220hotwheels

Hi Many thanks for your advice. Clearly I must now look at the Heavy Truck spec and see if it offers the facility for custom texture. If it does then I'll give it a go. Certainly it would seem to be more straight forward than trying to learn how to use such as Blender to change the colours if indeed that is where they would otherwise need to be changed. Many thanks Pete

Hi This message is primarily directed to @fmkberlin I have been using numerous of your items in several layouts and must say that I really do admire you and all other contributors who produce such fantastic models for we humble members, who lack such skills, to produce such things ourselves. The layout that I am currently working on requires me to use your Heavy Tractor unit many times, basically the layout contains a fleet of trucks and whilst I am happy to continue with the yellow as the fleet colour I was wondering if it would be possible to create a more personal colour scheme. I am quite happy to undertake this task if a) it is possible and b) you are able to provide me with some tuition as to how to go about this. One of the companies that I owned and ran for many years was a road haulage company and I have taken the liberty to include a picture of the type of colour scheme that I hope to be able to achieve, if at all possible. Clearly if this is not possible then I will happily stay with the yellow and simply add some text to personalise each truck, but as the saying goes, if you don't ask then you never know if it's possible. Kind regards Pete Hallo Diese Nachricht richtet sich in erster Linie an @fmkberlin Ich habe zahlreiche Ihrer Artikel in verschiedenen Layouts verwendet und muss sagen, dass ich Sie und alle anderen Mitwirkenden, die so fantastische Modelle für uns bescheidene Mitglieder produzieren, denen solche Fähigkeiten fehlen, wirklich bewundere, um solche Dinge selbst zu produzieren. Das Layout, an dem ich gerade arbeite, erfordert, dass ich Ihre Schwere Zugmaschine viele Male benutze, im Grunde enthält das Layout eine Flotte von Lastwagen und während ich glücklich bin, mit dem Gelb als Flottenfarbe fortzufahren, habe ich mich gefragt, ob es möglich wäre, ein persönlicheres Farbschema zu erstellen. Ich bin sehr glücklich, diese Aufgabe zu übernehmen, wenn a) es möglich ist und b) Sie in der Lage sind, mir etwas Unterricht zu geben, wie man das macht. Eines der Unternehmen, die ich viele Jahre lang besaß und leitete, war ein Straßentransportunternehmen, und ich habe mir die Freiheit genommen, ein Bild von der Art der Farbgebung aufzunehmen, die ich hoffentlich erreichen kann, wenn irgend möglich. Klar, wenn das nicht möglich ist, dann bleibe ich gerne beim Gelb und füge einfach etwas Text hinzu, um jeden LKW zu personalisieren, aber wie das Sprichwort sagt, wenn man nicht fragt, dann weiß man nie, ob es möglich ist. Herzliche Grüße Pete

To @simonjackson1964and @Dad3353 Hi Guys Many thanks for your thoughts. Your not the first people to suggest it could be a driver issue. I sent an error log to Neo regarding another issue and he too came back and suggested that it must be a problem with the Nvidia drivers. Problem is all drivers are completely up to date. Strange thing but Windows did some updates this morning and since then, coupled with ditching my 18 month old Logitech mouse and reverting back to the wired Dell basic I've had no issues, fingers, legs, toes and anything else crossed, I hope it continues. I will admit that I find the wired mouse a bit of a pain so have ordered an MX Master3 which I hope will be OK. Hey Douglas no one is older than me, I'm well into my 70's now but still like to keep up with new technology. Modern cars, up to date computers, you name it I like to give them all a try. I'm not saying that I know a lot about them but I do like to jump in with two feet and go for the crash course in learning, refraining of course to make sure I don't crash the cars. As for computers. The one I mainly use is only 18 months old, it's a good spec but I'm always looking to upgrade. My wife however is not happy when I do change. She says it takes up all my time familiarising myself with it and sorting out problems transferring programs. I however find it a challenge, irritating some times but ultimately quite therapeutic. Once again thanks for your thoughts. Pete

Hi Grube In that case the problem just get more mysterious. The setup that I am using is very similar in spec to yours although mine is a PC rather than a laptop but my monitor is only 24". Since our last messages I did find the Dell mouse that came with the PC and have been using it for about 1 hour 30mins. The lag problem has not happened since but I have had an occasion where the mouse has frozen so that where every I move it on the screen everything moves with it. In order to "un freeze" it I need to depress the scroll wheel, then all is fine again. Perhaps I need an earth strap around my wrist!!!!! or some would say my neck!!!! or a new mouse. Once again thanks for your input. Kind regards Pete

Hi @MS-Sandokan Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply. It's great news to hear that you do not have any problems. Not so good news for me as it begins to point towards a problem at my end. Since posting my question earlier I have begun to wonder whether the wireless mouse that I use, both Logitech, are the actual culprits. Perhaps I will have to dig out the USB mouse that came with the Dell PC and see if that makes any difference. In a way I hope not as returning to a wired mouse seems a bit of a retrograde step. Still if it solves the problem then I'll just have to live with it!! Many thanks Pete

