Question RE: Log Service Session in Coal Country Route

I am new to Trainz and am attempting to run the Log Service session in the Coal Country Route. The objective is to deliver the logs to the lumber mill in Peabody. However, I cannot find a lumber mill in Peabody, only a lumber yard. I have run the session and am now at the end of the siding in Peabody at a red signal. There are no further instructions and I do not get a "Session Completed" message, which I assume should happen when a session has been completed. Has anyone else run this session and had a similar problem?

Thank you,

Gary

Perhaps someone else will reply before me... I'll run this perhaps today/tomorrow and see what I get. Looking at session it appears the unload point is Peabody Lumber. You should be getting navigation icons to show the way. At the end of session I see an instruction where you have the OK to do a run-around ignoring the red signal. If you are not getting navigation icons pointing the way to go start again and run session straight through not doing any pauses and see if that helps.

Got navigation icons except at end. I did pause and save half way through, so will try running it all the way through.

Thanks for your help.

Gary

gwhess said:

Got navigation icons except at end. I did pause and save half way through, so will try running it all the way through.

Thanks for your help.

Gary

Click to expand...

I ran the session again without pausing. No icons were seen after leaving Parker with logs and no message about doing a runaround. Did it anyway and unloaded logs at lumber yard.

Gary

as info.. I still plan on running this in next day or two... Will see if I have same result. May I ask what release of '19 are you running and are you gold, silver, or platinum?

Just ran this session to completion. Successful end with navigation icons all the way through. This was in '19 Plus 105100. Nice route and session! After unloading the log cars you decouple the cars and you take the caboose down to the "team" track and couple it to the black gondola. End of session.

You are not getting these nav icons? What is the last icon you are seeing? What is last instruction you are seeing?

Try giving the AI driver instructions and see what he does.

I am running version 105100 and I have a Gold membership. The last icon I saw was at Parker and the last instruction was about waiting for the mainline train to clear at Parker. When I was at Peabody, I did notice a green proceed icon with a mileage of approx. 2.85 in the distance when I changed the camera view to look towards the rear of train. I wonder if I uninstall and reinstall the route if that would fix it. Seems to work in other sims.

Gary

OK.. I suspect you are misinterpreting something and not performing the proper tasks. That is easy as a beginner. It's easy to do as each session is dependent upon it's author and different icons can be used, different terminology, no icons, etc etc.

So you make it to Parker. As instructions say you will have to wait for a train. This is indicated by a stop sign hovering over the tracks at a red signal. Are you getting that Stop sign? (It's a navigation icon as I say, hovering over the tracks.)

Also note that sometimes navigation icons and stop points can be deceiving. It's best to stop you train, hit "4", move up to the icon, rotate around it, and make sure it is where you think it is.

Lets step through the session... here's the first part. Please verify your actions and that you are getting all the instructions and nav icons.

Start game
- move forward towards the green navigation point with arrow (switches are set for you)
- you’ll go past the nav pont - it will be on your left on the spur.
- you’ll cross over to the left hand track and go past the spur siding. Looking behind you you’ll see the green Nav icon.
- once you pass the switch, stop, throw the switch, and back towards the icon.
- go thru the green icon and you’ll get a blue “couple” icon at the log cars
- at some point you’ll also get a “transparent” red stop icon. The transparent fact means it will be the next thing to do. Keep backing towards the solid blue couple icon.
- couple to empty log cars
- pull forward past the switch
- set switch and back up to stop point and wait for the logs to load
(If you have driver messages turned on you’ll get a “timed load started” msg.)
(You can show driver msgs by clicking the white triangle above driver icon)
- When all cars are loaded head back towards the main line
- You’ll get a WAIT msg from the dispatcher. Continue to move forward and thru a green nav icon.
- Once at the green Nav icon a red Stop icon will appear at a red signal. Continue to it and stop.
- Manifest train will exit tunnel and pass by.
- While you wait you should see a green Nav icon 0.15 mi ahead (roughly)

- Once the train passes move forward thru tunnel and thru the Nav icon.
- After while another green nav icon will appear (likely towards edge of screen). Continue to move forwards.
- Green Nav icon will say “loop track” and you approach a double track. Take the left. Switch is set for you.
- Move forward through the green Nav icon.
- You’ll get a msg popup “We need to run around…” Read msg and close window.
- Continue moving train forward.
- You’ll come to a siding with black gondola car. Move past it and forward.
- By now you should have a Red Stop Nav icon.
- Move to the stop icon, stop, uncouple from the train and run around. You will have nav icons to assist.



