simonjackson1964

Hi. So, I know this is a largely German product, and I have no problem with that. But I'm kind-of unfamiliar with German signalling practices. So I did a bit of research and found some decent articles on the various signals in use in Germany and what they all mean. But it seems there'd something missing. In the UK, junction tracks are signalled separately. The semaphore signals above show off for the straight track with the distant signal on, and on for the junction to the right. The signal to the left is higher indicating that it is the main line. (Note the point is set to go straight...) With coloured light signals, multiple routes can be signalled more simply: A single amber light meaning proceed but expect to stop at the next light, and "take the third left", Fortunately everything there is set on, and with no view of the track, I'm not even going to attempt to decipher what each one means. But the best that I see on the online catalogue are ground signals that indicate the setting of the individual points, which would usually be used for shunting rather than main-line signalling. Please can someone point me in the right direction here? (pun intended)

Reminds me of when I was 8 years old and got my first train set!

As a matter of interest... This is a work in progress, but the wooded slope was done using this plug-in - after I figured out what the translation by Google meant in the real world!

NOTE: Translation from German to English done using Google Translate. Any inaccuracies or badly translated idioms, please blame Monty Python’s Flying Circus. (Ich möchte, dass du meine Brustwarzen streichelst) Seriously though… Where it’s obvious what the label on the interface means (Ellipse in English is Ellipse in German, for example) I have left just the English word in the text. Where it’s less obvious to a non-German speaker, (Circle in English is Kreis in German) I have put the German word back in to make it more obvious. The origin of this plugin is here ... "Landscape design" plugin by EASY 04.2016 The plugin can be found in the catalog under the menu item "Plugins" -> "Planning". With this plugin, a number of objects can be randomly distributed over a defined area. Warning! It is relatively easy to create many objects with this program ... use it "anyway" with care! Interface: Arrange (in mm). There are three basic geometric shapes (circle (Kreis), ellipse and rectangle (Rechteck)) available, whereby the ellipse and the rectangle can be rotated around their center. The objects are placed (based on their zero point) on the profile of the baseboard(s) (-> height in the Z direction). It can be placed (horizontally) over several baseboards. In the vertical, the profile of the top board is taken as a reference. (-> hide baseboards if necessary). Example profile: Setting the objects on the height profile of the baseboard(s) Comment: For better illustration, geometrically simple objects have been used for the following pictures ... Note: If there is another object in the area to be placed, the stand area of the object is left out. Cut out areas: Circle with left out areas 1) The baseboards are provided with an index (regardless of double names) (#xxxx where xxxx is a consecutive number) 2) The size of the surfaces can be adjusted (max. 2500 mm) 3) "[in degrees] (-> rotate ellipse, rectangle in the center)" ([ in Grad] ( -> Ellipse, Rechteck im Mittelpunkt drehen)) (max. + - 90 °) -> The ellipse and the rectangle can be rotated around their center 3a) The "leading object" forms the center of the surface or the rotation Rotate surfaces: (I think the picture below is clear enough – a rectangle rotated +45° and -45°) 4) "Minimum distances" (Mindestabstände) -> A minimum distance between the objects in the X or Y direction can be specified 5) "[in%] minimum distance variation " -> Enter the spread of the minimum distance: 0 = no scatter ... 100% = scatter by minimum distance / 2 (The spread specified is the maximum value, which is multiplied by random numbers from 0 to 1) Minimum distance variation: A rectangle with zero variation gives a grid. 60% variation gives a grid but with scatter. 6) "Anzahl" "Number" -> number of objects to be set (max. 250) Note: If the selected number is greater than the number of possible points, the number is adjusted; The setting of "Number of scaling" is adjusted proportionally. 7) "Anzahl Skalieren" "Number of scaling" -> Number of objects to be scaled 7a) The scaling takes place (randomly) within the limits of "scaling factor% (min)" and "scaling factor% (max)" (Skalierungsfaktor) Note: A scaling of the object made in the “MBS” is also taken into account. (Assuming this means in the main layout settings?) Scaling (random): 50 out of 100 objects scaled from 50% to 150% One shown original size. 8) "Drehen (+ -) 0 ... xxx Grad" "Rotate (+ -) 0 ... xxx degrees" -> Rotate the objects around the Z axes (max. 90 degrees) (The rotation specified is the maximum value, which is multiplied by random numbers from 0 to 1) Rotation (random): 9) "Start" -> starts swtting the objecys. 10) "Neu verteilen" Redistribute the objects last set to possible points within the area (regardless of the position of the "lead object") Redistribute (schematic representation): 11) "Löschen" "Delete" -> Deletes the last set objects. Objektliste = Object List (fairly obvious, but…) 12) "Leitobjekt markieren "Mark leading object" -> Marks the leading object (the position of this object forms the center of the area). 13) "Objekt(e) markieren" "Mark object (s)" -> All objects from the object list are marked. 14) "Objekt(e) einlesen" "Read object (s)" -> All objects marked in the MBS (max. 5) are read. These objects are spread over the area. Notes: The "master object" is the first object in the object list. Note: By clicking on a name in the object list, the corresponding object is marked in the MBS. Important! Only the "leading object" is decisive for the position of the surface and the distribution of the objects. The positions or the distribution of the other objects is not taken into account! 15) "Gewichtung" -> "Weighting" -> e.g. 3 objects were selected "O1", "O2" and "O3" ... if e.g. the weighting 3, 1, 5 is selected, 3 times "O1", 1 time "O2" and 5 times "O3" are set ... this is repeated until the "number" is reached ... Note: The repeated weightings of all objects do not have to equal the total objects to be placed Note: If the weighting of an object is set to 0, this object is ignored. Weighting: 16) Menu item "Parameters" - "Save" - "Open" -> The settings can be saved and called up again. The file name and storage location can be freely selected. 16a) Menu item "Parameters" - "Auto Save / Open" -> The settings are automatically saved when the program is closed and loaded when the program is opened. Note: The file name is "AutoLastSettings.xml" and is stored in the same directory as the program. Annotation: Annotation: If the menu item "Auto Save / Open" is clicked (select / deselect) it is switched, but the menu item then closes immediately ... ... The checkmark showing whether it is set or not set is only visible the next time the menu item is opened. Menu item "Parameters": Note: The name, the name and the ID of the MBS project are entered as comments in the .xml file for saving the parameters. Parameter file (.xml file): Finally, a sample image of Roter Brummer ... it was his plugin wish ... Cheers EASY