Hi to all Having installed Windows 11 a few weeks ago I have noted that I seem to get quite a few instances where the program seems to hang for several seconds. I first noticed this when moving the mouse around the screen. After moving it simply freezes for a few seconds. By lifting the mouse off the mat and placing it back on again movement seems to be back once more. However the same thing happens if I simply wait a second or two and then move the mouse. Clearly this becomes quite irritating when moving items around the screen. Thus far I have assumed this is an anomaly caused by Windows 11 rather than V7 and have therefore run trouble shooter and subsequently run the program in Windows 8 compatibility mode. That however does not seem to have solved the problem totally. There were no such instances with V6 I would be interested to know if anyone else has a similar problem. At first I thought is was a problem with my mouse but I have changed the batteries, no difference. I have tried a new mouse, still no difference. Has anyone got any thoughts on this please. Many thanks Pete

Many thanks for that. As always the solution is simple, the key is knowing how to interpret the clues. Poirot's little grey cells getting just a bit confused, again!! Many thanks Pete

Hi @Goetz I wonder if I might intrude on your expertise once more in order to establish what I am not doing in order to get my bus to exit from Depot 2 through my EV. On the face of it the process is quite straightforward. The bus enters depot 1 and is transferred to depot 2 where after a given period of time it should exit depot 2 in order to continue it's journey. This only happens at the moment if I manually release it, clearly not the best solution. Kind regards Pete virtual depot test layout.mbp

I've added a counter now to each track and am just monitoring the effects, so far so good so onwards and upwards, as they say. Once again many thanks for your help, I apologise for being something of a slow learner but with perseverance I think I get there in the end. You just need to have the patience of Jobe for members like me!!! Cheers Pete

Hi Goetz Having watch The Chain I decided to begin my example of the level crossing barriers again and to work through it stage by stage noting just what happened as I made alterations to my EV. So I basically started off with everything working as it should, both cars and trains, from the original example that you provided and just on a single track. Then I stopped the loco on that track and checked that the one on the second track was fine. Next I set both locos in operation and noted that there were times when the timings for the trains to trip the 'close contact' meant that the barriers would jump if one of the trains was arriving too late and the barriers were beginning to open. I solved this by noting there positions of each loco and adjusting the position of each of the two 'close barriers' contacts. Thus far having run them for 30mins solid all has worked perfectly. I then addressed the operation of the vehicles and these too now seem to function as they should. As I worked through each stage I stopped to ask myself what was happening and how should I proceed to create the next step. Logic and cause and effect at work I hope. Having now seen the example that you have produced to explain your methodology to Douglas I can now see how I might improve my rather haphazard attempt to create one that relied more on trial and error, so many thanks for that. Cheers Pete

How very true. Alf Garnett was very popular back in the 80's/90's. My Dad worked in removals for Pickfords. When he retired he was General manager of their Manchester branch. During school holidays, back in the early 60's I used to work on the vans to earn a bit of pocket money and some of the lads that I worked with were certainly a colourful lot! We also came across many "very thrifty" clients but I don't recall any of them going so far as to take the ashes out of the grate. Anyway many thanks for sharing that little gem. As they say the older ones are the best and that is often so very true. Cheers Pete

Perhaps a bit of both! As for the vehicle movements. I hadn't really consider that and having taken a brief look the results are not good so I still have much work to do. For now however my little grey cells can't take any more logical thinking. Perhaps after I have watched "The Chain" and pondered further I might see the solution. Cheers Pete

Hi Goetz Many thanks for your further prompt to my little grey cells. As a result I think I now have the EV right and the barriers seem to perform as they should. If this is so then your confirmation that my solution is as correct as it should be rather than just a lucky guess at my view of logic would be appreciated after all I might as well get the most perfect EV solution rather than just one that seems to work. Assuming all to be correct then I will look to apply this to my layout. Cheers Pete Level crossing barriers test layout.mbp

Hi Goetz Well I have taken your advice and tackled the problem with both logic and cause and effect. The net result is to at least have the barriers working fine on the close front. They also work OK on the open front although I don't seem to be able to achieve the "last train past" element for opening the barriers. Each train does this independently. My conclusion is that instead of having this instruction in the EV for each track that I somehow need to have this only once, perhaps in common instructions. My dilemma is just how to construct this so that it refers to each track. Are you able to point me in the right direction please. Cheers Pete Level crossing barriers test layout.mbp

I totally agree but without too much information to explain each element, its effects and aims then all you have left is a stab in the dark. It is rather like learning to become a motor mechanic. You either learn by example or you learn through training. Both provide you with a degree of information and one hopes skills to move forward but if the trainee is given the task of replacing the ABS system and left to get on with it then all he has available is the ability to take a stab in the dark. Anyway that said I continue my deliberations with the crossing barriers and am trying to apply logic. Perhaps it is too early to say but I am hopeful that I might have seen the errors of my "stab in the Dark" days, certainly with one track, now to move on and see if the same logic will allow both tracks to control the barriers correctly. I'll let you know how things turn out even if the criminal element of my EV gets the better of me!! Cheers Pete

