220hotwheels

Hi to all I am, what many might consider to be a tight fisted Yorkshire man, I prefer to think that I am simply considerate when it comes to spending hard earned money. However, I have to also conclude that for me to spend £53 or 60 euros for 12 months, absolute enjoyment is but a drop in the ocean and a decision that takes but a split second to implement. I know we are currently in the beta phase and that I could have been activated to use this +package facility without cost, but Neo has spent considerable time developing this program so that we can all the derive such pleasure from it that for me it made simple sense just to pay the 60 euros and get on with my life. So guys lets not loose sight of the many hours of enjoyment we get from all of Neo's efforts. 60 EURO's divided by 365 makes for a pretty cheap daily entertainment!! Cheers Pete

Hallo Rolf Schön, dass Ihnen das Layout bisher gefallen hat. Leider müssen Sie darauf hinweisen, dass nur Flüge innerhalb Europas verfügbar sind und Sie äußerst klein sein müssen, um diese zu erwischen. Seit ich Ihnen die Screenshots geschickt habe, war ich damit beschäftigt, Änderungen vorzunehmen, es gibt jetzt 5 Flüge, die die Passagiergangway haben, und jeder hat jetzt Passagiere, die während der Ausschiffung und später bei der Einschiffung erscheinen. Während ich das geklärt habe, muss ich sagen, dass ich sehr beeindruckt war von Ihrer Fähigkeit, all die verschiedenen Komponenten zu finden und zusammenzubauen, um diese Passagierstege zu schaffen. Es braucht mehr als nur ein wenig Fantasie, um jede Komponente zu finden und auszuwählen, um ein so großartiges Endprodukt zu schaffen. Ich ziehe meinen Hut vor euch!! Das einzige andere Element, von dem ich auf meinem Layout etwas enttäuscht bin, ist die Möglichkeit, Rollweglinien in Gelb zu erstellen. Ich stelle fest, dass Ihre alle gerade Linien sind, was in Ordnung ist, ich kann sehen, wie ich diese erreichen kann, aber meine müssen gekrümmt sein, da mein Flughafen ziemlich verdichtet ist, also muss ich die Straßenmarkierungen verwenden, die natürlich nur weiß sind, ich habe noch keinen anderen Artikel im Katalog gefunden, der angemessen wäre. Ein weiteres Detail, das mir bisher entgangen ist, ist, dass das Gepäck die Rolltreppe des Gepäckwagens hinauffährt. Es ist kein Problem, die Rolltreppe in Bewegung zu setzen, aber bisher habe ich nicht herausgefunden, wie ich die verschiedenen Gegenstände nach oben und in das Flugzeug bringen kann. Ein bisschen mehr Kopfkratzen ist erforderlich, denke ich, wenn es überhaupt möglich sein wird. Prost Pete

@opax Hi Rolf I have had to move our conversation into the general forum in order to attach the promised screenshots. I hope you find them interesting. Well I have your passenger gangway system working beautifully now, albeit on just 2 planes at the moment, so attached are a couple of screenshots for you to take a look at. The layout is called Trenton. It's only about 60% complete. I've attach a few extra screenshots to give you an overall idea of the layout. I hope you find them interesting Cheers Pete Hallo Rolf Ich musste unsere Konversation in das allgemeine Forum verlegen, um die versprochenen Screenshots anzuhängen. Ich hoffe, Sie finden sie interessant. Nun, ich habe Ihr Passagier-Gangway-System jetzt wunderbar funktionieren, wenn auch im Moment nur in 2 Flugzeugen, also sind ein paar Screenshots beigefügt, die Sie sich ansehen können. Das Layout heißt Trenton. Es ist nur zu etwa 60 % fertig. Ich habe ein paar zusätzliche Screenshots beigefügt, um Ihnen eine allgemeine Vorstellung vom Layout zu geben. Ich hoffe, Sie finden sie interessant. Prost Pete

Hi Phrontistes I fully understand. Kingston, the screenshots that I attached is one of my less complicated layouts. Fairmont, my first is the most complex followed by Portland which has a fully functioning lock. Trenton, the one that I am working on now, will I hope, be somewhat more perfect as far as operational function is concerned as I plan to spend time experimenting with routes and the airport operation will be much slicker. My smallest layout "Woodridge" might be one of the first to get a routes makeover once I have got that element mastered. All the very best. Cheers Pete

Hi Phrontistes Thanks for that I'll take a look. In the meantime I have attached a few screenshots of one of my layouts that I hope you might find interesting. Whilst most of it works it certainly needs a lot of streamlining which may well bring it down in size but until I have gained enough expertise it will have to wait. Cheers Pete