Hi Easy. Is there an English language version of this? Gibt es eine englische Version davon? (Bitte entschuldigen Sie mein Deutsch. Ich verwende Google Translate.) [edit] Okay so I have translated it as best I can using Google Translate and common sense. See below. Any mistranslations are the responsibility of Google!

Answered my own question... Exporting the events to a .html file and opening that in the browser. Then <CTRL> + F to search for the string I need to find. I found where a point was being changed that was causing derailments!

And the joke is on me... I switched to using the Falns 81 80 D DB hopper wagon It's a great rendering of it, by the way! I have a train of 18 of these guys that gets hauled from a coal mind to a power station and back. So, filling at the power station, all working. I made a little rectangle of ... Well, if I was doing this for real, I would have used plasticard, so whatever the virtual equivalent of that is - painted it with coal paint (Hey, get me a can of tartan paint? No problem! Computers are the solution to old jokes!) Popped it in the wagon at the top, linked them, and then copied the wagon 17 times. The load sequence works perfectly, dropping coal into the wagon, the when that stops the coal "card" becomes visible and hey presto! The only thing was, that, as I was watching from very close to as the wagons passed beneath the camera, I spotted a dark shadow in each one. Oops, they are already loaded. Oh well, too late now. Besides, I had to look really close to realise it. And then I took the train down to the power station to unload it... So, I knew one of those two animations opened the doors at the bottom, but not speaking (or reading) German, I had no idea what the other one did.. Until I tried it. Well look at that! It empties the wagon. I still think my coal layer is more realistic, but if only I had realised this at the start I could have saved myself the trouble! Moral of the story: Always check wa=hat all the animations do before you start!

I apologise if this has already been suggested - I'm quite new here. Something that I think would be really useful would be a feature where I could search for all references to any object across all the events. It would make it much easier to track errors in event coding - for example when copying an event group multiple times, it's easy to forget to change a reference. Hunting through every event in every group can be somewhat tedious. Another feature that would be really handy for testing and debugging events would be a real-time display of variable values. If this exists, I haven't yet found it. The only way to check the values of variables is to open the event wizard, and go to the "Active Variables and Timers" tab, but doing so automatically pauses the simulation. It would be handy to be able to monitor maybe a specific variable or two, to see whether they get changed when they should.

