Portals with New and Returned Trains

[bigboy4010]

On a route I have just finished, there are two portals at either end of a main line which connects to the branch line that is the main focus of the map. The purpose of this is to allow trains to pick up their industries on the map, take them to the portal, and be returned with their consists unload. Or they were to be used to allow a new train to drop off its consist at a siding for the branch line engines to retrieve. However, this seems impossible because of the main fact that, when a new or returned train comes out of the portals, it is always on AI control. The menu for portals does not have an option to allow the new trains to be set to user control. Is there a way to allow for me to take control of a new or returned train from a portal?

 

[big_b]

Have the train stop at a track mark uncouple the engine & then go off somewhere to shunt itself.Then go pick up that train & of you go. I've got it to work under AI with a new set of instructions using triggers.

Dave

 

[bigboy4010]

The portal driver command option does not have the decouple option, so I cannot drop off cars. The AIs don't even want to stop at the trackmarks I tell them to stop at. They just keep on going till they reach the next portal. And besides, that doesn't solve the problem of: How do I take control of the new and returned trains?

The tiny railroad only supports three engines, so in a session people would only get the chance to pick up their loads three times before they'd have to start over. And also, if someone wanted to drop off their cars for another train to pick up, there is no option that would allow them to foretell which car they should have it couple up to, go off through a portal, return with the unloaded train, and drop off the cars for reuse.

 

[bigboy4010]

-post deleted by author-

 

[JCitron]

You can use a get off train command for the AI. This would have the AI leave the train and stop running it.

Your portals can be programmed so that they can issue trains a very long intervals - not just every minute. At longer intervals you will have a chance to take over the train because there will be fewer of them. There are other options too such as return the same train loaded or empty, etc.

As Dave said, using triggers and trackmarks, you can have the driver do certain things based on conditions.

One of the things you might need to do is create a simple flow-chart or block diagram to think out your steps. Believe it or not, these programming tools are very helpful when working out the steps even for a hobby such as this. Even if you don't use them when running the sim, they'll force you to think out the steps of what's needed to get the process done.

John