Norfolk and Western Session

[jim1952]

Well I am doin the bluefield to radnor or whatever it is the steamer coal train. I get clear over to a crossing where Adair is waiting for me on a siding...clearly its my road but we both are sitting at red lights and they dont change. I cant change the junction cuz it says an AI has control of it. ALL of the AI drivers are parked at red lights right now in different areas. Anyway the light will flash green in front of me and I can see the junction switch the right direction for me but it flashes right back to stop after about a quarter of a second. I tried taking control of Adair but no controls and he isnt the one in control of the junction. I thuoght maybe if I backed him up a few feet but I cant. I took conntrol of Ami and used the map to go back to the switch where I am parked but she cant change it either. frustrating. Any suggestions?

Pffff.......just had to back up a bit...was too close to the switch...never mind lol.

 

[Robert2d6]

After reading your post this morning, I decided to run this session, and since I always use cab mode to run steam engines, off I went. Found out rather quickly that the first session, has some massave wheel slip, but eventually I accelerated to around 20 mph, and at that point started down a grade and found that the barkes were about as effective as dragging my foot on the ground outside the cab to slow the train down to the 20 mph limit in that stretch of track.. Bingo, hit 35 mph with emergency brakes set and independant brake and got thrown out of the session.

Tried the one with the number 1 after the session name, and the wheel slip was much much better, up to 20 mph, and guess what, no brakes again.. 35mph goodbye session.

Seems the only way to run this is in DCC mode... Bummer, I hate DCC mode. :'(

 

[Robert2d6]

If Auran wants to do another patch, they should start with this route. Finally got to a red signal at a junction a couple of miles from Norcross, that would not change and the nearest AI train was miles away. After waiting patiently for about 15 minutes, I noticed that the program had frozen, so I had to go to Task Manager and close it out. No problem, cause right before the red signal as I was braking, I saved the session, so I will just go back to that point. Started the saved session, and I get a notification that a coupler broke and the session was closing down.

Looks like this route was a problem right from the start, http://forums.auran.com/trainz/archive/index.php/t-85923.html

 

[jim1952]

robert the train is very hard to slow down using DCC too...firs time I ran the red light by about an eighth of a mile. It didnt end the session but I had a rules violation so I started back at last save. It is wayyy different stoppin a steamer I guess than a diesel. Love the game though.

 

[Robert2d6]

robert the train is very hard to slow down using DCC too...firs time I ran the red light by about an eighth of a mile. It didnt end the session but I had a rules violation so I started back at last save. It is wayyy different stoppin a steamer I guess than a diesel. Love the game though.

The scenery on that route is fantastic. I hope I can get the red signal problem sorted out, I was looking for the problem on the map and scrolling all around looking at the junctions while I was waiting for the red to clear, and that may be why the program froze up on me. I think that red that I was at ( will write the junction down the next time I am there) is waiting for an AI train to pass some single track before and clear, before it lets you though the junction.

I wonder why there are two sessions with the same title, ( East bound Coaltrain and East bound Coaltrain 1 ) I wonder if the one with the number one is an update or fix?

 

[Robert2d6]

Ran it again this afternoon, and got stuck at Princeton Crossover 002, same place as before. gradually all the AI trains ground to a halt, none of the switches can be moved manually, so the session is a waste of time. Shame.

 

[jim1952]

Robert did computer freeze up again or trains just stopped. In my case, I was parked too close to a switch that was switched right into the siding that contained another train. I simply had to back the train up so I could move the switch. And yes that would be a shame to not be able to use this gorgeous and HUGE route. There are tons of industries running (I think that is the source of lag more than the graphics handling) and would make a great sandbox to run in as all these industries are producing commodities that need to be hauled.I do no have a session with a behind it. Did u 1ry the session without the 1 behind it? I have spent quite a bit of time with this scenario and am just over half way home....it has been fun and I hope we can continue using this as a great big playground to play on.

 

[Robert2d6]

I finally got past The princeton Crossover 002. What I did was to jump to Ami AI, hit stop ( not abandon schedule cause the erases the schedule), and when I did that, I went back to my train and could move the switch to allow me to go thru with a green signal, then I went back to Ami and hit resume schedule and off she went. Within 1/2 hour, as I was driving along, all the AI's got stuck at junctions and didn't move again. This is with no other train within miles and miles of the AI trains that were stuck. It's a shame, but I don't think they beta tested this route at all before they released it. What I am going to do is create my own session, put some AI on in with my own consists, and just drive it. I already put my new LOCO, the PRR T1 Steam engine on the Coal Train. Looks pretty cool. Next I am going to work on the AI scheduling and possibly disable some of it. It is surprising that there are not more discussions of the difficulties in running these coal session, but i guess most people don't bother to run alot of these sessions.

 

[Robert2d6]

Ran the entire Route today. The upside is the scenery on this route is some of the best I have seen in any route on Trainz including payware routes. In order to run the route, some junctions have to be set by the driver. First thing to do is edit the session you are going to run. I changed the LOCO to start with, because the default has marginal power at best, and that is a long loaded coal train you are hauling, and this is a long route with quite a few grades. Go into Session Rules,then set junctions, and there are about 7 of these set junctions as you scroll down. What you want to do is unlock a couple of them so you can manually throw the junction, if it is set against you when you are driving the session. These junctions are not controlled by the AI smometimes, they are just locked in one position which will not allow you to pass.

Princeton Crossover 2
Norcross Crossover 2
Norcross Passing Loop 2

Look in each of the set junctions and if you see one of these three make sure it is unlocked and I check let AI set junction.

Save the session. Now when you get to the first red signal that is locked, which will be at the first red after the first train passes you , you will be able to change the junction and get a green. The next red you get is when the AI Ami is holding for a red signal, and locking the junction you need to go though. Just click on her driver, hit stop , change the junction, then you can go though the junction and then click on her train and hit resume, and off she goes. Whenever I go though a junction that I changed, I reset the junction back to the position it was prior to me changing it so it leaves a clear path for the AI. I believe there is one more train that will hold for you while you pass, again you having to change the junction. At the end of the route, the session instructions say that they will switch you into the yard to drop off the coal cars. Not happening, you have to toggle the junctions to get into the yard. At a Y, a couple of miles before the yards, right after a long bridge, you need to go to the right. If you go to the left you will enter and exit portal .

Have fun, takes about 3 hours to run this route but the scenery is worth it.