I keep adding little tweaks to the layout... Like I just put black smoke rising from the power station's chimney, and white steam from the cooling towers! Does anyone else find that building the layout and getting it all working the way you want is actually more fun that operating it? I find the frustration to be exhilarating, and then the joy of figuring out the solution and getting it working. Like, when I first started, I had a real problem with railcars. The train has two locomotives, one front and one back. And I found that whenever the rear loco hit a slow section of track, it would take off in the opposite direction... Of course I worked out why fairly quickly. It's going backwards. Give it a speed of +20 and it will start going forwards! I couldn't figure out a solution and couldn't understand why there are no "dummy" locos, like there are in "real" models. But, my solution to the problem of having a single loco on this layout that doesn't go around the loops but shuttles back and forth between the coal mine and the power station provided the answer. Because this loco needs to go backwards, but needs to be controlled by the same block signalling as all the others, the obvious solution was a couple of local variables giving it's main speed and slow speed, and then two more pairs, for positive and negative values that get set to the "master" pair just before it joins the main line. (Until that point, it will be under user control!) But of course it was obvious that I needed to have the same two variables on all the locos so that they were all controlled the same way... And of course, my trailing locos do NOT have them so no matter how many events they trigger they don't have a value to be set into the block speed variable. Speed remains at zero and the driving loco just drags them along! I was really pleased when I figured that out...!

That looks better than I came up with.... I was trying to use those before, they're the animated length ones which is really weird! But I hadn't spotted the "connect" feature. I'll give it a go. Ah, but they don't have the "Connect" feature... What I came up with may not be elegant, but it works!

Okay, thanks. that looks an awful lot easier... I guess with junctions, the best thing is to run one way, then reposition the train at the post before the junction and run it the other way... What about multiple tracks though? I mean obviously with a double track, you just run the catenary down both sides. But what about three or even four tracks...? Prototype, of course... That's the Midland Mainline But this is what I want to electrify... I already discovered that the tunnel mouth and signals are too low, I have my work-around for those already. But basically I need a gantry that will span four tracks and two platforms, that I can hang the contact wires from. Suggestions appreciated? I suppose as an interim I could fit the masts between the tracks...

... To electrify my layout as Network Rail took to electrify the Great Western line! Seriously, can someone come up with a spline base overhead catenary system please? I just spent two hours trying to put those damn wires in the right places, and every time I move one it decides it wants to turn itself through 180 degrees. I found I had to individually position each component, and manoeuvre it into place millimetre by millimetre. If I tried to drag it, it decided it wanted to be somewhere other than over the piece of track I wanted it over. In the end I gave up. I'll just use diesels.

That seems to work, thanks!

Thanks, that's really helpful. You should put that post into the FAQ, or somewhere that is isn't ultimately going to get lost. I think I know what I was doing wrong. Let me try it again...

Hi Andy. It's gone 11 pm so I'll have another crack at it tomorrow evening. You said the syntax I'm using is correct? Is it $My_Variable + 1 , or just +1, and if the former, should it have the spaces either side of the +? I've tried various combinations, but it's difficult to keep track of what I've tried! The other question that is begged by this, is can I add two variables together? [$Value_1 + $Value_2]

I'm missing something simple here... It ought to be ACTION [Set Variable]; Variable Name [My_Variable]; Value [$My_Variable + 1] Or even ACTION [Set Variable]; Variable Name [My_Variable]; Value [+1] But that doesn't seem to work for some reason... Incrementing a counter should be a basic function, but I can't seem to figure out how to make it happen. I create the variable manually to ensure it is there. I let it increment, then go back to check... And it's gone. It's not even there with a zero value, it just isn't there at all! Actually this seems to be a weird "feature" of the system. Refer to a variable in just one place and it vanishes. It seems that to have a variable recognised by the program you need to check its value somewhere that you aren't setting its value? Anyway, point is, I would like to be able to increment values, and can't seem to find out how. Simon

Yeah, thanks. I realised that after trying to do it using "vehicle enters track" events on six lengths of track triggered by the loco hitting the track! Couldn't figure out why it didn't work in the direction I wanted it to but did in the other one... Tried it again, having a fair idea suddenly what was wrong. Sure enough, as the lead wagon (being pushed) hit the first track length, BINGO, there was the coal! So, I am going to use the numerical order of the wagons, a variable that counts 1 to 3, but is set to 0 when not loading the wagons, and a variable that counts 1 to 6... Somehow. Details still being worked out in my head! Thanks for the tip!

Nope, tried that too. It didn't work either! (The invisible car, I mean).

So... Follow-up question... HOW? I have my empty wagons (I decided to use a hopper wagon rather that the open wagon, as it has a more realistic emptying action). I have my coal textured mesh, linked to each wagon. The wagons are numbered (1-18) and the coal meshes have the corresponding number. The coal moves with the wagon, no trouble at all, whether visible or invisible. My issue is, how do I make the coal become visible as the wagon passes under the coal hopper? I've tried creating an event for when the wagon enters the track length that is under the hopper, but it doesn't do anything. I suspect this is because the wagon is not defined as a "vehicle". I typed the wagon name into "User Defined" vehicle, but it doesn't seem to do anything. The only way I can think of doing it is to make sure my coal wagons are always in the same order, and put six track lengths the same length as the wagons in front of the coal run, and have a variable that is set 1 to 3, so that as the loco pushing the wagons enters each section it triggers the event for wagons 1, 7 & 13, then 2, 8 & 14, 3, 9 & 15, etc, and which wagon is dependent on the variable. I don't like that idea, because it mucks up my track geometry. If it's the only way I guess I'll bite the bullet and do it. Unless I attach an invisible car to each wagon?

