Running Long Trains

[TheKman]

Curious...… Long freights, say 75+ cars, up to 5 engines. Typically when a train gets that long while making it up as a scenario, the sims crashes.

I've wondered about the cause(s)…….

1. Who made the cars? Seems like RR mods, Jointed Rails, and Searchlight simulations pack a lot of punch. After maybe 25-30 cars from all these manufactures, a mix, my sim will crash.

2. So why? Is it the limitations of the sim, a computers overall specs? Graphics card? Amount of memory on a users computer?

I have not even spent any of $1200 stimulus check yet and it looks like maybe we'll be getting another $600-1200, so maybe $1200-2400 to possibly buy a better computer. Will a computer with more punch improve the ability to run longer trains?

Thanks

[buzz456]

First off is it crashing while you are creating the train? Or is it when you have a pre-made train and try to run it in QD or when? Second tell us a little about your rig. All that is helpful, oh yeah and what are you trying to pull this train with?

[gtrtroger]

Curious as well. I regularly drag coal, tanker and grain unit trains as well as mixed sets with these modded cars across Tomcat’s Powder River Basin and Cajon-Mojave routes that are 100 plus cars in length without a problem. Me things this may be a computer issue.

[TheKman]

Here are my computer specs. I have a Lenovo desktop. As to what type, all I can find is the model is a FODJ. My friend thinks this has a integrated graphics card. I know that's not the best. Friend says next computer I get, ditch any with integrated parts.

[TheKman]

First off is it crashing while you are creating the train? Or is it when you have a pre-made train and try to run it in QD or when? Second tell us a little about your rig. All that is helpful, oh yeah and what are you trying to pull this train with?

Crashes as the train is being created. Seems more frequent when RR Mods, Jointed Rails, and Searchlight Simulations cars accumulate. With all Kuju cars I can get up to around 75 before the sims crashes. QDs work just fine.

Motive power are diesels made by DTG, DTM, RSC, VRC and Searchlight Simulations.

Specs for the computer are listed in the post before this.

[buzz456]

A educated guess would be that it's the graphics card is getting overwhelmed and your friend is right you need a better one than almost any integrated one for the game to run smoothly. The only suggestion I have with your present setup is to turn the in game graphics settings way down and see if that helps. Don't let anyone tell you you need to spend a fortune on a GPU when you go to upgrade. I run with a GTX1060 and it handles the game very nicely with almost all of the graphics turned up all the way.

[trev123]

A 1.7 GHz CPU? will below spec.

[TheKman]

Thanks for the input. Well, I might wait a little while and see if these DC jokers give out anymore money. I know with $1200 I can upgrade to something better overall. Would prefer to outright pay for it instead of a lease deal. I did a lease with the computer I have now. Paid it off in 11 months. Overall it wasn't bad. But one never knows what life might serve up to you that might make it very hard or impossible to pay it off.

[buzz456]

Thanks for the input. Well, I might wait a little while and see if these DC jokers give out anymore money. I know with $1200 I can upgrade to something better overall. Would prefer to outright pay for it instead of a lease deal. I did a lease with the computer I have now. Paid it off in 11 months. Overall it wasn't bad. But one never knows what life might serve up to you that might make it very hard or impossible to pay it off.

If you can read instructions, with no prior experience, you can build your own. I have done it four times now. For $1200 you can build a super gaming machine for TS. Actually for somewhat less.

[cnwfan]

A couple of things I would try while waiting for a new machine...

Place a few cars or engines and save. I thought I had read somewhere here on RWA that saving scenarios often while building helps with the memory. I save often just because you never know when a crash is going to happen... and I really hate having to redo my work!

If your current machine is 64 bit... which I'm assuming it is if your running Searchlight's locos... is to build the scenarios in 64 bit Train Simulator. I've had better luck reducing crashes during scenario builds in 64 bit TS than 32 bit TS.

Also, unless you are using Searchlight's locos for both lead and DPU, you can use about a dozen of the higher poly count Searchlight freight cars at the front of the train, then fill in with lower poly cars from TS or Great Northerner, and then use about another dozen of the higher poly count Searchlight cars at the end of the train. When I run a scenario, I never watch the entire train roll by as I'm usually in or near the lead locomotive, or viewing from the last car.

[BoostedFridge]

Curious...… Long freights, say 75+ cars, up to 5 engines. Typically when a train gets that long while making it up as a scenario, the sims crashes.

Is this crashing occurring while making up a consist in the Quick Drive custom consist builder? Or in the scenario editor making a free roam/standard/career scenario?

[TheKman]

[quote="cnwfan"]

If your current machine is 64 bit... which I'm assuming it is if your running Searchlight's locos... is to build the scenarios in 64 bit Train Simulator. I've had better luck reducing crashes during scenario builds in 64 bit TS than 32 bit TS.

Switched to 64 bit and I'm getting much better results. Got my $600 dollars yesterday so I got $1800 to invest in a new and overall better computer. So with 64 bit...… I'm running TS 2021. Is it still a mixed bag of results if one does route building like it was with TS 2019? With TS 2019 my routes would get seriously jacked if it crashed while using the RE. Signals would lock up along with switches and junctions. Not everyone encountered this if I recall, but the solution was to use 32 bit when using the RE.