MCM distance limit

nasice18

New member
Can an MCM see ai train beyond that 0.5 km entrance signal limit? Signal is red until my train comes to that 0.5 km point, and because of that my train is driving half speed.
 
I don't know about MCM signals but a common solution to the problem of the AI slowing down to half speed kilometres ahead of a red signal is to place two evenly spaced invisible signals a short but reasonable distance ahead of the red signal.
 
It sounds like you are relying on Automatic path allocation by the Interlocking Tower. If you set the option to Manual, and use the MCM follow path options (e.g. 'on train entering path' or 'on path activation') you should be able to set paths well ahead of the train. If you have very long distances between paths, you can also use a trackmarker or trigger, to trigger the next path.

Hope that helps. Pguy may come in with a better explanation than mine.
 
Thanks for your help guys, and yes I am trying to run ai trains without my input. I will try pware solution as well.
 
Hi

Unless set to manual, paths are automatically triggered 0.6 mile (1 km) ahead of the signal. To trigger it earlier place an EITPath Trigger asset about a mile (1.5 km) before the signal. This distance may need to be extended further if it is a high speed line. In order to keep the start signal at green it may be necessary to add one or two invisible signals between the trigger and start signal. Not very prototypical but sometimes needed to keep trains running at line speed.

If you need to delay a path being triggered for some reason then use manual setting as described by Vostrail above. When using EITs in a yard I normally use manual mode which allows you to set the path with a driver command exactly when needed.

Regards

Brian
 
Thx guys, invisible signal did the trick. Well I am having a new problem

...........................................____s2_________________
........................................./...............................
-----------------------s1------------.............................
.........................................\_____s3__________________

I have a train sitting at s3 under red light and incoming train has red at s1. At tower manager, message is "path s1-s2 is not activable, reason given is "path s3-s1 is locked by tower". Both trains are ai trains, I would like them to solve that problem without my input.

Rob
 
Is the track from LHS to S1 a single bi-directional track? If so, you could set up a Track Circuit Block, with insulators at S1 and the left hand entrance to the single track (making sure any branches off / on to the track are also insulated). Then, in the path definition for s3-s1, set the TCB processing option to process only the exit signal. This will ensure that s3-s1 cannot be activated until the single track has been cleared.

John
 
Inside the MCM's rule box, you can select the distance of that the MCM can detect a train.
But, from last update, this distance doesn't work. I guess that is an issue that could be resolved on next update.
One option that you can choice is the use of EIT path triggers. When a train pass over this, the MCM assigns the corresponding path independently of the detection distance.
 
Hi Grupostr, for path trigger, is it enough to just put it on the track before signal, or i have to do something else in order to make it work. As you can see I am not so good with this

Rob
 
Inside the MCM's rule box, you can select the distance of that the MCM can detect a train.
But, from last update, this distance doesn't work. I guess that is an issue that could be resolved on next update.
One option that you can choice is the use of EIT path triggers. When a train pass over this, the MCM assigns the corresponding path independently of the detection distance.

Hi Grupostr.

Just to clarify a misunderstanding : the distance you can set in MCM's rule box has nothing to do with train detection and path activation ; as told in the text header this distance is the "follow path search distance" which is the maximum distance along which MCM will search for the next entry signal to find a follow path. By default this distance is 10000 m (10 km) and follow path will activate the next path if the distance between the two entry signals of the initial path and the follow path is less than 10 km. if the distance to the next entry signal is more than 10 km the follow path method will fail and you will need to add a pathtrigger at less than 10 km from the next entry signal to activate the next path when the train will reach the pathtrigger.

May be I need to be more explicit in the online documentation. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Hope this will help.

Regards.
Pierre.
 
Is the track from LHS to S1 a single bi-directional track? If so, you could set up a Track Circuit Block, with insulators at S1 and the left hand entrance to the single track (making sure any branches off / on to the track are also insulated). Then, in the path definition for s3-s1, set the TCB processing option to process only the exit signal. This will ensure that s3-s1 cannot be activated until the single track has been cleared.

John

Hi everybody.

I confirm what John told above. If the track from LHS to S1 is a single track, you need to protect the single track using a TCB so that no train can enter the single track or have an active path entering the single track without the certitude of having an available path to leave the track. The easiest method to do so is to have a TCB embedding the exit signals for paths leading to the single track so that no paths leading to this single track can be activated without verifying first the single track is available and then locking the tcb access before activating the path.
Without the use of a tcb, the EIT will check and protect the path S3-S1 until exit signal S1 but will never check the single track avaiability or the presence of a consist on it. with a tcb and using the exit signal tcb option for the path you can do that and avoid the path s3-S1 to activate if the single track is occupied or locked ...

For increasing or decreasing the distance for trying path activation, you need to use some eitpathtrigger, but for protecting a single track you need to use a tcb.

Regards.
Pierre.
 