Please verify you a seeing the results as given above before we move on... If so... continue and see if you can complete.

Well, I did exactly as you said and it worked this time. Previously, I didn't get any additional icons or messages after leaving the siding at Parker.

Thank you very much for your help.

Gary

Make sure where it makes sense you come to a complete stop at icon and as close to the "zero" mile as possible as shown on icon. Sometimes that is impossible as you will hit a bumper or something but I've seen times when icons quit working if not a complete stop or too far off the spot. Heck, I'm running another route now and I coupled very very slowly and gently and though I coupled the couple icon didn't go away and next icons didn't show. I uncoupled and coupled again just a bit harder and then things worked. Go figure... glad you got it working.

I just tried "Coal Service" and after loading and trying to "head up the hill" I have a red signal that won't go green. Paths are correct and there are no trains coming or going or in the block but signal just sits there red. There's always something to figure out. You'll get to the point where you really appreciate philskene's routes where he just tells you in words what to do and you do it. No icons, etc.

My personal favorite is Port Zyd & Fulazturn Railroad. He has lot's of freeware routes and you don't have to go look for assets. Phil's routes are just "fun."

Thanks for the heads up about philskene’s routes. I really like the realistic appearance of “Coal Country”.

Gary

Yes, I like Coal County a lot. Phils routes have a flavor all their own. I wouldn't even know what to call them. Certainly not prototypical or scenic, but then, I'm sure that's not his goal. Sometimes things don't even make sense (like elevated rails running across rooftops) but if you read the forums you'll see that he has a great following. As I said, his routes keep you busy at all times and they are just "fun." I run more philskene routes than any other.

Did you purchase '19 outright or did you do gold/silver or perhaps platinum program? I purchased '19 Early Release and then I decided to go with the gold program. I installed a large SSD as an E drive and I just started downloading routes. I quickly learned that even routes that I had no interested in were useful to download just to get all the assets used. Now when I download freeware I have very few or no "missing" assets.

I have a Gold membership. I had Trainz about 15 years ago, so I am having to relearn how to use it.

I have a question regarding one of the tutorials. I don't know if I should ask it here or start a new thread, so I'll go ahead and ask. While running the dynamic brakes tutorial, I release the brakes to move forward but the train doesn't move. I notice the BC pressure is 215 and won't decrease. Any thoughts?

Gary

RE: Dynamic brakes
Same here.. found the answer in another thread. Press "D" a few times to release pressure. Should not have to do that though. In my case I had to go to notch 1 then press D and loco's took off like a rifle shot.

This was reported as a bug by someone. Don't know if it was fixed and this is a recurrence or perhaps it was never fixed. I've had no problems with dynamic brakes in normal sessions.
see: https://forums.auran.com/trainz/sho...al-9-question-Dynamic-brake-not-able-to-start

gwhess,
Try hitting the D key several times until the brake pressure bleeds out. That might be why you can't move.

I'll second 1611mac on the routes by Philskene. I really have a feeling of satisfaction when I complete his sessions - it feels like you are really doing work, haha, and the engines he includes are sometimes very challenging and fun to run.

Welcome back to the Trainz addiction.

Heinrich505

1611mac said:

RE: Dynamic brakes
Same here.. found the answer in another thread. Press "D" a few times to release pressure. Should not have to do that though. In my case I had to go to notch 1 then press D and loco's took off like a rifle shot.

This was reported as a bug by someone. Don't know if it was fixed and this is a recurrence or perhaps it was never fixed. I've had no problems with dynamic brakes in normal sessions.
see: https://forums.auran.com/trainz/sho...al-9-question-Dynamic-brake-not-able-to-start

Click to expand...

Thanks! Was getting frustrated.

Gary

Heinrich505 said:

gwhess,
Try hitting the D key several times until the brake pressure bleeds out. That might be why you can't move.

I'll second 1611mac on the routes by Philskene. I really have a feeling of satisfaction when I complete his sessions - it feels like you are really doing work, haha, and the engines he includes are sometimes very challenging and fun to run.

Welcome back to the Trainz addiction.

Heinrich505

Click to expand...

Thanks! Enjoyed Trainz before because felt it was easier to create routes.

Gary