220hotwheels

Wow, now I really do feel like a novice. I've only briefly looked at your EV but I'm very impressed. You have certainly given me something to aspire to but it will clearly take me some time to get my head round what I need to do in order to improve my approach to these two elements. I think the phrase that springs to mind in summarising is "less hit and miss more realism and accuracy". I now do fully understand your suggestion to apply 'logic' although the degree of logic depends upon the individuals extent of knowledge. Clearly mine has a way to go yet. Pete

Hi Goetz I began to plan what I needed to do in order to follow your advice and whist doing so had a bit of a eureka moment with regards to the TC that ultimately controlled the release of vehicles to cross the barrier. I've attached a screenshot of the result which does seem to work OK. However I now plan to follow your guidance with another alternative using the switch to see if by doing so I can reduce some of the TC's used. It might also prove useful to provide greater control of the road 'T' junctions. Pete Level crossing and traffic light controlled road junctions demo_2.mbp

Thank you Goetz. That sounds so simple a solution and so obvious. I'll make the changes and hope no other issue ensue. If they do then more work for those little grey cells!!

Having applied, what I consider, a bit more of a logical approach to this problem I feel that I have made steps forward. However there remains one issue that I simply cannot find the solution to. In the attached screenshot the CB is down, the AFS tipper has stopped as has the vehicles on the opposite carriageway. The problem is that once the bus has left the TC at it's rear the TC on which the AFS tipper truck is stopped then changes to 20kph and the truck simply drivers through the barrier, the train etc. Logically the TC on which the tipper truck is stopped needs to be linked to the actual CB stop TC if the barriers are down but once the barrier is open then it needs to revert back to the TC at the back of the bus (as per the screenshot) and despite my best efforts I have not been able to achieve this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Getting this right will provide greater flexibility under other circumstances. Pete Level crossing and traffic light controlled road junctions demo_2.mbp

Once again thanks for that. I'll take another look at all of this later and see if I can make a more "professional" solution based on your suggestion.

Thanks for that. I'll take another look at that element. The problem seems to be trying to strike a happy balance between the various vehicle sizes. At the moment I have chosen to get everyone to stop until told to proceed. I introduced the second barrier stop to try to ensure that if the barrier was down and a vehicle stopped on the temp stop that it did not begin to move through the closed barrier if the vehicle on the other side moved due to a traffic light change and therefore release the one stopped on the other side temp stop. Yes it can release it but then it must stop at the second barrier stop to await said barrier lifting. I'm still not sure I have this right yet as the temp stop sets a speed to go which I think the second barrier stop might simply ignore but as yet this has not come into play. More monitoring ahead. Kind regards Pete

Hi Phrontistes Having taken your advice I have introduced some TC's to control the traffic on the side affected by the traffic lights. It does seem to work OK but I can't help feeling that my interpretation is just a bit ham fisted. The traffic flows OK but it is a bit stilted. I have played around with the position of the TC's but seems to make much of a difference. Perhaps you know of a more sophisticated way to approach this which will add greater realism. Otherwise I will revise the *.pdf and repost. Kind regards Pete Level crossing and traffic light controlled road junctions demo_1.mbp

Great solution, now why didn't I think of that!!!!!! Perhaps because at this moment in time I'm not sure just how to implement that but a little experimenting will soon find the answer. Many thanks for your advice. Once revised I'll post an amended version. It really is Murphy's law that you had the bus stopped on the crossing with the barrier down. I thought I had adjusted the timings on the lights to take this into account. Just goes to show, the closer you are to something the less you see. Cheers Pete

And I think that is really the difference between us and a computer program. We are taught not to enter any obstacles unless you have a clear exit. In the case of the demo I could perhaps move the counter and close tc's further back up the track to ensure the barriers close sooner and link the flashing barrier lights to the tc too.

True it's not ideal but it does happen more than one might think. There are such crossings within a 9 mile radius of my home. Clearly human beings are somewhat better at coping than a computer program. Anyway many thanks for your view on this. I could have made the layout more sterile I suppose. Cheers Pete

Hi to all my fellow members I realise there was a post in January regarding programming level crossings suitable answered by Goetz. However, I would now like to take this to another level. It would seem that both level crossings and road junction control can present issues for many members, myself included. Several years ago both Goetz and Roter Brummer helped me to resolve these issues, in particular with regard to multiple tracks. Since then I have tried to fine tune both of these elements in order to provide as much realism as possible. Whilst the basic principle remains fairly straightforward, in reality there are several components that come into play when fine tuning, not least of all time and location of each element. Over the years I have been privileged to benefit from both the expertise of other members as well as the extraordinary skill of our model makers and I now think it time to try to give just a little bit back. Model building with Blender is definitely not a possibility. The skill to produce anything within that media is totally beyond me. However, I am a bit of an artist. I enjoy creating large model layouts and finding solutions to operational issues. With that in mind I have prepared a demo layout which incorporates both level crossing and traffic light control. It may not be perfect, it may not be the most sophisticated but it does seem to work OK . One final point I should mention falls into the category of either operator inadequacy, program limitations or simply road rage. I refer of course to the occasional incidents where a vehicle tries to either jump the queue or push through another vehicle that is negotiating a turn. Either way if anyone can provide a solution then I would be most grateful. Everything else included in the layout is just a distraction to fill the space. I have also prepared a short instruction sheet which I hope will help. Have fun. I hope it all works as well for you as it has been for me. Cheers Pete Level crossing and traffic light controlled road junctions demo_1.mbp Level crossing and traffic light controlled junctions.pdf