Hi Goetz As you have already noted, Douglas has also replied with more or less the same advice. You are perfectly correct in your comment that I do tend to do things at random in the hope that I get it right, using only a little true knowledge. I do find however that, for me at least, repetition is the most effective way to address a problem especially when some of the instruction is not necessarily immediately obvious. So time to try to apply a more logical approach. I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers Pete

Hi Douglas Many thanks for your advice, some of which definitely sounds a bit like monkey business!! I can follow your comments to a point. One train runs round and operates the barriers correctly. If I check the variable just after the train has contacted the TC to close them then the variable count is. After it has passed the TC to open the barrier then the count is returned to zero. With both trains on the move the first passes the TC to close and adds 1 to the variable. If I stop that train before it gets to the crossing and allow the second one to proceed then the variable is increased to 2 . After both trains have passed their respective TC's to open the barriers then the variable returns to 0. So I conclude that is working fine. I have just had a message from Goetz which has basically told me the same thing as you have mentioned, no testing condition. I now think I know what to do in order to sort this out. I'll let you know how I get on. Pete

Hi Goetz As promised I have created a small test layout using my somewhat limited knowledge in order to extend the original operations perfectly functioning level crossing barrier control, albeit for just a single track. Clearly I am either barking up the wrong tree, metaphorically speaking, or just got the right bits but in the wrong order, or totally wrong all together. Having taken the original system I concluded that I needed to introduce a counting mechanism in order to tell the barriers when to open and close and so I added a number variable to the barriers as well as the keyword. It seems to work by either adding one or subtracting one but the barriers still go up and down of their own free will. So my conclusion. It's definitely the chauffeur with monkey wrench who keeps attacking my poor crossing barriers, unless of course you know something different!!! Cheers Pete Level crossing barriers test layout.mbp

Hi Goetz I have ben playing around with all sorts since my last message and have now got the barriers to come down when they should and go up when they should the only problem now is that each train as it triggers the action causes the barriers to go up and down so I have ended up with the equivalent of a Greek police man directing traffic and barriers going up and down as if chopping meat. It's quite comical really but for tonight I have decided that I cannot cope with any more humour, my sides just won't take any more laughter so I'll take another look tomorrow to see if I can see my next errors. I would be quite happy to send you a copy of this amusing operation, I feel a bit like Inspector Clouseau, but I'm not quite sure how best to do so. I can't send you the whole mbp as it's over 5250kb so I might just have to redo a test layout tomorrow and send that. For now I will lay down my truncheon, hang up my handcuffs and call it a day!!! Cheers Pete

Hi Goetz I've just been working through my EV in an effort to try to provide you with more detail. I began by looking at the four barriers, which I have in two groups but all four have the same variable "DECBARRIER. In carrying out this little exercise I noted that this variable is a keyword and I now wonder if it should be a number. I'll try that and see if it solves the problem. My only other thought is whether I should have all four barriers in just one group? Kind regards Pete

Hi Goetz Having got to grips with the basics of level crossing barrier control, thanks to your advice and example, I now have the challenge of adapting this to cope with multiple tracks. Sorting it out so that any train on any track operates the barriers and controls the vehicles was not so difficult but I now seem to be getting in a bit of a muddle trying to adjust this so that the barrier will only go up and the vehicles start to move after the last train has passed. I have taken the liberty to attach my efforts thus far which have been based on the assumption that each train would have to add '1' to the crossing barriers as they approach and a minus'1' as they leave so that when '0' is reached the barriers can go up and the vehicles start to move. Clearly I have not got this right and am not sure how to achieve this. Might I call upon your expertise for more guidance please. Kind regards Pete

Well in a way I'm glad it did do it for you in V7 although I had hoped that my skills for messing things up was a unique skill solely attributable to me. Just goes to show that I'm not alone in the messing up department!! whether by chance , over enthusiasm, through a unique skill or just plain carelessness. I think I like the unique skill the most!! Kind regards Pete

Hi Many thanks for your thoughts and the clip. That you have not been able to reproduce this in V7 is surprising. I seem to be able to make all kinds of mistakes in just about every version of the program that I have had, V4,V5,V6 and V7. It must just be one of my many talents!!! Kind regards Pete

Hi Goetz Many thanks for that. It certainly explains what I might be doing to cause this so I will have to be more careful in the future and take your advice with regard to recording via either Windows or Nvidia. It has taken me almost one hour to correct these errors, which is an hour I could have spent on more productive activities. That said it's all part of the learning curve!!! Kind regards Pete

Hi everyone I wonder if anyone else has found that some TC's seem to magically move off track every now and then. Perhaps it is something that I am doing that makes this happen. The only conclusion in that regard so far is that when moving my mouse over the layout I am inadvertently catching an object and causing it to move but it would seem to be rather coincidental that it only seems to affect TC's and the occasional piece of track. All of that said I have also noted that some cargo pads, locked to waggons, also seem to move every now and then and those are definitely not through anything that I have caught inadvertently. I am generally curious to know why this might happen and is there a solution short of applying some Gorilla glue!!!! Kind regards Pete