Hi Phrontistes Well at least now I know why it didn't work. That you took a few weeks to achieve your results and knowledge is quite impressive. Without a clear manual to suggest different steps it all becomes a bit of a guessing game, but in a way that is party of the appeal although my real interest is in designing the layout, getting things to work properly is the icing on the cake. Thus far I have designed 4 layouts and am now on my 5th. In each many elements work, to a point, but the overall effect of the layout is, I think quite good. In each I try to introduce something different from knowledge that I have gained but in doing so I tend to put to the back of my mind improvements to my EV knowledge. However as I gain more experience I do keep returning to the original layouts and making adjustments. My only pit fall is the size that each layout becomes. The smallest is just shy of 3000kb and the largest is over 5300kb. My computer copes well with all of these but It does restrict what I can share unless a member is happy for me to send a layout via email as an *.mbp. One other element that also restricts sharing is that on some of the layouts I have some bespoke trucks and trailers, courtesy of another member but they are too large to be considered for the catalogue. My ultimate aim is to produce video's of each so that they can be posted on YouTube, but that's for another day. Anyway I digress. When I look at some of the EV that you and other members produce I cannot but wonder just how you found the elements to choose in order to achieve your results. As you have already seen from my attempt to solve the routes issue, I simply started to look through the various sections of EV to try to find something that resembled a possible result. Clearly the obvious to me was not the answer. Now however, with your advice I might just get it sorted. Once again many thanks Kind regards Pete

Hi Phrontistes Well you make it all seem so simple and very much more reliable and professional than my feeble attempt using lots of signals, timing and switches. It is, however going to take me a little while to work through all of the information that you have sent to me and to watch the video so I didn't want you to think that I was ignoring your most generous advice. Since our last conversation I did try to come up with a solution myself, attached screenshot, but alas it didn't work so hopefully with your guidance and advice I'll get this issue sorted finally and in doing so add considerably to my knowledge base. Many thanks once again. Cheers Pete

I'm confused, and clearly not using "routes" correctly. I assumed that setting a route simply meant clicking on the routes icon at the bottom of the screen, select the train and then simply list the route by means of moving from one signal or TC, (waypoints) to another until that part of the route in question was complete. I have set the route for each train in 2 parts. One leaves the terminal and ends just before the first VD. The second starts after the train has left the last VD and runs through to the freight terminal. Each train begins once it's relevant signal has been switched. I was unaware that it was to activate said route in the EV as well. I can now see the relevant section for activate or deactivate a route but no where have I come across the defer picture that you have sent. Once again I have attached two more screenshot of one of the routes and would welcome your further advice as to the proper method of activating both. Cheers Pete

Thanks for that. At least I can now utilise F12 fully. That said on the rare occasions that I have used it, nothing came up red. Pete

Simply because I have found that after setting a route, with trains in particular, that junctions are more often than not ignored. I've taken another screenshot, this time of the junction in question and showing the route for a particular train, the last one to negotiate this junction. When it arrived at said junction it simply followed the path of the previous train. Pete

Hi Herman No I have not. I have run event trace before but frankly was not able to understand where and when a problem was listed. I think the term most commonly used in my case when it comes to the more technical side of this wonderful pastime is "not the brightest cookie in the jar". I simply keep going through the EV that I have created until I find the error. Not great but it does eventually work. Pete

I spoke too soon. After running the layout for over 30 mins the problem is still there but no where in that part of the EV does it list any vehicle as "empty" in other words in a VD. The fact that one is in a VD still affects the TC instruction, back to the drawing board for a few m ore experiments. Cheers Pete

Hi Guys Well once more many thanks to Herman, Phrontistes and Prinz. With your collective help my problem would seem to now be solved, although it is early days yet. I've attached a screenshot of the latest EV which encapsulates each piece of advice you have supplied plus for good measure something that I thought about earlier, i.e. the Active route element. I'll now introduce this into another section of my EV that had similar problems but that I got round it with 6 different TC, one for each train. Oh the joys of collective minds, especially those with much greater knowledge than mine!! Cheers Pete

Thanks for all of the advice guy's and thanks Prinz for the example for a more specific and simpler instruction in my EV. Lots to experiment with now and fingers crossed I find the right solution to this interesting little problem. Once the solution has been achieved I'll let everyone know. Cheers Pete

Thanks for that Herman. As you have probably picked up from reply to Phontistes I am using V8, and have been able to open your file following your advice. Why it will not open directly from the Windows file manager as was the case before I have no idea. Anyway, I will start to work through your example later today and let you know how it all works out. Once again many thanks for all your advice. Cheers Pete

