Passenger-enabled stations...

[martinvk]

Likewise, all this talk about old passenger enabled platforms not working had me worried so I quickly put together a test route in Trainz22 with a sample of my old platforms and sent an old consist to each one in turn. Happily, it stopped at each platform and the people got on and off normally. I used Navigate TO and Load to control the action. So it must be something different in the code of the nonworking platforms. Wasn't there once a warning about using undocumented features even if they enabled you to do something interesting, it may not last.

 

[Smileyman]

Hi Martin.

Yes, thinking outside the box and using software to do something that it shouldn't be able to do is always something to be applauded for it's originality, but ultimately those loopholes become patched, functions become deprecated and obsoleted, and the software breaks.

Unless I'm mistaken, and I could be because there's so many assets available on the DLS and I still find the filtering and search capabilities of both Content Manager and TRS2019's built-in search and download very limited and cumbersome, I don't think anyone has created invisible stations for modern versions of Trainz (TRS2019+) that have the features of Andi's old ones (platform height, station curve, grouping station names using naming convention and his own 'Call to' Driver Command, etc.).

I hope I'm wrong, because if they're out there, I'd like to try them.

 

[IsambardKingdomBrunel]

What driver command(s) are you using to load/unload passengers?

Drive to nothing else buddy. I add a small wait for command after the doors have shut again say 10 secs for authenticity.
Once the consist arrives over the invisible platform position, it should load\unload automatically. It is the same theory as a coal loader, when wagons are driven under one and they load automatically.
Sorry never very good at explaining things in text, but you get the idea.

 

[johnarran]

Hi Martin.

Yes, thinking outside the box and using software to do something that it shouldn't be able to do is always something to be applauded for it's originality, but ultimately those loopholes become patched, functions become deprecated and obsoleted, and the software breaks.

Unless I'm mistaken, and I could be because there's so many assets available on the DLS and I still find the filtering and search capabilities of both Content Manager and TRS2019's built-in search and download very limited and cumbersome, I don't think anyone has created invisible stations for modern versions of Trainz (TRS2019+) that have the features of Andi's old ones (platform height, station curve, grouping station names using naming convention and his own 'Call to' Driver Command, etc.).

I hope I'm wrong, because if they're out there, I'd like to try them.

I noticed that vincentrh has invisible platforms on his website. If you check out his site he lists the kuids and he's uploaded them to the DLS. I haven't tried them myself yet but will do some time.

 

[JCitron]

Hi Martin.

Yes, thinking outside the box and using software to do something that it shouldn't be able to do is always something to be applauded for it's originality, but ultimately those loopholes become patched, functions become deprecated and obsoleted, and the software breaks.

Unless I'm mistaken, and I could be because there's so many assets available on the DLS and I still find the filtering and search capabilities of both Content Manager and TRS2019's built-in search and download very limited and cumbersome, I don't think anyone has created invisible stations for modern versions of Trainz (TRS2019+) that have the features of Andi's old ones (platform height, station curve, grouping station names using naming convention and his own 'Call to' Driver Command, etc.).

I hope I'm wrong, because if they're out there, I'd like to try them.

I agree, innovation is great for somethings but sometimes these holes get patched and things no longer work.

I had a bunch of old TRS2004 era wide invisible platforms from a Czech website and used them extensively when I built a custom terminal. Starting in TS12, the platforms became hit or miss and finally didn't work at all in TRS19. In TS12 the AI would stop and sit there and I had to drive them manually then use continue schedule after I got the train moved beyond the platforms. Then in TRS19, the AI wouldn't stop at all even if I lowered the speed limit to 20 mph prior to the stations or moved signals and crossing further way from the stations.

 

[stagecoach]

Platforms need the load command to start the station script, which controls the stopping position and loading sequence. Where a train stops is in the stations .GS file. One platform can have multiple stopping points, depending on the length of the train. Trigger points on station track should not overlap each other. A simple reduction of the trigger radius can cure a lot of stopping problems. The UK bus stops are one example where the two centre triggers overlap the two outside triggers so the train/bus fails to see them.

