Montour Railroad Public Beta 2.0

[glenn68]

So far I had shared them only with Rich S. The reason for this was to include them with the final parts of the Rich's routes releases. I think that the newest BETA has the ITR I wrote.
Before I forget, the two scenarios I am working right now are in a raw form of completion. I wont release them untill they are completed. The only thing it to make small ajustments, few messages and rename the scenario to proper terms. As simple as the Montour appears to be some of their movements were complicated and getting Railworks to properly run the scenario is a tough job of trial and error.


Glenn

[jamesphh]

Rich,
Thank you for the info. I have added marker to the clone. Marking main, siding, industry and yard tracks. Now to the experiment of a std scenario. The reason for the main markers is that the timetable editor has issues with determining the path if there is no main trk marker. Have had this issue before. The editor seems to want to path through a marker (like a siding) if no main trk marker is listed. I am also concerned with how AI will handle manual turnouts. Just an experiment and to improve skills. Nice thing about clones that you can make changes and not change the original and the authors intent.

[Rich_S]

I am also concerned with how AI will handle manual turnouts. Just an experiment and to improve skills.

Hi James,
Keep us posted as that is a concern of mine as well (manual switches) On the prototype the crews were responsible for aligning all switches, so I added manual switches to the route. For a player train it's not a problem, but I also wonder if the AI will take the siding or hold the main at a meeting point forcing the player train to throw the switches?

Regards,
Rich S.

[glenn68]

James,
I had to use destination markers at all passing sidings and set the speed limits to 15 mph. This will calculate the proper path, if not you will get a message that the player train has left the path and you have 60 seconds to get back on course even though you are going the path that was intended. So after reading the maps of the Montour, asking questions to the Montour Historical society member and Riches input I took note to every siding and location and gave them the proper names but only as a scenario markers. I agree with Rich and having a good detailed maps will serve this route well. Having AI traffic would be cool to have.

Glenn

[artimrj]

Rich,
Thank you for the info. I have added marker to the clone. Marking main, siding, industry and yard tracks. Now to the experiment of a std scenario. The reason for the main markers is that the timetable editor has issues with determining the path if there is no main trk marker. Have had this issue before. The editor seems to want to path through a marker (like a siding) if no main trk marker is listed. I am also concerned with how AI will handle manual turnouts. Just an experiment and to improve skills. Nice thing about clones that you can make changes and not change the original and the authors intent.

I learned something about this. There are 3 track types, Main, Yard and Passenger. On the NERW route I did not know what the passenger type meant and I used Yard track type at all the platforms and the dispatcher always tries to send you through a station. If you designate the track type as passenger then they wont send you in there driving as freight. I too, put markers on the main line to avoid going in the station. But now I know and the next route will be different.

[Rich_S]

I learned something about this. There are 3 track types, Main, Yard and Passenger. On the NERW route I did not know what the passenger type meant and I used Yard track type at all the platforms and the dispatcher always tries to send you through a station. If you designate the track type as passenger then they wont send you in there driving as freight. I too, put markers on the main line to avoid going in the station. But now I know and the next route will be different.

Hi Bob,
Thanks for the info :) I'm pretty sure for all of the main line track I selected Main and for the yards I selected Yard. I'm not sure now what I set the passing sidings to, Main or Yard, I'll have to check. I know nothing is selected as Passenger as I think the Montour dropped all passenger traffic by the 1920's. So if the passing sidings are setup as main tracks, will the dispatcher route AI trains onto the passing siding for a meet between a AI train and a player train or keep the AI train on the Main line track?

Regards,
Rich S.

[artimrj]

Well since I get forced in to the platform which is yard type I think that would be a good guess that the player train gets diverted to the siding. My situation though has no AI involvement, I just get sent to the platform/yard type siding, so I made markers on the route by each platform to go via.

[jamesphh]

Well, this is not going well for me. First I had put in markers with a short length. Found out tht if the engine was not on the marker the complete instruction would not show (pick ups and drop offs). Lengthened the markers. As to dispatcher routing of player train, sometime it picked the main and sometimes the siding (both have markers). Used waypoints to correct. Now on to the first AI. Started at 40.43361 -80.28978 on a siding next to a small yard. Turnout to the main changed correctly but an interior turnout would not change (locked). AI would not start. Moved to main and had a conflict with the player train. Moved to a yard track that had turn outs set to exit the yard to the siding. Turnout to main did not change, but could be change manually. All other yard turnout are locked. AI would not start. At a loss.