Yep I am using V8 and yes I always used to find opening an *.mbp file in the way you suggested was OK and simple but since a recent Windows upgrade that does not seem to work. Taking a screen shot is also different. Before this upgrade simply pressing the screenshot key would take a screenshot. Not so now the process is somewhat more convoluted but nevertheless it's not too bad. Anyway having followed Herman's suggestion I was able to open the file and will now start to work through his suggestion. Cheers Pete

Hi Herman Many thanks for your suggestion. As I have said to so many members over time I don't know if I'm just stupid but having downloaded your switch.mbp I don't seem to be able to open it. All I get is a blank screen. I do however take both your point and that of Phontistes that variables are the answer so I will simply delve in to that world and see how far I get. Thanks to you both Pete p.s. I'll keep trying to sort out the download issue.

Yes I understand that is where the problem lies I just don't know how best to solve the issue other than to allocate a separate TC for each of the trains, although I can reduce the number of TC from 6, in this instance, to probably 3 by carefully allocating batches of 2 trains to each of the 3 EV's. Even so that seems to be a bit of an amateurish solution and as there will ultimately be a total of 10 trains at least requiring to negotiate these switches I think I need to find an alternative solution. Kind regards Pete

Hi Phrontistes Thank you so much for taking the trouble to reply to my enquiry. My EV knowledge is still somewhat limited but I will take more time to consider and evaluate your kind suggestion in order to see if it will help. Once again many thanks Pete

Good morning Goetz How remiss of me not to include a screenshot of the EV in question but to simply assume that everyone would know what I was trying to say. Those little grey cells need more than just a gentle nudge!! Therefore, please find attached a screenshot of said EV. Everything works perfectly fine just so long as no train listed in this EV is in a Virtual depot but the moment one is then the instructions to all others goes out the window. I'm sure there will be a solution, other than to give each train it's own TC but I regret my knowledge just doesn't stretch that far yet. I've taken a brief look at the solution offered by Phrontistes but as yet have not been able to workout if it will solve my issue. Kind regards Pete

Hi I have recently started to take virtual depot's more seriously in an effort to try to trim down the size of my current layout. It is working but not as much as I had hoped, perhaps my need for a truly realistic layout is the route cause. Anyway I digress. An issue that I have come across relates to a problem with switches and other instructions within my EV which encapsulate, let us say for argument, 5 trains all on the same overall track/portals/virtual depot's. The problem comes when one of the trains is in a virtual depot and one or more of the others are negotiating a switch, this particular switch being common to all of the trains but there are others that are not common to all, perhaps only one or two. The instruction in the EV is simply ignored. I have got round this temporarily by placing a separate TC for each train, but I feel this to be very messy, I'm sure someone would be able to point me in the right direction in order to a) reduce the number of TC's and b) cover the whole instruction in one "simple" line of EV. No doubt the introduction of variables might provide the answer but my thus far feeble attempt has not proved to be of any use. All suggestions gratefully received. Pete

Hi Neo That would be very much appreciated. It would certainly add greater definition to some elements of scenery production. Many thanks for considering. Peter

Hi I'm not too sure if this would be possible but I'm sure many other members might find this particular request helpful, especially, if like me, you create lots of realistic scenery. The square paint tool. Is it possible for this to be made so that it can be rotated? I find this particular tool most useful in providing more concise lines but alas it only really works well if the orientation is perfectly square, something that is most definitely not possible with all elements of scenery construction. If it could be rotated then that would enable much more precise scenery construction. Kind regards Peter

Hi Goetz Many thanks for your reply and advice. Transfer was a poor choice of word, apologies, I was aware that you could only exit from one depot to another. Since I posted my enquiry I went back to basics on that particular element of track, previously I had simply copied and pasted the track from another that worked OK but by deleting that copied track and replacing it with a completely new one all began to work well. Yet another lesson learnt!!! Whilst I have only previously dabbled with Virtual Depots I am now making a concentrated effort to maximise on their potential in the hope that I might then be able to create a sophisticated layout that does not exceed 3000kb, all my other ones are over 5000kb. So the little grey cells are once more replenished, so onwards and upwards. Pete

Hi I would very much appreciate someone kindly advising me what the following means "no free space in front of depot". This message appears when I try to transfer a train from one depot to another. The EV should be right as it all worked fine until I decided to simplify the V.D. track layout to which I was sending trains. Clearly I have made a mistake somewhere but the error phrase does not make it clear as wher4e the error is. There is nothing on the track preceding the V.D. to which the train is being sent to. Puzzled Pete