010 are greatly alike. In that case: You can find a manual here:
http://download.ts2009.com/TS_2009_Manual.pdf

Now the only thing you need is a printer, that chair you were talking about and a glass of that red stuff .

Of what I was reading here, there is no downloadable 2010 manual and/or it should be on the DVD on which you got the game.

Also:
Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

 

[HiBaller]

@Tomseeley: And welcome to the world of Trainz. This is one definite self-satisfying simulator. It takes time to learn all the controls, but as everyone advises, use DCC mode at first.

I wouldn't (and didn't) attack the sessions until I was able to run a train from one end of a route to the other - and stop where I wanted to. You can always click the "stop" (hand icon to the right of the speed dial) and practically stop on a dime. It is much more challenging to use the speed dial and gradually slow to a stop.

At first, you can even make use of the Pause ("P) key. While paused, the map will let you make changes to switches. Once you get them lined up, hit the "P" key again and let 'er rip.

If you need help, just toot your whistle here in the forum.

Bill

 

[sniper297]

Looking it over, RBR Demo 2 Yard Mess scenario (which I hadn't tried until today) is not meant for n00bs anyway - the guy who made it disabled the #4 key, so you can't wander in free camera around the yard looking for stuff. I'd leave that one alone until you have more experience.

 

[rweber95]

Turnout control from the CAB

One other point. You can toggle a turnout (switch point) while in the cab by pressing the J key. To toggle a turnout behind your train use Ctrl J.

Bob Weber

 

[Klinger]

Could be worse......

I could swear I am doing something wrong...

 

[HiBaller]

Boiler pressure is too high, Klinger. Release some steam - gently, of course.

Bill

 

[sterrett]

Of course, there are some of us Trainzers that never drive the trains ourselves.

What we do is place a driver in the cab of the train and issue "Driver Commands" to tell our allocated driver what to do (eg Drive to Durham South Platform, Load, Hornz, Drive to Darlington South Long Platform).

What I humbly suggest is that you continue to experiment with DCC and switching the switches/points yourself - if that floats your boat. However, I would also suggest trying some of the excellent scenarios that feature trains using built in driver commands - jump in the cab and see what the train does. Also, a spare few minutes each day to study a new bit of the instruction manual (located in the TS2010/docs file) would be very useful. Patience, and how much available spare time you have available, is the key - many of us have been around since 2004 and before and spend more time than we should in front of the screen .

Before long, you will get the hang of creating your own scenarios and enjoying a very pleasant and relaxing pastime, whether you choose to drive a train yourself or let "Alistair" and his chums do it. (The "Alistair" refers to the default Trainz Driver, with the orange jacket, who has been with Trainz since the very first edition. A real train driver, Alistair Dussart, will always be remembered by the guys behind the Trainz Classics and Settle and Carlisle Trainz teams - every time a Trainz loco pulls out of the yard, Alistair's spirit will be there.

)

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Trainz!