iPortals and CMTM

I get what your saying Dap.

And if I am interpreting it correctly, we could just make through records for all car types. So If I dont need a tank car, XT, I would just make a set of through records form Portal A to Portal B or the other way around. This way if you try to send a tank car to Bob through me It would get a record on my route to just send it to the next iPortal. And so on that, if we made through records for every car type there would be no need to ask "Hey do you have records for auto racks."

As for the empty car thing. It is possible that once a car has been emptied that it would have instructions to go back to a specific place. For example, I have in my model railroad collection a set of Ann Arbor covered hoppers. Painted on the side of the car near the cars build information and running numbers is a note. "Return to Ann Arbor Railroad Durand MI." In this case, regardless of where the car was unloaded, it should as an empty be sent back to the AA in Durand.

And while it wouldn't make sense to ship an empty box car 100 miles over several routes. I do think it would make sense to have a record that sends empty box cars off your route and to some one else.

As for Skype or TS, Ill be on both most of the day. I prefer TS simply because it as an easy to use PTT. I sent you an email the other day Dap with the server I like to use. But if you need it again I can PM it to you or send it via a Skype message.
 
Ok, so i have my test route set up with few industries and records to move cars to and from them. I also set up local and thru records for my iPortals.

But when I send my self a test train I get no records in the train.

My records for thru trains looks some thing like this:

cmtm137 "1234567,PortalEast,XHT,x,x,PortalWest,load,x,x,x,x,x,x"

Ive got records for box cars, tank cars, and covered hoppers. The local records, the ones that star the cars on my route and on my ECS track seam to work fine. But in testing sending a train thru a iPortal i dont get records. I know Ive goofed up, but I dont know where.
 
The in game name is PortalWest and PortalEast. If you want to send a train to them, I named them JTest1 and JTest2
 
If you are using a CMTM enabled iPortal, you will need to name it "Portali ______". Fill in the blank with your unique indentifing name. Then make sure you use this spelling for the portal name in your CMTM records. iPortal trains need to be handled differently because they do not have train names. Thus the inclusion of "i" in the portal name.

Ken and I did some testing of my iPortal this evening. The only problem tha occurred was an incompatability of commodities. He did not have one of the commodities I sent him. I am thinking that since each route will be loading incoming cars with the products specified in their CMTM database, there is no need to transmit load data to the recieving portal. All cars would be recieved empty and let the route's CMTM data base determine the commodity that gets loaded. Do you forsee any problems with doing this?

David
 
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I see where I goofed then. I was using the built in iPortal and an existing CMTMS4 session I had made. Ill make some changes and test away. I had read your e-mail on my phone and forgot to re-read it when I got on the computer.
 
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All cars would be received empty and let the route's CMTM data base determine the commodity that gets loaded. Do you foresee any problems with doing this?

My preference would be for the CMTM iPortal to act like the iPortal/Portal and send the commodity along with the car. Then there will be no difference between the portals.

IE: If I understand what your saying if you send me a box car full of lumber I would not want it loaded with auto parts when I got it. Also, through traffic, if you send a through train to me with auto parts for Jib I don't think he would want lumber.

It is not a problem making sure everyone has the needed equipment and commodities, we have done it before using spread sheets that people could refer to. Also the missing commodities should take care of themselves when the equipment is installed which the Portals demand anyway.
 
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If each route is independent, the routes do not need to know what the other routes need or ship. What each route ships and receives will be determined by how that route's CMTM records have been set up. The only thing players will need to do is send trains through the portals that contain the appropriate types of railcars. The receiving route will load the cars with its industries requirements as defined by their CMTM record library. The other routes will never know and have no need to know. The only thing that will need to be coordinated is the fleet of train vehicles (cars, engines, cabooses). Industries do not need to be coordinate.

Looking at your example, Jib needs autoparts. His CMTM library has records for 3 boxcars of autoparts, two of which will be coming from the iPortal to which Ken send his trains. If I send a train to Ken's route with 35 boxcars. And Ken's CMTM library has movement records for 17 boxcars for the day and 12 of those records specifiy the iPortal I send to, then there will be 23 boxcars from my train that get assigned thru records. Depending on how Ken has managed his traffic flow, hopefully some of those 23 boxcars will have a destination of the iPortal to Jib. When the train with those cars is iPortaled (is that a word?) to Ken, his CMTM system will assign two of the boxcars to his industry that is expecting autoparts. And like magic, those cars contain autoparts, no matter what I loaded in them and no matter what Jib's CMTM system loaded in them.

I am trying to simulate the freight operations of common carrier railroads, not the interaction of specific factories and industries. We don't need cross compatible industries on the various routes. I don't need to have any factories on my route that make products for your factories and vice versa. All we need to do is send each other trains that contain the types of cars that will meet our route's industries needs. All other cars get sent on to other routes as thru traffic. Your factories needs get met and you get to see lots of thru traffic.

The one thing that would make it more interesting is if we add train names and mission codes to the iPortal trains. For example. a train could be named Reefer Express. When that train arrives on your route, you would only add reefers to that train. Some may have to be pulled from the train for your local industries. It would keep it's name from route to route to route. Each route would have CMTM records that specify records for Reefer Express as needed.
 
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I can see how that would work, and it makes sense to me. If it works, then I'm fine with it. Maybe latter down the road we can have some thing that tracks cars from player to player.

Now, why do I say that might be some thing we want?

Lets look at that scenario a bit differently. Dap puts 15 box cars of auto parts destined for me. He puts 5 box cars of goods for Ken. The train gets sent to Ken first. Ken has 10 records for box cars, so the 10 cars get assigned to him and get loaded with goods, while the rest get assigned to me. When the train gets sent to me I only get 10 cars, not the 15 I was expecting. Now there is a way around this. We could have a list that says how many cars per day per type we need. And using that list Dap would know to send 15 box cars for me, and 10 for Ken.

