Simply Occupancy Circut For Use With Grade Crossings?

I have a lot of switching scenarios in a couple of routes I have built in TRS19, and the two grade crossing systems that I have tried have some challenges that I can't seem to overcome in that environment. That ATLS system doesn't seem to like the stopping and backing up action that switching entails...and the TRC system has some different issues in a 'switching environment' including my inability to figure out how to place a crossing in the curved track that crosses may of the streets involved.

My other issue with the TRC system is that he grade crossing systems deactivate (lights go off, gates go up, traffic resumes) when the train is coasting in 'idle'. As soon as you pull the throttle out of notch 1, the gates go back up, even if the train hasn't slowed down and is approaching the crossing.

In most cases I'm modeling, the prototype grade crossing systems don't operate on any sort of 'predictive' technology or anything fancy...there is an island circuit on both sides of the crossing...50 feet, 100 feet...whatever, and if a train is in it, the lights flash and the gates come down. If the train is one foot outside that block, there's no crossing action. That's all I'm trying to model.

Is there a simple 'occupancy' asset...detecting that there is some part of a train between the two 'triggers/detectors/something?', that could then be connected to traffic stoppers, grade crossing assets, etc?

This seems like a relatively simple thing...especially since it's the same basic occupancy technology that makes the signal systems work in Trainz, so I think maybe I just haven't stumbled across the combination of assets that will make it work.

Suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Geno

ATLS can be used in that situation and depends on how the trackwork is placed out around it. A combination of triggers and ATLS driver commands can work.

The TRC system can work that way as well. You need to set the radius of your crossing gates. It's in meters. I did this for a passenger commuter route I drive. The train pulls into the station and stops, and the gates remain down.

For road crossing at other than straight on, check out the stoppers that Dave Snow made some with extended arms that will keep the traffic further back from the crossing that work well. You can then adjust the road a bit better for the crossing.

JCitron said:

The TRC system can work that way as well. You need to set the radius of your crossing gates. It's in meters. I did this for a passenger commuter route I drive. The train pulls into the station and stops, and the gates remain down.

For road crossing at other than straight on, check out the stoppers that Dave Snow made some with extended arms that will keep the traffic further back from the crossing that work well. You can then adjust the road a bit better for the crossing.

Click to expand...

Those are for ATLS, for TRC, look under the username Scottish.

For angles, someone also taught me to just lay the road over the track and then lower the spline pints until just the rails show. Sometimes that looks more natural that trying to fit a specific crossing asset in there.

What Forester1 said about the crossings on curves, yeah. Of course, the roads don't curve but the track can. I prefer using the TRC 2-track invisible crossing even on single track rather than the conventional straight single track for that reason as well as providing a little more road traffic stopping distance. The track does not have to connect.

I just worked through the bouncy gates issue on my upgrades to Marias Pass Approach. It's a trigger issue with a simple solution: The gates bounce when approached from the rear of the trigger regardless of train direction. Put a second trigger pointed the other way (on t'other side of the crossing) at roughly the same distance and set to the same radii. The crossing will then operate as we want.

:B~)

jordon412 said:

Those are for ATLS, for TRC, look under the username Scottish.

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Dave Snow's stoppers work fine. I wasn't sure at first until I saw them being used on the Eagle River and Dry Creek and Esopus.

JCitron said:

Dave Snow's stoppers work fine. I wasn't sure at first until I saw them being used on the Eagle River and Dry Creek and Esopus.

Click to expand...

You're talking about Jmann's Traffic Stoppers, and yes those were also designed for ATLS, but also work with TRC.

jordon412 said:

You're talking about Jmann's Traffic Stoppers, and yes those were also designed for ATLS, but also work with TRC.

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Dave's work too. I've used them.

Thanks...I'll try that. It's been driving me crazy. Appreciate the tip!