[Rich_S]

Hi James,
I know very little about creating standard scenario's in Rail Works, so I'm not sure why some switches would work, while other do not? The One thing I can tell you is your AI's starting location 40.43361 -80.28978 was known on the Montour as Boggs. Boggs was used as an over flow yard for the Champion Prep Plant (Location 40.42273 -80.29155) The Main yard and shops are located at (Location 40.50935 -80.14898) The route does have a named marker file. The mines are the Westland mine located on the Westland branch. Morris Mine located on the Westland branch at Gilmore Jct. Montour #4 at Hills and Montour #10 at Library on the Library Branch. The main line direction from Groveton (Main shops and yard) to West Mifflin (Interchange location with the Union Railroad) is Eastward. All of the branches run Eastward as well, i.e. from Gilmore Jct. to Westland is east. From Muse Jct. to Muse is East and from Library Jct. to Snowden is East. The interchange connection at Snowden is the B&O railroad (Pittsburgh to Wheeling line) The interchange connection at Hills is the PRR / PC / CR Washington secondary. The Interchange connection at Southview (Just West of Gilmore Jct.) is the N&W (ex-P&WV) railroad. The Interchange connection at McDonald is the PRR / PC / CR Panhandle route and the interchange connection at Groveton (Main shops and yard) is the P&LE railroad. All road trains would have started at either Groveton or West Mifflin and the prep plant had a shifter 24 / 7 to shove loaded hoppers up to the rotary dumper for the plant. A standard day on the Montour was usually picking up empty hoppers at Groveton and taking them to one of the mines. At the mine the empties would be dropped off in a empty yard and 44 loads of coal would have been picked up and taken to the prep-plant. From the prep-plant a crew may have picked up a train of sized coal and taken it to one of the interchange locations, usually McDonald or Groveton. By then they probably would be out of time and either run light back to Groveton or be taxied back. Hopefully this info provides a little help for creating scenarios?

Regards,
Rich S.

[glenn68]

Be careful what marker types you are using. Destination, Siding and Platform. I only use destination markers for waypoints, and destinations and siding markers for yards and sidings.

Glenn

[jpetersjr]

The route is looking awesome. So far this has become my favorite route in the game.

The only problem I see is a lot of missing bridges, which you're probably add later. But the most important, tunnel porters that cut into the landscape to reveal the strange unknown beyond.

The route is looking great though, I must have ran on it for two hours straight tonight and still haven't reached the end.

I think this will be one of the best freeware routes in the game this year, and one of the most user friendly since it doesn't use any assets from any of the payware routes that we all might not have yet.

Though, curious, do you think some of these would fit on your route somewhere. Will be making some more downtown buildings to add to the set soon.

Downtown Buildings.jpg

Also, if you need more houses to go on your route I have three sets of mine available here in the library. I think these would look real nice on your route.

[jamesphh]

In my last attempt to get an AI train to run I forced a reroute of the player train at Boggs, to the siding. Placed the AI back pn the main and moved the destination portal. Ai moved .1 mile to the siding jct and stopped. All signals appeared to be set for the player train from the main yard to Boggs. No turnouts were locked. AI had correct path thu the turnout at Boggs, but was not set at the siding where I wanted the meet to happen, but signal at that siding was set against the player. I suspect that the inability of the dispatcher to 'lock' manual turnouts (sometimes) is the cause of the issue. Therefore causing the AI to not be able to determine a correct path and it stops. I am definitly not an expert at standard scenarios, but have created a few.
As to markers, I have used 'siding' markers only. Signals are at a minimum and yards are one big block. One last thing I want to try is to change a few turnout to automatic and see if this makes any difference.
Perhaps someone with more experience than me can get AI to work.

[glenn68]

The route is looking awesome. So far this has become my favorite route in the game.

The only problem I see is a lot of missing bridges, which you're probably add later. But the most important, tunnel porters that cut into the landscape to reveal the strange unknown beyond.

The route is looking great though, I must have ran on it for two hours straight tonight and still haven't reached the end.

I think this will be one of the best freeware routes in the game this year, and one of the most user friendly since it doesn't use any assets from any of the payware routes that we all might not have yet.

Though, curious, do you think some of these would fit on your route somewhere. Will be making some more downtown buildings to add to the set soon.

Downtown Buildings.jpg

Also, if you need more houses to go on your route I have three sets of mine available here in the library. I think these would look real nice on your route.

Jp,
Good Looking buildings. The problem is most of the towns the Montour went through were suburbs of Pittsburgh and mainly country towns and small communities that did not have buildings like those. The only two towns the Montour went through were of decent size was Library and Bethel Park and most of the tall buildings were around 2 story tall.

Glenn

[jamesphh]

Glenn,
Thank you for the tip on the stop instruction. Changed three turnouts to auto. But the player train locked turnouts all the way to Boggs, AI would not run. Added a stop instruction to the meet point and now the AI runs. Next is to return the turnouts to manual and see if the still works.

[Rich_S]

The route is looking awesome. So far this has become my favorite route in the game. The only problem I see is a lot of missing bridges, which you're probably add later. But the most important, tunnel porters that cut into the landscape to reveal the strange unknown beyond.

Hi Jpetersjr,
Thank you for the compliments on the route The last time I checked all of the bridges and tunnels portals were in place, you maybe missing a asset or two? If you could, please check the route with RW_Tools to see if anything is missing? Another issue maybe if your scenery detail is set to low. I left all of the bridge assets set to their default level and I believe for most of them that level is set to 10. Please let me know what you find?

Regards,
Rich S.