The other scenario that would benefit form a tracking situation would be a yard master set up. Lets say its Me, Dap, Ken, DS, and Bob. We set up in a cross pattern so all trains have to go to Bob to get to the next player. Each route is a branch line off the main yard with Bob being the main yard. So once I switch out my industries, I just send my train to Bob to be sorted. Seeing as Bob would only have the yard and on industries, he would only have thru records. In this set up, having a system that tracks cars could be beneficial.

But as I see it now, to just have some fun and more prototypical iPortaling, what changes Dap has made seam to work fine.


Speaking of which, my route needs 10 box cars an 2 tank cars. I can handle up to a 20 car train. I have no out bound power, so I cant send trains. But if a locomotive is sent to me, I can send it back with a train. Just ask on TS or in Trainz chart for my iPortal details.
 
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Sounds like it will work, you know much better than I and it seems to be more flexible. Dap check you email, not sure if you got mine or not.
Jib I assume your using a form of your Fox mountain is that why you have no loco's?
 
Ken, I've not seen an email from you. Check your PM's for my correct email.

I'll get the changes finalized today if I'm lucky. Then we can start doing some significant testing. How do we coordinate the stable of freight cars and locomotives? Does everyone accept complete trains? Does anyone have a limit to the lenght of train they can accept? And I'm sure there are other questions that need to be answered.

David
 
No, Im using the UM Urban Switching Module with some modifications. The same route I did my how to videos on. I'm treating it like a small industrial railroad between two yards. All I have is just a local switcher to work my very small yard and hand full of industries.

The way I run it. A train coming for the east or west will have a few cars assigned to my industries and the rest as through cars. The train drops of cars for my railroad on a siding and picks up out bound cars then continues on its way. Then I get to work doing my switching.


Ken, I've not seen an email from you. Check your PM's for my correct email.

I'll get the changes finalized today if I'm lucky. Then we can start doing some significant testing. How do we coordinate the stable of freight cars and locomotives? Does everyone accept complete trains? Does anyone have a limit to the lenght of train they can accept? And I'm sure there are other questions that need to be answered.

David

When it comes to cars, in the past I have made on consist asset that you could place and pick cars from that. This way you had all the cars for the iPotaling in an easy to find palate. I can make one up and have it on a Team Speak File browser for download some time this afternoon. (I'll use cars I'm sure most of us all ready have.)

I can run about a 25-30 car train. Id say for testing lets not go over that.

Ill be on TS most of the day again, so if you all are not too busy spending time with the family feel free to join.
 
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... How do we coordinate the stable of freight cars and locomotives? Does everyone accept complete trains? Does anyone have a limit to the length of train they can accept?


What Jib said, we make consists of all our equipment and share that with everyone in the group.
If there is any equipment that is not on the DLS then include instructions on where to get it.

Sorry about the email I fat fingered it :)
 
Danny and I had an issue when he sent me a train. It showed up, then the backed up back into the portal and disappeared.

On a side note, Ive started to cook some thing up in regards to managing traffic flow.

I'm thinking a way for us to say how many of a car type we need. This way we know how many cars to route to other players. A sort of industry analysis of all our routes.

This way we can each make records to ship cars to one another. For example, if I know Dap needs 15 loaded box cars I can make records to send 15 his way. This way even though load status doesn't matter when sending a train via iPortalCMTM, I'm still sending a loaded car to Dap.
 
Did the train Danny sent you have a locomotive? I was having the same problem with sending a single freight car or a string of freight cars to the portal. I think I have fixed that problem. It does need some additional testing.

David
 
. . . This way we can each make records to ship cars to one another. For example, if I know Dap needs 15 loaded box cars I can make records to send 15 his way. This way even though load status doesn't matter when sending a train via iPortalCMTM, I'm still sending a loaded car to Dap. . .

And Dap will get them, because he has records for the portal that connects to your direction that will load autoparts when the appropriate cars arrive. By prior arrangement, you could stipulate that autoparts get shipped only in boxcars with specific reporting marks. When those boxcars arrive on Dap's route, they and only they will be loaded with auto parts. This will work even if those cars went through several other routes in between your route and Dap's.

Do you use multiple iPortals or do you get all your iPortal traffic through one portal? I envision a route that has multiple iPortals, one for each direction from which I expect to recieve traffic. As you organize a group for operations, you can decide which portal a given player will use to get his cars to you. Your CMTM records can then be set up to service that portal as you choose. If you expect your auto parts to come from the north, then create movement records for that portal that will load cars with auto parts. And only let one player have access to that portal.

David
 
OK I have one question about iPortal and cars, I have several that hold more than one commodity that I will be shipping how does CMTM distinguish between them? IE box car holds lumber, tires, auto parts etc... how does the receiver know what is in them?

A far as portals go I will have a min of 2 maybe up to 4.
 
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Regardless of what the car is set up to hold, CMTMS will load it. Since when you send me a car my CMTMS will rather then look at the load, will look at the car type. Then load, or unload the car according to what my CMTMS records state. So if your box car is loaded with tires and you send it to me, it will get loaded, or unloaded with what ever I have set. Now if where where to coordinate, and I where to know that you'd be shipping tires thru me or to me. Then I could make records for cars that I received from you that said they where loaded with tires. Or we could go a bit further with this. If you are sending PRR box cars loaded with tires, and any other box car loaded with what ever. I could make records on my end that say any PRR car must be loaded with tires. At least this is my understanding from Dap.

But at this stage I think we we just need to worry about make sure we all have the same set of cars and locomotives. And then setting up our virtual railroad so to speak. Once we get trains moving and know that things are working, then we can go back in and tweak our records.
 
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