Tidewater Point Rail Shunting Work session

[Frimbo]

OK, so I am now just getting around to running Tidewater Point and I would like to join the chorus of those singing its praises. This is spectacular.

However, I am having trouble getting the Shunting Work session to execute.

When I run Shunting Work, coupling only works about half the time. Here is a typical place where the session breaks down for me:

I have made contact with the cut I was instructed to couple to, but the coupling blue circle icon is still on (didn't come over with the screenshot) with a 0.0 distance and the cars are not coupled. When I pull away, they separate:

The icon is still there instructing me to couple. This happens even if I repeatedly bring the couplers together. I hear the noise of coupling, but it doesn't take. I have adjusted handbrakes and it makes no difference. I have made a modified session where I could bring the cars together "0-5-0" style using Quick Drive; the cut does couple, but the icon remains and the session doesn't move on to the next step.

I have tried saving the session after a successful couple so that I can eventually run it all the way through, but every time I reload the session, I come up in DCC mode and the problem persists. In DCC mode, I got as far as waiting for the helpers to come off the siding, but could not get "My train" to activate the trigger even though I knew exactly where the trigger was located. I went to the helper Driver Command Line and took out the Wait for Trigger command. The helper starting coming to me, but signal 310680 would not clear and the helper stopped.

I am running SP3, but don't have the coupling issue with the Old Grain Terminal session; coupling works as it should and saved sessions come up in Cab Control. (However, when I reload the session, I am out of fuel for the locomotive.)

Any ideas for getting this to work? Anything I am doing wrong?

Thanks for help and thanks for your wonderful routes, locos, and rolling stock!

 

[Wearsprada]

Be sure that you didn't break the couplers.

 

[RHKluckhohn]

Mebbe they came pre-broken? Did you use the coupler tool to see how they were set? Mebbe use it to open/close the couplers as needed?

:B~)

 

[Frimbo]

Thank you both for your suggestions.

I think the issue had to do with trying to save the session at certain points so that I could go back later. I deleted all of the sessions and then reloaded the three that came with the route and coupling then seemed to work well. It also gave me the Quick Drive option to switch between DCC and Cab Control - this wasn't there when I reloaded sessions that I had saved previously locking me into DCC.

So, the coupling works fine and I can enjoy some of the spectacular urban and rural scenery:

This worked well until random brake applications caused me to stall out on the hill heading to the grain silos. Eventually the program crashed while I was fighting the grade and the brakes. I have had other routes give me random brake applications before. Though the program has crashed on me before, crashes seem to be more frequent with SP3.

I will try again later.

Once I am done at the grain silo, I then wait for the helpers:

I looks like I need to get close enough to the check for helper trigger to trigger it, but not so close such that the helpers can't clear Junction Golden Glory when it wants to throw to the right.

Once I get the grain cars and pull out of the siding, do I then drive the helper trigger or should I back onto the rest of the consist and then pull up to the trigger?

Many thanks for your time and for a magnificent route!