Are there any auto staff/mail exchangers available for Trainz (TANE in particular)

rmdk

New member
Was wondering if there are any auto staff/mail exchangers available? If so, where?

Are there any rolling stock carriages to utilise these?

Russell
 
Hello John,

Years ago on Victorian Railways, Australia, before centralised signalling came in, a "staff" was used to ensure trains didn't enter occupied sections of track. This "staff" was a circle of metal or a rod of metal that was exchanged at stations from driver to station master and vice versa, to ensure safe passage. As they got cleverer, an mechanical, auto system of handing over a staff was developed, to allow trains to accept a "staff" while travelling at speed through the station. This meant that trains didn't have to slow to almost a stop to hand over the"staff".

I think mail was dropped off by using a similar system in Britain.

Hope you can make sense of my description.

Just had a look on you tube - if you do a search for automatic staff (token) exchanger, video of what I am talking will show.

Russell
 
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Russell,

Check out the assets by Elstoko, if that's how he spells his username. He made something like that.

<kuid2:368725:35009:2> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern B
<kuid:368725:35010> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern A
<kuid:368725:35012> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern B
<kuid:368725:35014> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern D
<kuid:368725:35016> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern C
<kuid:368725:35018> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern A
<kuid:368725:35019> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern C
<kuid:368725:35020> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern D
<kuid2:368725:90035:9> Staff-transfer track, for avatar operation

Hope these help. I have no idea how to use them.
 
Russell,

Check out the assets by Elstoko, if that's how he spells his username. He made something like that.

<kuid2:368725:35009:2> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern B
<kuid:368725:35010> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern A
<kuid:368725:35012> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern B
<kuid:368725:35014> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern D
<kuid:368725:35016> Staff, ordinary, wood, Pattern C
<kuid:368725:35018> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern A
<kuid:368725:35019> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern C
<kuid:368725:35020> Staff, miniature electric, Pattern D
<kuid2:368725:90035:9> Staff-transfer track, for avatar operation

Hope these help. I have no idea how to use them.

They are used in a series of TS12 sessions and routes based around the Fingal line in Tasmania, set in 1955.

A simple demonstration session that, when downloaded and installed into TS12 will also download and install a cut down version of the full layout and other needed assets, is called TGR Fingal Line 1955 Demonstration Session <KUID2:45176:100032:4>. Other sessions are available that will require the full layout. Search for TS12 sessions by myself pware

I am currently working on a full T:ANE version of the Fingal line to be released when SP2 is out. While it does not use the staff assets of the TS12 version, it still "simulates" the exchange of section staffs at control points along the line.
 
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Thanks JCitron & Pware for your replies.

johnwhelan, also thanks for your input.

I'll have a look at the Fingal stuff in the hope finding something that will do what I am trying to do.

Regards,

Russell
 
I think there is the asset you are looking for somewhere. I remember it. It would be from an early version and maybe on a european site.
Might have even been in Thomas the Tank.
Cheers,
Mike
 
Thanks Mike.

Are there any 'destructions' about how to set up the Fingal assets?
Also, are there any rolling stock that use these assets?

Thanks in advance,

Russell
 
If you download the Fingal sessions you will get all the rolling stock (T and H Class steam, X class diesel and a DP railmotor) that use the ordinary staff, electric staff and tickets as "commodities" carried in the loco cab, plus the "industry assets" that are used to exchange the staff/tickets. The layout asset contains the complete manual, as a .txt file which has to be renamed to a .pdf to read, that explains everything you need to use the system. It is not for the faint hearted.
 
Before you invest time in the Fingal Line staff assets, rmdk22, be aware that these staff assets did not entail the auto-exchanger that you seek. The staff exchange on the Fingal Line was performed by railway personnel moving between stationary trains and the safeworking equipment. And this is how it is represented in the Fingal Line Trainz sessions - the players perform the safeworking by inhabiting Safeworking Officer avatars.
 
Hi all,

Concerning the ordinary staff by Elstoko, Trainz 2012 (build 61383) lists it as a bug:


OST:Threadexception:ER Exception, line 530, file ost v9.gs(10)

OST:MeshObject.Set FXT Texture Replacement>Asset is not of 'texture group' kind (file mesh object gs) (10).

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
PRR1361,you refer to errors that occur for asset: <kuid2:368725:90016:9> Ordinary staff and ticket box, for avatar operation
Under what circumstances are these errors observed? Do you observe them in Content Manager when you install the asset, or are they observed in Trainz Surveyor mode when you either first place an instance of the asset in the route or when you attempt to configure an instance of the asset using its properties editor?

Regarding the reported error "OST:Threadexception:ER Exception, line 530, file ost v9.gs(10)", line 530 of the script is:

me.SetFXTextureReplacement("box-skin", boxTexture, p_index*3);

As part of the configuration of the staff&ticket box, the user can specify different colours to be applied to the box according to the colour code for the staff section to which the box applies. The above line of code remembers the user's colour choice and applies it to the box each time the route and session is launched. The colours are stored in a "texture group" asset:
<kuid2:368725:55006:2> Ordinary staff and ticket box texture group
Do you have the texture group asset installed? If so, does it show any errors in Content Manager?

When I install the asset into TANE (I do not have TS12 on my PC), I do not see any errors generated in Content Manager. I then opened Surveyor and placed an instance of the OST box and edited its colour code without any errors being generated.

By the way, this topic does not follow the thread initiator's subject. It would be better handled by a new thread with a more relevant subject heading.
 
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Dear ElSotko,

Thank-you, once I downloaded texture group it works fine. Initially, DLC would not download the texture group, and after the wind blowing the right direction, and having the right temperature DLC downloaded. Trainz did not signal there was a problem until I ran the session. When it loaded the OST box was present, but not the staff itself. Content Manager showed no errors, just in the session. Thank-you again, and a thousand pardons for accidently hijacking the thread.

PRR1361
 
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