 

[llebrez]

The post above by Stagecoach is the missing link here. Here is the sequence: A command is issued for the consist to go to a station. Drive to or Navigate to, it does not matter, Now the consist arrives to the station and the Load or Passenger load command takes over. Consist advances to a selected location and stops. This selection depends on the setting terminal or through station in the station setting menu. Doors open, passengers load or unload depending on the command, and consist continues to next drive command. I have over 45 stations through my route and they all perform as expected. But in one stance I have this:

This is on 19 SP4. I have two stations exactly the same, one located here the other a few miles ahead. There is a consist with 3 passenger cars. It arrives to first station, enters the action radius and crawls at 1 Km/h, passes the station and after the last car clears the radius, resumes running without stopping or loading anything. Now the same consist arrives to next station, enters the radius and stops, doors open passengers load script finishes and consist continues happily to next location ! Examining deeply all the settings by positioning the settings screens side by side, I verify both are exactly the same. Also, the line speed entering both stations is the same, 25km/h Granted I could go the route of using a trackmark method and the hell with it, but it does not make sense to me that the same consist and the same station behaves differently. Have not tried using other invisible stations yet. Any ideas?

 

[JCitron]

I have had issues with certain kinds of signals placed ahead of a station causes the AI drivers to skip the station. I changed out some Type 05 (permissive/advance/home) type signals for Type 04s (absolute) signals. The AI then stops at the station platform fine before continuing on the way.

I've noticed too that road crossing placed too close to the station platforms can cause the AI to skip the stops. I think this has something to do with the scripts overlapping and causing weird things to happen. To solve this, I ended up moving the stations back about 40 meters (4 10m squares) from the road.

 

[llebrez]

I have had issues with certain kinds of signals placed ahead of a station causes the AI drivers to skip the station. I changed out some Type 05 (permissive/advance/home) type signals for Type 04s (absolute) signals. The AI then stops at the station platform fine before continuing on the way.

I've noticed too that road crossing placed too close to the station platforms can cause the AI to skip the stops. I think this has something to do with the scripts overlapping and causing weird things to happen. To solve this, I ended up moving the stations back about 40 meters (4 10m squares) from the road.

Yes on all of the above. However in my case there are no signals nor crossings. Out of trial and error, I placed an invisible speed signal at the entrance of the platform. Set to 10Km/h. Now the consist stops and loads. Further examination, shows that the loco of this consist has slightly longer ballistic than other locos. Hopefully increasing the number in the max deceleration parameter may help. However, this does not happen in the AJS 110mt stations, so if you look at the 50mt one, the length of the track section is quite short, so that a loco with longer inertia will miss the space and even if the set speed is slow, it may not trigger the stop. All this is a thinking out loud, as I have no way to prove it. For the moment train stops as it should, so matter is closed for now. Thank you.

 

[JCitron]

Yes on all of the above. However in my case there are no signals nor crossings. Out of trial and error, I placed an invisible speed signal at the entrance of the platform. Set to 10Km/h. Now the consist stops and loads. Further examination, shows that the loco of this consist has slightly longer ballistic than other locos. Hopefully increasing the number in the max deceleration parameter may help. However, this does not happen in the AJS 110mt stations, so if you look at the 50mt one, the length of the track section is quite short, so that a loco with longer inertia will miss the space and even if the set speed is slow, it may not trigger the stop. All this is a thinking out loud, as I have no way to prove it. For the moment train stops as it should, so matter is closed for now. Thank you.

It's a combination of the two I think that's causing the problem. I had a similar issue with some very short tram stops I was using. This stop was a hit or miss situation. If the track was clear ahead, the trolley would sometimes skip past the station, but if the track was occupied, the driver would put the brakes on harder and stop most of the time, but would sometimes cause a SPAD. I replaced the stations with some longer ones and that fixed the problem.

 

[martinvk]

While testing the functionality of my old passenger platforms, I suddenly had the test consist stop for no apparent reason. I could drive it manually but the driver was not following the commands.
I had been re-arranging the tracks to create an interesting multi station circuit and somewhere along the way a diverging track had been deleted but the junction lever was still attached to the mainline. Once I removed that un-used lever, the consist continued on its way.
So a close look at the track for orphaned junction levers is called for if a consist doesn't want to continue driving.

 

[KotangaGirl]

I'm now mostly using <kuid:425700:101014> CL AJS Invisible Station 25m on my minor and secondary line railways after having problems with older invisible platforms that had developed faults in TRS19. Placing speed signals to slow down trains before reaching the station area have always been something I've done. I've found too with AJS platforms that having <kuid:401543:1090> Halt Train immediately after the station name and then the 'Load' command, and wait for 30+ seconds after that stops any bad behavior with trains attempting to drift through stations without stopping to pick up passengers.
Many of my 19th century engines are fairly small and that seems to be a factor as to whether or not the invisible station can catch and stop my trains from rolling on through without stopping.