I was going to post this as a reply but I have an idea so I thought it would work better as it's own thread. Here goes.An enduser of activities had a request for a way to print out the train order? One of the replies was to the less then usefullness of such a piece of info. My thoughts follow.If a meet doesn't happen do you just carry on like it doesn't matter. Train Orders are a way for the workforce to check on each other. It's part of the job to make sure that what is supposed to get done does. Train orders and consists make that job easier but they don't do the job for the person.I know that in the sim as it stands right now it doesn't matter but in real railroading if a meet doesn't happen things change. You may be delayed or changed off or something. This can't be done in the sim at this time. Unless of course that info is provided in the train orders. This could be a way of extending the operational abilities of the sim/activity. If this event doesn't happen you do this? If there were a 'Rulebook' made up to include some of these things then the train orders to enhance the activity. The rules could be gleaned from existing rulebooks (I have a few mostly CN though. These rules could be placed in a timetable sortof way. As the rules for the activity would perhaps only apply to that area in which the activity is being done.A rulebook and some of the other real rail paper doesn't exist in the sim itself but in building an activity if the paper were there you could enhance the activity without making the activity harder to build. If you follow. A rulebook/timetable would give you that chance. You could right stuff into the trainorder that applys to the operation and the rules if something goes wrong. You could build the wrong thing into the activity and there by make the enduser obey the rule and take the action required by that rule. This extends the activity beyond that of what it currently can be.I know this goes a little off topic I know. However the paper of railroading (now done in a computer display) is important. Communication of the job to be done is part of the activity. You can limit that communication and make the enduser try to figure out what you meant - this commonly leads to a message here or you could give the enduser a greater challenge handle it the way it's supposed to be handled as it says in the trainorder/timetable (real road operation).The proposal;It could be a project of some work but if split up enough could be done perhaps fairly quickly. Forms could be made up for both the consists and timetables/rulebook. These would be common to all roads/activities if implimented. Then these forms would be filled out by those making the activities and uploaded with them. The special orders in the trainorders could be written out and those that are common would be left to the timetable rule sheet/rulebook. I'm thinking that because most of the sim is missing alot of what is done in the rule book that most of it could be eliminated and a new rulebook - a (General Operating Rules for Simulated Railroading) GORSR could be made up and uploaded as a PDF. This could be used by all and updates could be made periodicaly as real roads do when new routes require it.As you may have noticed I'm into rail operations. Even toured the Dispatch office before they moved it to toronto for all of great lake region when it was still here in London.I'm not wishing to add paper work to the activity designer just for paperwork sake. This could be an enhancement to the operations and to that end the activity. Somethings can't be checked to see if they have happened or not but the activity could be written one way and the trainorders another. These two things could play off of each other to see how the engineer handles the problems. You could of course cheat and look at the activity in the editor but hey why would you bother with it in the first place. Any other thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.Ronson.
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