Clockwork 'O' Gauge?

Annie are you a jinx or doesn't your computer like Trainz? I have just verified that the O gauge switches work perfectly OK in TS2012 as do all other points that use Andi's script. They also work OK in TANE and TRS2019. What doesn't work sadly in the later versions was his experimental set of "ready wired" points. This gave me heartache as I had converted a lot of the original points to his later version. You might like to read my tests here post 7. Sadly Andi died before he could do anything about it.
 
I really don't know what's going on John. Perhaps it's time for me to do an extended database rebuild or something. I need to open up my computer to install more RAM and a better graphics card, but I doubt if that's the reason.
I tend to build layouts with the same old collection of favourite assets so if something had gone wrong I hadn't noticed it, - and it's only now that I'm doing something different that I'm having problems.
 
So what am I doing wrong John? This is in TS2019 by the way. the track looks like it's joining to the switches/points, but if I try to drive a loco over the joint it instantly derails.

trI4Srb.jpg
 
Hi Annie,

This appears to be a fixed-track switch. The tracks themselves on the switch are for show. In order to use them you need to "wire" them up using invisible track splines, which is what the trains actually ride on and this what the switch lever is attached to.

Unfortunately for me it's been more than a decade since I configured any of these things so someone else with more experience with these can help you with that.
 
Sorry, I assumed you knew how to use them. Here's how. You can use Andi06's JK junction wire which has different colours to distinguish the two branches but is not invisible in Driver or do as I do, use "<kuid2:82412:9999019:1> CL Invisible Track Red-TUME" which is just a red line and is invisible in Driver. You have to connect the three inside spline points as follows:

Lay track from the straight point to somewhere outside the point.

Connect that outside point to the spline point at the entrance to the point.

Connect the diverging spline point to the outside spline point to form the junction.

Now move that junction to the end of the blades near the heel of the point. Unfortunately there is no marker to show the exact position so it may need adjustment by trial and error to get the correct movement over the visible rails.

You now have a working point and can change the lever if you want. As it is basically a spline point with an animated object attached the normal tools such as detection radius apply.

It might be a good idea to download for practice "<kuid:458053:101507> Junction right 2ft without ballast" to try out as this 2ft point has markers for the spline points and where to locate the junction.

I hope this helps. If not please ask as I am fairly experienced in using these and I can assure you with practice it becomes very easy to set them up.
 
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Thank you for the explanation John. I've never used this kind of point before so it was all a bit of a mystery to me. I'll go back to my test track oval in TS2019 and give it another try.
 
SUCCESS!


I found the silly bits of red string hard to use and i couldn't see what I was doing so I used Invisible Track PEV <kuid:329364:1101> instead which is the invisible track I normally use. Strangely I found the diverging route a doddle to set up and it was the straight one that made me frown the most. BUT I got it done and it works just fine. I may do something more with my test track oval, but I'll see what happens.

kq1v38u.jpg
 
That's great to hear! Your experience is bringing back memories from my early attempt of using this kind of asset.
 
Thanks John. I made several attempts with the thin red string type invisible track and was having no luck since I couldn't see what I was doing with the silly stuff. I almost gave up and then decided to use the PEV invisible track instead and that's when things started to go a lot better. I'll go ahead now and add more points/switches to my test track and make a bit more of a layout of it. I want to try reskinning some buildings to look like accessory tinplate buildings and no doubt they'll end up beside the test track as well as I go along with my experiments.
 
Sorry, I assumed you knew how to use them. Here's how. You can use Andi06's JK junction wire which has different colours to distinguish the two branches but is not invisible in Driver or do as I do, use "<kuid2:82412:9999019:1> CL Invisible Track Red-TUME" which is just a red line and is invisible in Driver. You have to connect the three inside spline points as follows:

Lay track from the straight point to somewhere outside the point.

Connect that outside point to the spline point at the entrance to the point.

Connect the diverging spline point to the outside spline point to form the junction.