Hi guys, just to make sure about what Pierre is talking "TCB embedding the exit signals for paths leading to the single track"


_B5__________B6__..........................................____S5_________S6__
..............................\__B2____________S2____/.............................
_B2__________B3__/.......................................\____S2_________S3__


We are talking double line TCB for B5-B6, B2-B3, than, single line B2-S2 and again double line S5-S6 AND S2-S3?
Also, if I set my trains westbound and have 15-20 mission codes (MC). Instead having those 15-20 single MC can they be grouped in one code and called Westbound?

 
Hi guys, just to make sure about what Pierre is talking "TCB embedding the exit signals for paths leading to the single track"


_B5__________B6__..........................................____S5_________S6__
..............................\__B2____________S2____/.............................
_B2__________B3__/.......................................\____S2_________S3__


We are talking double line TCB for B5-B6, B2-B3, than, single line B2-S2 and again double line S5-S6 AND S2-S3?
Also, if I set my trains westbound and have 15-20 mission codes (MC). Instead having those 15-20 single MC can they be grouped in one code and called Westbound?


Hi.
Sorry, not correct. Need for more explanation. The correct schema should be :

_B5___________B6__............................................____S5_________S6__
................................\__++B2++++++++S2++__/.............................
_B2A__________B3__/.........................................\____S2A_________S3__

with S2A and B2A renamed to avoid duplicate names and the single track TCB embedding both B2 and S2 shown with a plus. You will need to place an isolator beetween B2 and the junction on its left, and another isolator beetween S2 and the junction on its right. And a detector between B2 and S2 with whatever name you like.
The paths leading to the single track ( B6 -> B2 ; S2A -> S2 ) should use the process exit signal TCB option so that they can activate only if the single track is not currently occupied or locked (reserved by another path to the single track).
Paths on the left hand size and paths on the right hand size can be located in two distinct static tower with no problem as the paths do not share any path objects but only the single track TCB as exit TCB.

Take care that this schema protects the single track between B2 and S2 but do not offer any guarantee that the tracks B3->B2A and S5->S6 will be not occupied and ready to accept a consist coming from the single track.

To include also checking avaibility for these tracks, you will need to use another scheme :

___B5___________B6___............................................__++S5+++++++S6++__
.....................................\____B2___________S2____/.............................
_++B2A+++++++B3++_/.........................................\____S2A_________S3____

This time you have no need for a TCB for the single track between B2 and S2. But instead you need TCB for both arrival tracks B3->B2A and S5->S6.
The paths leading to the single track should be S2A-S2-B2->B3 and B6-B2-S2->S5 with exit TCB option. These paths will only activate if the single track is available (common shared path objects S2 and B2) and the arrival track empty (due to the TCB option).
Those two paths can be in two distinct towers but you need that the towers use dynamic ownership.

I forgot to initially say I have supposed that trains drive on left when there are on two tracks railroad ... You need to adapt the scheme if you drive on the right ...

And of course, you can use only two mission codes Westbound and Eastbound to make MCM activate the correct paths ...

Hope this may help. Do not hesitate to ask if you have more questions.
Regards.
Pierre.
 
Last edited:
Thank you Pierre,
I will need some time to process this and I am sure I will have more questions. But for now, you are mentioning "exit signal TCB option", don't realy know what do you mean by that. And how do I set my driver command for this situation?
Thanks again
Rob

 
Hi Grupostr.
Just to clarify a misunderstanding : the distance you can set in MCM's rule box has nothing to do with train detection and path activation ; as told in the text header this distance is the "follow path search distance" which is the maximum distance along which MCM will search for the next entry signal to find a follow path. By default this distance is 10000 m (10 km) and follow path will activate the next path if the distance between the two entry signals of the initial path and the follow path is less than 10 km. if the distance to the next entry signal is more than 10 km the follow path method will fail and you will need to add a pathtrigger at less than 10 km from the next entry signal to activate the next path when the train will reach the pathtrigger.
Pierre.
Ups! I understood this in the wrong way. I think that the explanation that you did about MCM on wiki site is correct. Now, I'm doing a spanish version about that for the spanish players.
Thank you for your clarification!
 
Thank you Pierre,
I will need some time to process this and I am sure I will have more questions. But for now, you are mentioning "exit signal TCB option", don't realy know what do you mean by that. And how do I set my driver command for this situation?
Thanks again
Rob


Hi.
the tcb options is an option available at the path level only for path defined inside an enhanced interlocking tower (not available for standard N3V interlocking tower). This option can be set for each path to either : no tcb processing ; process only exit signal tcb ; process all tcbs. With no tcb processing, path will behave as usual in standard N3V interlocking towers. With process only exit signal tcb, enhanced interlocking towers will for paths with this option check if the exit signal is embedded or not in a tcb, and if it finds it is embedded in a tcb it will check if the tcb is occupied or nor and will try to activate a path with this option only if the embedding tcb is not occupied. By adding to the route/session an adequate tcb embedding an exit signal along a single track or along a platform, you can make a path being activable only if the single track or the platform is not occupied by a consist. And this is very performant and useful to protect single tracks or platforms from an incoming train as long as they are still occupied by another consist ...
regards.
Pierre.
 
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