Hi Sualokink Once again many thanks for taking the trouble to produce the right hand drive versions of your wonderful models, your efforts are greatly appreciated. Best regards Pete

Hi Sualokink It must just be me and something that I had not noticed with other models. It was simply that when viewed from the front a vehicle with it's headlights on shows quite predominant illumination from the area of the lights. However this is not an issue. As for the busses. We have three predominate types of bus. One is similar to IDBCDDB550-3178-4277-ACB6-3B042716F22E, one is similar to IDDF1F3F28-0230-4378-ADD9-261C9A7C69F7 and the final one is similar to ID2A0E0FAF-8506-454E-853B-98426B82C929. Single decker busses have doors that open at the front nearside and double decker's have 2 opening doors as shown. I know the pictures aren't great but I hope they help. Best regards Pete

Hi Sualokink It is absolutely brilliant. I am very grateful for you taking the time to accommodate my request, I think you are perhaps the only model maker that has taken the trouble to produce right hand drive versions of some of your wonderful models. This adds a greater dimension to MBS than might be first realised. You ask if there is anything that I might consider an improvement. My initial thought relates simply to the headlight. In night mode the headlight is on and the effect perfect apart from when the car is viewed from the front the visual effect is not quite realistic enough, or am I being just a tad picky!!! However as we found with Nikolaus II and the Renault Magnum trucks detail is what helps to make your models stand out from many others. My latest layout, a U.K. one has many of your model vehicles included and I think I get away with these being left hand drive through careful placement but for those of real prominence right hand drive is essential, hence my request regarding the busses. I have also asked Neo if he would consider adding right hand drive options to two of his 45 degree road junctions. Whilst the ones in the catalogue still work for right hand drive movements the signage is wrong so by simply removing it I feel it would give greater flexibility. I have begun to construct these junctions separately but they are much messier than the originals. Best regards Pete

@Neo I wonder if it would be at all possible for you to produce a copy of the road junctions 1B124B33-B18D-4D4C-9060-1CF549F4D5F4 and 0C79C746-ED2D-4942-84A5-66FD41F3B83A for vehicles driving on the left, ie right hand drive vehicles. It is not necessary to include the stop signs etc. Most other junctions I think it possible to overcome this issue but these two are causing me some problems in producing a manual version. Kind regards Pete

Hi Sualokink I concur with Thomas_103, your models are absolutely brilliant. Once again you have surpassed yourself. Being a picky Yorkshireman, is there any chance of right hand drive. Pete

That would be brilliant and very much appreciated. Thank you. Pete

Hi Sualokink Well that is a real shame. Any chance you can add a single decker and double decker bus to your every expanding list of models to consider? Otherwise my U.K. layout will have to be transported over to Europe like all the rest. Pete

Hi to all our wonderful model makers Since I became a member of MBS in 2019 I have accepted the simple fact that despite there being both a German and English version this is basically a German produced program and that many of the model makers are also German so one accepts that the models created are based upon German designs with left hand drive for all vehicles. Until now this has not been an issue as all of my layouts have taken these factors into account. However I am currently working on a layout that is a scene set in the U.K. and whilst this does not present a problem, as such, with locomotives it does with road vehicles, especially busses. In the past I have used, quite extensively some of the wonderful models created by fmkberlin but alas these only have left hand drive with the passenger doors on the right. Clearly here in the U.K. this would be an absolute disaster with carnage everywhere. Which brings me to my request. To @fmkberlinwould it be possible to produce a right hand drive version of your busses and to all other model makers might it now be possible to also include right hand drive in other road vehicles. SualokinK very kindly provided both left and right hand drive options in some of his latest models for which I am most grateful. Many thanks for your consideration to this request. Pete

Hi Klaus Well that is certainly somewhat of a contrast to Nikolaus II and all of your other models but once again you've come up with a winner. Adding such great models to a less than oversubscribed section of the catalogue is brilliant. Many thanks. Pete

Thanks Goetz, yep I do quite a lot of mistyping. I try to do it all just too fast sometimes. I think my fingers go just a little too fast for brain to keep up, we'll that's my excuse anyway. Pete

Yep me too. On reflection I think the error must have occurred when I selected each piece of track in the station and did a copy then pasted into a test layout. Perhaps I was too enthusiastic with the copy bit. No matter all is now well so thanks for your advice Pete

Hi Simon Many thanks for all of your suggestions. I will bear them in mind for the future. My problem was however solved by Goetz insight. How on earth I had managed to do this I really don't know but nevertheless I had managed to have upto 3 sections of track on top of one another in one place and a couple of tracks on top of one another in two other places on the curve in the station. Having sorted this out the problem simply disappeared. All track contacts did what they were supposed to do and each train reduced its' speed at the right point. So I seem to have ended 2024 adding a new membership to my belt, "The Clutts Club", mind you I think I have been in the wigs for this nomination for some time. Take care and all the very best for 2025. Pete

Hi Goetz I would never have thought of that. I have since checked and, as you suggested, found a track on top of another on 2 sections of the station platform track. I have now removed these and the next train into the station missed the TC to reduce to 20kph but did locate the 10kph TC and the stop TC so it would seem that your recommendation is as they say "on the money". I'll go back now over the track section for the 20kph to investigate this a little more. Very many thanks for your extraordinary quick reply and solution, which simply highlights that most problems are caused by carelessness. This is one error that I will not repeat. I hope you have had a great Christmas, all the very best to you and your family for the coming New Year. Pete