Re-using long sets of train drive-to and drive-via commands...

horacefithers

New member
In 105 miles there are quite a few stations and sidings on the BC&SJ.

I've been adding track markers to the east, west, and within these places.

_______________B___________________
______________A__/_________________C_________________\__D________________

Assuming this siding (or loop) is called Alma),
A = Alma, West Switch
B = Alma, Siding
C = Alma, Main
D = Alma, East Switch

Lets assume the follwing track configuration

Portal West _________ Alma ________ Beta ______ Portal East

I give background traffic trains originating at Portal West the following instruction:
For train "eastward 1":
Drive Via Alma, West Swith
Drive Via Alma, East Switch
Drive Via Beta, West Switch
Drive Via Beta, East Switch
Navigate to Portal East

My goal is to avoid having an opposing train lock the track at Alma and Beta, potentially long before Eastward 1 gets even close to the siding. Thus keeping Eastward 1 sitting around for a long time until the westward train reaches it.

Now on the BS&SJ route the places to do this (from east to west) are:
Pocatelo (Portal)
Deschutes Jct
Sherman Butte
Roberts Creek
Summit
Oakhill
Salt Creek
Magnuson
Hampton
Bear Creek
Junction City
Browning
Jefferson
Lincoln
East Breton
Breton
Ross Junction
Armstrong
Salem
Portland (Portal)

That's a LOT of instructions.
I'd like to have multiple consists of background traffic heading each way.

That's an awful lot of point and clicking with a rather sorry interface (the one in the Portal - is there a better way to do this?)
I'd really like to be able to cut and paste instruction sequences from one train to another and avoid all those mouse moves and button clicks.

I looked in the config text for the session and the route but didn't see a place where these litanys of Drive Via commands appeared.

Someone please tell me there's a way to cut and paste drive commands?

Or show me a better way to organize background traffic drive commands

Hope, hope....

Horace Fithers
 
You can setup a set of commands using the Schedule Library rule.

The queue looks similar to the driver command queue except there is no driver image. Within the Schedule Library, you can group multiple schedules, and you can name them so they make sense. When I use the Schedule Library, I create "divisions" for my set of commands. East Kentucky Div, Ozark Valley Division, etc. to group the schedules together.

To use the Schedules you created and saved in the Schedule Library, you use the Copy Commands From... driver command when you assign the schedules to the driver.

Insert a Copy Commands From command, and choose Insert from Library.

The list opens up with your driver schedules you created in the Schedule Library rule.
Insert this set of driver commands.

If you need to combine multiple schedules such as East Kentucky west to be followed by Ozark Valley west, you simply insert a copy commands from after each other. When doing this, it's recommended that a quick wait... command be used. A 20 second breather works great for this.

There are other options for the Copy Commands from append and insert from driver. The Append does not work well and sometimes crashes. This has always had issues and has done weird things in the past. Inserting from a Driver or Consist works, but I find simply using insert from the Schedule Library the easiest.

When the schedules load up in real-time, they expand like those old sponges we used to get from the gas company. You probably remember them... they're about the size of a quarter and then grow up to full sized sponges when water is added. The commands expand out of these scheduled commands found in the Copy Commands from icon. What's great about this setup is you can still edit the schedule once the commands are expanded so if you find a mistake, you can correct it and then go back later and implement the change in the Schedule Library. What's even better now is this final change fixes a bunch of drivers at once.

Now as far as trains go and portals. I agree that interface is poor, like many of them we deal with for that matter. I highly recommend using preconfigured consists.

Setup a consist as you would on the route. When done setting up the train, go to the consists tab and choose get consist. Since this is a new consist, you'll be prompted to put in a name. I have something like 250 saved consists I created this way, not counting the built-in ones which I rarely use. These saved consists range from a string of freight cars for a yard or siding, or complete manifest freights, locals, and passenger trains. I even use them for small groups of locomotives like a string of GP9's for a small freight.

Back in the portals...

Choose the use consist instead of adding in train cars manually. Once the consist is loaded, you can always add or subtract train cars as you want, and even change locomotives on the fly here.
Assign your driver, and insert your schedule using the schedule created in the schedule library.

Now both the driver setup and the Schedule Library can be duplicated. The fault I have with this is there is no way of knowing which is which because there is no (copy) after the name. This is yet another shortcoming...

Hope this helps.
 
I think the schedule library rule and the 'Copy Commands From' driver rule are what you are looking for. Add sequences of commands that you wish to re-use to the schedule library. Then, for each driver, insert the appropriate sequences using the Copy Commands from (library) command.

John

Edit: JC beat me to it. Damn this laggy internet:hehe:
 
I managed to the the Schedule Library Rule loaded and working. That did away with a lot of the difficulties involving a large menagerie of drive-via commands for a lot of stations. Thanks.

Horace
 
Hi Horace

One thing to remember with the Schedule Library is to NOT use the Repeat command on any schedule that copies commands from the Schedule Library. It not only copies the Copy command but also all of the commands contained in the copied schedule. It will work the first time it's copied but after that the commands are all jumbled up.

If you do need to repeat a schedule from the Library then add a copy command as the last command in the schedule so that it calls itself. I've found that this works without any problems.

Regards

Brian
 
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