smoke toggle

martinvk

since 10 Aug 2002
Is there a way to toggle smoke from a locomotive on and off? Perhaps a trackside object like the horn or whistle triggers?

I have some track that passes under a built up area and having the smoke appear in the streets and buildings is rather non-prototypical. While it looks like the tracks are in tunnels, they are just in long ditches covered by a concrete slab that has other objects on top. In the open air having the smoke is desired so fiddling with the config file to disable the smoke is not an option.
 
I dont know that it still works, but get my "FP - Smokeless Tunnel 2 Track"

Now it's a tunnel, but if you have a look at the config, you should see whatever tag I added to shut smoke effects off.
 
Left part out: the idea I had was once you knew the magic tag to add you could clone the track you are using and make a smokeless version by editing the cloned tracks config, then use it under the slabs and youd have no more smoke on that TRACK in the "tunnel"
 
Ah, so if I use istunnel in a new track and set this boolean tag to (1), it should work. Looks like a solution.
 
So I replaced some of the track by "TRS19 Track 1 Tunnel - Non Seasonal". I checked and "istunnel 1" is in the config file. As the steam engines transition to this track, they continue to puff away.
Is there something else I need to do to make this work?
 
I can't find it, probably because I can't remember what it's called. There's an asset that blocks the smoke that you can place above your train. It's used around bridges to keep the smoke from coming up through the bridges.

Now if the Phys-X worked, you wouldn't have to go through this trouble.
 
I just clone a conventional track and a procedural track, and added the line istunnel 1 after the line istrack 1. Both modified tracks acted like tunnels, switching to tunnel view and switching off the smoke of steam locomotives.

Peter
 
I've tried both
"Underpass Pt2a smokeless track" and "TRS19 Track 1 Tunnel - Non Seasonal"
Each have istunnel 1 in their config files. None of the steam locomotives in my route stop smoking. I'm using BR Duchess Blue, LMS Duchess Black post-war and CNJ GS3 Blue if that makes a difference.
 
For testing I have cloned these 2 tracks, and only added the line istunnel 1:
conventional -- <kuid:35848:38031> VMD DBrown
procedural -- <kuid:101839:21014> LRW Track, Wood, Flatbottom, Brown Ballast

Here is a picture of the procedural track (brown ballast) in action (same result with the conventional track):
top left -- approaching the tunnel track
top right -- just entered the tunnel track
bottom left -- approaching the end of the tunnel track
bottom right -- after leaving the tunnel track

Testing-tunnel-track.jpg


The locomotive is the CNJ Gs3 Black.

Peter
 
I'm doing this in TRS19 build 105100, if that makes a difference.
On smokeless track with istunnel 1 in the config
smoke1.JPG
smoke2.JPG
The same on regular track, smoking normally
smoke3.JPG
At this point, I might have to switch to a diesel fleet if i can't get this smoke issue under control.
 
You could impose a no steam in the tunnels rule I guess, in Baltimore the B&O used electric "tunnel motors" to pull steam engines under the city in the Howard Street Tunnel.

If youd like, why not export your "smokeless" track to a CDP and send it to me (or stick it on Google drive abd givr me a link) and I'll double check it on my TRS19. Just to be sure it's not working. Just trying to help.
 
Thanks but I don't think I can do that. They don't belong to me.
kuid:515726:900687 is on the DLS as "Underpass Pt2a smokeless track"and made by stationmistress
The other one, kuid2:523:19723660:6 is labelled Installed Payware "TRS19 Track 1 Tunnel - Non Seasonal" and made by Auran.
I forgot how I got the Auran track, but the one by stationmistress was downloaded recently from the DLS,if that helps
 
Thought perhaps it was because I was using the Drive command. Changed to DCC and the same. Even in Cab mode, still smoking all over the place.
 
Did you perform an autopsy on the track that works to see what the differences are?

Maybe it can't be a procedural track, or who knows what else?
 
So you are saying with physx on, and using smokeless track, the smoke still appears but with physx off it doesn't?

Just another way physx is broken? Funny to me considering MSTS simulated collisions with overhead bridges and that was well before physx was a thing...
 
Well, I never ..., disabled the PhysX and the smoke stopped.
So the steam fleet was saved and will live to see another day.
 
I have feeling that a lot of people are confused with that Use PhysX simulation checker. When real PhysX is used, PhysX simulation must be OFF to prevent smoke and other things to behave oddly.
 
From back at the top of this thread, the idea of a trigger to turn smoke on and off does not seem to have been pursued. I expect it could be managed in the same manner as the one @p-dehnert supplied for setting platform height (responses): when the train strikes the trigger, the trigger sends smoke-off messages to each car and those with the ability respond. Since pfx messages are standard instead of custom, building such a trigger (and another, or same from the opposite direction) to reverse it should not be too hard.
 
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