Thanks Max. That seems easy enough. It just seems a shame when someone has gone to all the trouble of actually doing it for me but not made it obvious how to change the state...! You'd have thought they would have realised that people will want to do this and made an easy way to make it happen. Simon

Hi again. You can always tell the newbies, we ask a lot of questions... So. I'm not even sure if this is possible, but the only other way I can think of doing it is really clumsy. The Güterwagen Railion lang ("Freight Car Railion long" according to Google Translate) has two options One with a load of coal, and one without. Guess what I'm going to ask...? Is there a way of making the wagon change state automatically, as it passes under a hopper or stops by a machine? There must be a variable on the object, but how do I find out what it is called in order to set an event to change its value? (I'm guessing the values will be 1 and 0 respectively) For that matter, is there a way of listing all the variables that an object has? The variable menu lets you create new ones, but that doesn't help in this situation. The only other way I can think of doing this other than manually changing the load state of each wagon, is to use a hidden layer and somehow flip the wagons between layers. I'm not entirely sure how to do that, either, but someone mentioned it as being a better option that turning things invisible...

I know it's hot, and I know that heat can cause steel rails to buckle and warp. But I honestly didn't think it could get hot enough to buckle the rails on a model railway, let alone a virtual model railway...! And yet it seems this is what is happening! I swear I have "walked" every millimetre of that track, aligning all the track joints, and yet every time I re-open the layout there are another couple of joints out of alignment. I re-align them and save. "Walk" the track (traverse it with the camera at just above the track level), find any others, save... And yet when I re-open, there are new ones! I'm using the Fleishman N track, because other than Pico it's the only one I've ever heard of - and the Pico track looks wrong somehow...! Anyway, is there some sort of a known bug with the Fleishman track that causes it to have a mind of it's own and move at random? Cos I swear, I'm on the verge of replacing every bit of it!

I already realised that! (The hard way!) Fortunately the goods yard has no "wiring" yet. (I call it wiring, because that's what it would be on a physical model railway - half a tonne of "spaghetti" dangling off the bottom of the baseboard!) One thing I do like is that if you change the name of an object, that change is cascaded through the entire event file. Otherwise it would be a nightmare changing every single occurrence!

Hi Andy. Thanks, that seems to be exactly what I was looking for! Now to try it out with 8 different locos hauling 8 different trains on my 12 block layout....... Ugh. If it works (and I've no reason to think it won't), I will have to re-edit most of the train control events. I also realised why I was having trouble with "Head & Tail" (or "Push-me-pull-you") railcars, thanks to your example. The one at the back is going backwards... Allowing for negative speed values will help with this (Needs a bit of tweaking to give the rear loco its initial -ve speed, but do-able), but also with the very likely idea that a diesel drives forward into a siding, has the wagons uncoupled and shunted into a different siding to be filled/emptied, then the diesel attaches to the other end of the train and hauls it back out in the opposite direction - In prototype, the driver just gets in the cab at the other end of the loco. In the model, the loco is now going backwards! (I checked to make sure my locos were facing forwards before adding them to the layout). Thanks for all your help. When I've got the layout how I want it, I'll publish it and let you have a play! (Oh, please don't go away though... I will probably need more help when I start trying to get the goods yard working! That's on hold until the main-line does what I want. And I'm not happy with yard track formation yet - one of the best things about this program is the ability to rip up the track and re-lay it all, without having to buy new track!) Simon

Ah, right, got that. So I create a variable in there, called "Speed" and give it a value 135. (for example) Then, I have an event, for when the signal is toggled to green, that has the action "Set Vehicle speed" to "$my_train.Speed". That works for the locomotive called "my_train". What about the other 7 trains I have running? (Not usually all at once but sometimes, just to slow things down a bit... Basically I have two 5-track fiddle-yards, one at each end of a double-track - technically it's just a squashed single track loop! Track 1 is automated and just pushes each train back out as it comes in. Tracks 2-5 are manually controlled with some serious interlocking on the control switches (learned the hard way).) The track lengths and signals all have user variables too.The problem is, not how to get the speed I want into the locomotive, it's how to get the value out of the specific locomotive and save it. I think it might actually just be easier to create a "Set Vehicle Speed" action for each loco, at each signal. Unless there is a way I can somehow save the loco name when it stops at the signal?