Canal locks and invisible track

L

lodger

New member
Invisible track in Trainz 12 will connect to Canal Locks bottom route to allow a narrow boat to enter, but will not connect, and de-rails, boats to the high level exit (Vulcan's locks). However, standard Auran track will connect to the high level and 'hang' the narrow-boat below the track - workable but not realistic! Any advice, please, on how, and what, invisible track can connect? I've tried all the locks and 'visible in Surveyor' invisible tracks.
Lodger
 
Use Vulcans invisible track. What I'm confused over is how you are connecting the track to the top level. You don't connect the bottom level to the top level as that is part of the asset.
My Canals route on the DLS has all of Vulcans locks working.
 
As Mr Whelan mentions, a look at the Middleton with canals route helps in getting an understanding of how to connect invisible track to those Vulcan locks.

However, after spending untold hours trying to get the things to transport the canal barges up and down (for a Dearnby route) I have to say that the track arrangements with those Vulcan locks is a very trying process. You must connect the right parts and have them at the right length & uninclined; the trackmarks involved must be placed just-so; the invisible signals must be employed to control the up & down steps, with signal placement also exact.

Eventually you will master the process .... if you don't beat in your screen with the keyboard first whilst having a good ol' scream & shout! :)

Lataxe
 
Canal Locks and invisible track

stagecoach said:
Use Vulcans invisible track. What I'm confused over is how you are connecting the track to the top level. You don't connect the bottom level to the top level as that is part of the asset.
My Canals route on the DLS has all of Vulcans locks working.
Click to expand...

Thank you Stagecoach. My tracks enter at low level one end and (try to) connect at high level at the opposite end. I've now tried Vulcan's inv. tracks, but they won't properly connect to the upper (green) spline point, although they connect and won't move, indicating a proper connection, a narrow boat derails between the green lock stub and the inv, track. What is unusual is that when I connect an Auran non invisible rail, the Narrow Boat travels along (underneath) correctly.
I have another Route with the same locks/inv. tracks with trackmarks and inv. signals where AI boats operate perfectly! I'd love to copy and paste from here to my new route, but I can't. Looking in Content on the download station I notice that Vulcan's locks are 'out of date' ........is this the issue?
Lodger
 
They may be out of date but I think you are trying to set them up wrong. You connect at the lower end to enter but you do not then connect the lower end to the higher end. You only connect the higher end from the exit to the rest of the route. Think of the lock as a turntable, you connect to the stubs only, the middle of the lock is the turntable only it goes up and down instead of around.
 
Thanks Stagecoach. I'm doing exactly as you say bottom to bottom, top only to the rest of layout....Narrowboat derails on exit, although mini map shows secure connection.
Lodger
 
lodger said:
Thanks Stagecoach. I'm doing exactly as you say bottom to bottom, top only to the rest of layout....Narrowboat derails on exit, although mini map shows secure connection.
Lodger
Click to expand...
I had read somewhere that Vulcan had noticed that the inv. track sometimes disconnected during lock operation - this seems to be happening to me! Is it best that I delete the lock assets from my computer and reload them from Contents download?
 
lodger said:
John.....I see the Middleton canal in the download station (a session), but can't download it.......how do I see it please?
Lodger
Click to expand...


KUID:117948:100273 is the route but downloading the session should bring in the route etc. Chris did mention that there was a certain level of frustration before he managed to get the locks working.

Cheerio John
 
Thanks John. My TS 12 won't download it in Contents manager - just get a red box in the download progress block!
Lodger
 
Hi Guys,

There were problems with the locks and transfer tables in Tane if I recall, I found that previously working models had disconnected track in Tane, I did some tests connecting regular visible track to the locks, to see what was going on. Randomly, as the table came up to meet the higher track, the attached visible track would disconnect and fall to the ground. I did update one of the models with small track extensions, Table 5 I think, so you could place triggers on the extensions. In AI the boat has to be able to see a trigger beyond the lock so it can drive fully into the lock. The track 5 models seemed to work.

I had the same problems with regular lateral transfer tables in Tane, I gave up making them as the connection problem was random and I could not solve it at the time.

We discussed the issues in this post, Stagecoach might remember the problems.

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?141148

Ian
 
vulcan said:
Hi Guys,

There were problems with the locks and transfer tables in Tane if I recall, I found that previously working models had disconnected track in Tane, I did some tests connecting regular visible track to the locks, to see what was going on. Randomly, as the table came up to meet the higher track, the attached visible track would disconnect and fall to the ground. I did update one of the models with small track extensions, Table 5 I think, so you could place triggers on the extensions. In AI the boat has to be able to see a trigger beyond the lock so it can drive fully into the lock. The track 5 models seemed to work.

I had the same problems with regular lateral transfer tables in Tane, I gave up making them as the connection problem was random and I could not solve it at the time.

We discussed the issues in this post, Stagecoach might remember the problems.

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?141148

Ian
Click to expand...
Hi Ian. Table 5 in my TS 12 disconnects in manual and AI mode. I checked an earlier table 5 on a previous route - and low and behold it is now disconnecting! Should I delete the table from my Contents, and reload it from DS, even if it says table 5 is 'obsolete'? John
 
I experimented with two models, when the issues was mentioned in 2017, I thought they might have been working when we finished:
<kuid2:60238:60041:2> Small Canal Lock 5 narrow
<kuid2:60238:60053:1> Small Canal Lock 6 Narrow

Lock 6 is a slightly longer version of 5.

These are on the DLS, and still current. You could try to re-download, but you need to delete the ones already placed in Surveyor and re-place them again. As I mentioned, the disconnect at the time seemed to be random. For a lateral transfer table I was making, the connections would work, then when I came back to an earlier tested track connection it would derail.

The problems started in TS12, I am somewhat disappointed in having models function correctly in an earlier version of Trainz and then fail in later ones. There were problems with the boat models not moving immediately with the table as it started, the model was playing catchup.

Ian
 
Chris Nawlins eventually got the locks to work in Middleton with canals in TANE but I remember a number of emails when he was doing it.

Cheerio John
 
It's been a while, but I seem to remember extending the canal lock invisible track by about 2m each end and adding lots and lots of invisible signals and TMs.

This was all to make the locks compatible with AI running of the boats.

It did take quite a while to get it right but the locks work works fine in Middleton.

Cheers
 
Sometimes my TRS19 gets confused and forgets things but at other times it remembers. I have had the red invisible track break from the lock asset and fail to let boats in. I simply lowered the asset and raised it back again to get the track back in the correct place. 99.9% of the time it is fine.
 
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