Motorman still on Trainz scene?: About his trams going round curves on non-tram track

[Red_Rattler]

I don't suppose it really matters, and I MAY (not that I can) get around the following.

Is Motorman1066 still on the Trainz scene?

I was changing NormP's non-street tram track on his Surfside Tram layout (Hope you don't mind NormP, better track was not available when you made your Surfside Tram layout - for private use), and changing some poles here, and there.

But after spending hours on doing, I took one of Motorman's trams on a test drive, and only noticed that the trolley pole you need to attach (the rear one) doesn't "follow the wire", (ie: doesn't move) unlike the track that has a tram wire above it. He did mention ages ago, that he made them like another train, so they can follow the wires around curves.

Is their anyway to get around this please? The only think I can think of is to hide some tram track with wires, just below the non-street tram track, but I don't think that would be suitable.

Let me know if you need a screenshot of said problem.

 

[PEV]

All the bits to make the Brisbane trams work correctly are on the DLS. The trolley poles do follow the wire if you have used the correct track/catenery combination.

Motorman's trams are equiped with tracking poles.

 

[Red_Rattler]

I know Motorman's trams are fitted with tracking poles as you say, but I was laying track that I had to add overhead wire to separately.

 

[PEV]

You have to use track that has the overhead wire running directly above the centreline of the track on the ground. The tracking poles do not work otherwise.

 

[Red_Rattler]

I was going to ask is their anyway of copying track, and adding overhead - until I saw said track was built in. The workaround is to "hide" some tram track" under some off-road track, but then it does show a bit, and slightly out of alignment, but for a trolley pole route, better than nothing though. I've tried that and it looks like guard rails.

Their is other non built in track, but how easy is copy & then add overhead wires, without adding overhead wires separately? (ie: overhead wires as part of the track spline.)

Edit: You can clone built in track.

 

[paulzmay]

I can think of three ways of acheiving this without going to ridiculous lengths...
- Use a track with wire built-in (e.g by Andi06 or Motorman1066)
- Use a conventional track, then add in pull-offs and line hangers, and align the wire with these. If the gaps between the hangers are small enough, any wandering from the wire should be minimal.
- Use a waygauge like the ones I have created to align wire and track (unfortunately I don't know if there is a wire of a suitable height available to do this correctly - all of mine are designed for 5.3m height)

Paul

 

[Red_Rattler]

Use a track with wire built-in (e.g by Andi06 or Motorman1066)

Of course on-road tram track has includes the overhead, but if you look at most real tram routes, most off-road track is normal looking train track. I hope I don't offend anyone, but the off-road track that includes overhead tram wire doesn't look detailed enough.

Use a conventional track, then add in pull-offs and line hangers, and align the wire with these.

That's what I've been doing, but the real issue is the trolley pole not "turning" going around a curve. That's why I suggested a possible workaround.

Use a waygauge like the ones I have created to align wire and track (unfortunately I don't know if there is a wire of a suitable height available to do this correctly - all of mine are designed for 5.3m height

Is that what those diamond looking things in the track in your Hampton Mall are for? Their are pull-offs suitable for 6.4 metres, but as I said in another thread (where ever that is), while it's easy to clone your style of pull-offs, I still haven't had any success in getting the height to suit.

PS: Slightly off-topic (or is it?) You should have the span wires between tram poles holding the overhead up on the outside of curves?
And also, if it's a single track, is that the same with full tram poles, that they should be on the outside of curves?

 

[paulzmay]

Yes - I use a diamond shape block (invisible in driver) on my waygauges to make them easier to manipulate. Unfortunately, the problem is always going to be that trolley poles will only truly follow curved wires, and real wire aren't quite curved - the best you can do is to put the pull-offs very close and use very short lengths of stright between them. Even the wire on Motorman or Andi's track is actually in short straight lengths. In reality, overhead wire designed for trolley poles seems to use a lot of pull-offs in order to get something approximating a smooth curve, as it reduces the amount of swing on the pole between supports. It's not a priority, but I may look at something for 6.4m wires at some point in the future.

Paul

 

[Red_Rattler]

Note: Links lead to pictures that are 1024 pixels wide.

Unfortunately, the problem is always going to be that trolley poles will only truly follow curved wires, and real wire aren't quite curved

And real wire, as you say, is really in straight sections, like here: http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w502/platformonephotos/trams/56e4304f.jpg

& just above the front section of the tram (oh "sooorry" PCB, light rail vehicle) here: http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w502/platformonephotos/trams/13b3c55a.jpg

Even the wire on Motorman or Andi's track is actually in short straight lengths.

Which is actually correct, as stated above.

It's not a priority, but I may look at something for 6.4m wires at some point in the future.

What is needed, is someone needs to come up with a height adjustable track object, like most F3 objects.

 

[Red_Rattler]

I must be seeing things!

At first the trolley poles of trams didn't move with the wire on non-tram track without wire, but now for some odd reason, after adjusting to the wires near the centre of the track, the trolley pole moves with the wires, or as close as possible that the pole could get.

I tried it with an earlier version where the wires weren't adjusted to nearer the centre, and the same thing, for some odd reason, while it the pole didn't follow the wires exactly, the pole still turned, as if it was following the wires. But, but, but that didn't happen before, the pole remained straight.