Signals - Track Occupied Prevents Coupling?

[boleyd]

I place a flat car on a siding. The siding has a 2-head USA signal at its entrance. The AI locomotive has a couple command for the flat car. However, the signal shows red because the flat car is occupying the siding and the AI engine will not pass that signal. ???

TS12 USA signal set

 

[overkill650]

Trainz AI tend to do stuff like this. I find this will happen if the flatcars in the siding are too close to the junction. Try giving at least about 20 ft of space between the junction and the flatcars

 

[stagecoach]

That still wont work because the only command that ignores a red signal is the runaround command. You wont get other commands to allow an engine to pass a red signal while a consist is situated on the track. There is a command couple at signal which may do what you want but ive never tried it.

 

[itareus]

Have you any form of signalling at the end of the siding?

I have more than one terminus station where I use various AI couple commands, mostly without trouble. That is for locos coming of shed to couple to an already placed set of coaches or to couple to an inwards train where the inwards loco has uncoupled and probably pulled clear by a few feet.

But I do have invisible signals at the entrance and at the end of the tracks (and I use AJS dummy buffers rather than buffers which act as signals).

 

[sniper297]

PON_Dwarf_Signal_USA_L02_Permissive, <kuid:522774:100020>
PON_Dwarf_Signal_USA_02_Permissive, <kuid:522774:100021>

I made those specifically for that situation, placed at the switch entering the yard any AI train will stop and proceed since they're permissive. As long as a permissive signal is the last signal between the AI train and the couple at trackmark it will usually work.

 

[itareus]

Just been thinking a bit more about this and doing some experiments....

If your situation is like this:

Yard    -----US Sig--\------X-------------------Other Cars----]
Entrance              \
                       \------Y----------------Flat Car------------]
                        \
                         \------Z----------------whatever !!-------]

Then placing invisible signals at X, Y and Z etc. will allow the loco past sig US at caution but the couple command will override Sigs X, Y or Z and the coupling move will happen.

I use Signal Invisible,<kuid2:53425:10001:1> but probably any will do. I think the positioning of the X, Y and Z signals in relation to the position of the cars in sidings may be a factor.

 

[Deano5]

I don't recall ever having a problem with the couple command or the couple at track mark command. just make sure you have a buffer with an invisible signal built in so the AI won't think that the track ends after the entrance signal. If they can't see another signal then they will assume it is the end of the track. :wave:

 

[Blackie11]

Boleyd,

I use "Couple at Trackmark" command it usually works. Of course you have to put a trackmark where you want to couple and name it.

Regards,

Dave

 

[boleyd]

PON_Dwarf_Signal_USA_L02_Permissive, <kuid:522774:100020>
PON_Dwarf_Signal_USA_02_Permissive, <kuid:522774:100021>

I made those specifically for that situation, placed at the switch entering the yard any AI train will stop and proceed since they're permissive. As long as a permissive signal is the last signal between the AI train and the couple at trackmark it will usually work.

According to the signals documents for 2006 Permissive signals are treated as non-permissive signals in AI operation. Years later. in TS2012, that may have changed????

 

[boleyd]

I have set up a full siding (passing) and a dead end siding. Fully signaled. In drive mode the signals do not change when changing the switch positions. Then I remembered that one time I needed an engine on the track. Did not help. Restarted program - no help. The strange thing is that sometimes in a drive mode session the switches changing direction will cause the proper aspects to appear. Until I determine why there is erratic signaling I can't look at coupling. I also do recall that coupling at trackmark does work. So maybe, later, I can get back to that.

The buffer things seem to provide a simple constant artificial stop signal. Preceding signals show green then yellow then at buffer(red).

Note: Ran a locomotive through the mainline switches and now the aspects respond as they should. This is the same problem that exists in the "other rail sim". The signals are not properly initialized at start-up and only function after a train passes through them. One of the reasons, after trying the new RW3, that I returned to Trainz.

 

[boleyd]

Further testing showed that the signals stopped working at some point after the engine passed thru and froze, although the switches appear ok. Maybe I will await Open Rails//// Need to recheck all the options etc.

Finally tried a simple main occupied = take siding. The AI engine was properly switched. So it works in a scenario but a real hassle if trying to manually set switches!!

Conclusion is -- do not use signals on entrances to track occupied by cars or locomotives. Or, use Couple At Trackmark rule which overrides the Red Occupied signal.