SHUNTING & AI

[DESDICHATO]

Hi folks,

I am working out a shunting scenario for my route, about two or three minutes into the scenario one loco picks up an inbuilt consist called "Coal UK empty" it comprises of twenty wagons (numbered 1- 20) and a guards van, it detaches the guards van and fills up with coal before being shunted into the assembly area.
A second loco is also at work and has a bit more work to do before it too loads up with coal before it too joins up with the "Coal UK empty" consist in the assembly area, and it's here where my problem lies because when I set up the instructions for this second loco the "Coal UK empty" consist still has the guards van attached the AI does NOT recognise wagon number 20 and I have to insert the couple instruction as I go along, it is somewhat frustrating as if I have to do something else which take me away from the computer, it basically freezes the entire scenario.

Does anyone know of a way around this situation?????

Any thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[Smileyman]

Not sure if I understand your problem entirely or not.
Are you saying that you can't set the second loco up to couple to wagon 20 in advance, because the consist still has the guards wagon attached, and therefore doesn't give you the option for wagon 20 in the setup?

If that's the case, then what I've done in that situation is to have the consist backed into a siding, using a trackmark, and then the other loco can use "couple at trackmark", without needing to know which wagon is there.

Smiley.

 

[boleyd]

I have also found "couple at trackmark" useful. However, I have a new install and I can't find that rule on my system or on Download Station. It may not be needed, at least in my case. I recall that it was used(by me) to force a train to enter a siding that was occupied by a red signal. The red signal was correct since there was a consist on the siding. This rule over came the signal and allowed the train to enter the siding. I think I noticed that a train can now enter a signaled, and occupied, siding without that rule. It pauses the train and then lets it advance onto the siding with no special rule. In other words the train is allowed to "run a red" if it has a command to couple to something already on the siding.

 

[Smileyman]

It may well be that trains can now run a red if a command asks it to enter a siding (good to know. I've been away), but the main advantage of "Couple at Trackmark" is that it will couple with whatever is at that trackmark.
In Des's case, trying to set up the "Couple" command when writing the session means that he cannot access wagon 20, because the rule will only allow him to couple to the ends of consists as they are seen as they stand on the track during setting up the session, and the guards van is still attached at that time.
It's also the very reason I wrote the UnCouplez commands, so that things could be set up without having to know which wagons were going to be where.

Smiley.

 

[stagecoach]

You cant give instructions to couple to wagon 20. The AI needs to know the name of the wagon to couple to. That is why couple at TM is better because the AI does not need to know the wagon name.