Now move that junction to the end of the blades near the heel of the point. Unfortunately there is no marker to show the exact position so it may need adjustment by trial and error to get the correct movement over the visible rails.

You now have a working point and can change the lever if you want. As it is basically a spline point with an animated object attached the normal tools such as detection radius apply.

It might be a good idea to download for practice "<kuid:458053:101507> Junction right 2ft without ballast" to try out as this 2ft point has markers for the spline points and where to locate the junction.

I hope this helps. If not please ask as I am fairly experienced in using these and I can assure you with practice it becomes very easy to set them up.

The invisible track you're supposed to use is 'JJS_Invisible_Track', <KUID:46819:38199>. It features a center third rail to go with the 'O' Gauge track. Make sure you have the box next to 'TRS2004' checked when searching on the DLS for it.
 
Thank you very much Jordon. These old assets that have no instructions as to how to use them are such a lot of fun. Perhaps a very long time ago somebody posted a 'how-to' on the old Auran forum, but of course that's no use to anybody these days.
 
I believe that in my files I have Andy's guide on wiring his turnouts, which I used a lot in TRS2004, mainly as design tools. Unfortunately the track did not update to any other than his own - which were very good.

Andy was very helpful to me and converted his bogies with corridor connections for my very poor attempts at coach construction - non-corridor.

Ray
 
It would be certainly useful if you could find Andy's guide Ray. I'm sure I'm not the only one to have tried out these points/switches and gave up in disgust when they couldn't get them to work. Well I have got them to work now, but it was a near thing that I didn't give up and bin them.
 
Clockwork engine test. No steam or steam engine sound effects, - just track sounds. I'm going to add the keyhole later.
It's certainly unusual seeing a steam engine in Trainz moving along like this. I made a video, but I'll only post it if there's any interest in it.

tafHQJ5.jpg
 

It has been suggested to me that what I need is an Axminster carpet for the track to be sitting on. Certainly an interesting thought and I'm wondering how possible it would be to do that.
 
Find a photograph pf an Axminstercarpet and make a scenery object? It would not have any pile, but would that matter?

But beware of any fluff getting into the clockwork mechanism! (Or, I suppose, oli on the carpet.)

Ray
 
I've found what I think will be a suitable carpet Ray and I'll see how it goes. I don't think the lack of a pile would matter so much really.

I can remember buying an old clockwork engine once and the vendor telling me, 'It doesn't go, seems to be jammed.' It actually ran perfectly fine, but only after I removed about a yard of that brown string that carpet backing is made of from the mechanism.
 
AJS Junction Kit.

I've found the guide in my box file, so these are the instructions, Annie.

As you know - but I'll say it here for any who have not come across this before - the turnouts (points) made by Andi06 are really scenic objects which are a guide to laying invisible track.

1) Place the point on the map.
2) Zoom in until four diamonds are visible. One is blue, near the lead-in track, one is red, near the centre, and two are green, one on each diverging track.
3) Select AJS Junction Wiring - a very fine "invisible" track - and connect the blue diamond to the red.
4) Connect the red diamond to each of the blue diamonds. A junction lever will appear. Make sure this is beside the red diamond.
5 Add your choice of track to the blue and green diamonds to complete the turnout.

Two of these turnouts will not join together to form a crossover. A spacer - several were made by Andi - is needed to connect them and get the correct track spacing. The track on the template will not update to any attached track, only that made by Andi. Maybe the config could be edited to permit this - I don't know.

I hope this is helpful. I believe they were built-in objects in TRS2004, but I can't get that to run on either of my computers in order to check. I found them useful for layout planning when a beginner in Trainz.

Ray
 
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Thank you very much Ray, - Andi's instructions give some useful insight into what is involved with using these kinds of points. Unfortunately the O gauge switches/points don't have any helpful diamond markers so it gets a bit vague when it comes to laying invisible track over the switch scenic objects. I guess practice will make perfect.
 
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