P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3

Responding to requests to make the P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3 available it can again be Downloaded from: www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/downloads/pon7bet3.zipThe Consists and Rolling Stock for it's Activities can also be Downloaded from:
www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/downloads/pon7sets.zipRemember to run it's Installme.bat once in it's own Folder and read all the TEXT and other INFO Files you can find. Please keep in mind that this is a BETA Version and although I have found nothing wrong with it, not having run all it's Activities, there could be the odd glitch here and there. In the absence of Jim Ward (SNIPER) to answer questions about problems, should there be any, it will be up to us using it to try to help others with solving them.ENJOY, O t t o.

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RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, heffed, Mar-17-04, 00:16 AM, (1) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, bnsf1959, Mar-17-04, 04:50 AM, (2) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, heffed, Mar-17-04, 05:34 AM, (3) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-17-04, 06:57 AM, (4) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, heffed, Mar-17-04, 04:36 PM, (10) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-17-04, 04:49 PM, (11) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, heffed, Mar-17-04, 05:16 PM, (15) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, Johansteam, Mar-17-04, 10:21 AM, (5) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-17-04, 11:48 AM, (6) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Mar-17-04, 01:18 PM, (7) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-17-04, 05:03 PM, (13) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, Johansteam, Mar-17-04, 01:45 PM, (8) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, Stumbl, Mar-17-04, 01:48 PM, (9) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-17-04, 04:57 PM, (12) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Mar-17-04, 05:09 PM, (14) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, jpmurd, Mar-17-04, 05:19 PM, (16) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-17-04, 05:29 PM, (17) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, baldwin, Mar-17-04, 05:37 PM, (18) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-17-04, 06:00 PM, (20) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, jpmurd, Mar-17-04, 05:38 PM, (19) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, CWA13000, Mar-20-04, 12:13 PM, (36) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, sinclair97, Mar-17-04, 11:14 PM, (23) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-18-04, 08:46 AM, (25) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, Johansteam, Mar-18-04, 10:12 AM, (27) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, Gecko, Mar-17-04, 07:36 PM, (21) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Mar-17-04, 08:16 PM, (22) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-18-04, 08:35 AM, (24) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Mar-18-04, 09:08 AM, (26) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, johnward711, Mar-18-04, 01:58 PM, (28) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-18-04, 03:38 PM, (29) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Mar-18-04, 04:21 PM, (31) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-18-04, 08:27 PM, (32) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, Johansteam, Mar-18-04, 04:20 PM, (30) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, CWA13000, Mar-20-04, 12:56 PM, (37) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, CWA13000, Mar-20-04, 01:19 PM, (38) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Mar-23-04, 12:06 PM, (42) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, Gecko, Mar-18-04, 09:11 PM, (33) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-19-04, 11:50 AM, (34) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, asmith46, Mar-20-04, 01:26 AM, (35) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, rckambach, Mar-20-04, 01:55 PM, (39) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, whleighton, Mar-20-04, 07:34 PM, (40) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Mar-20-04, 08:02 PM, (41) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, smokeyjoe, Apr-01-04, 08:33 AM, (43) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, drjoe, Apr-01-04, 10:52 AM, (44) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-01-04, 12:08 PM, (45) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, jpmurd, Apr-01-04, 12:34 PM, (46) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-01-04, 03:44 PM, (47) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-01-04, 04:42 PM, (48) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-02-04, 08:38 AM, (49) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-03-04, 09:58 PM, (50) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-11-04, 04:53 PM, (51) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-11-04, 05:39 PM, (52) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-11-04, 09:41 PM, (53) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-12-04, 07:56 AM, (57) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, stryder47, Apr-12-04, 03:18 AM, (54) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, niknak, Apr-12-04, 04:42 AM, (55) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-12-04, 07:35 AM, (56) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-12-04, 10:23 AM, (58) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, dhammerman2003, Apr-12-04, 10:49 AM, (59) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, stryder47, Apr-13-04, 05:29 AM, (64) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, hotmetal2, Apr-12-04, 01:50 PM, (60) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, hotmetal2, Apr-12-04, 01:58 PM, (61) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-12-04, 10:55 PM, (63) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-13-04, 07:39 AM, (65) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, hotmetal2, Apr-13-04, 01:03 PM, (66) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-12-04, 07:59 PM, (62) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, philskene, Apr-13-04, 07:30 PM, (67) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, philskene, Apr-13-04, 07:41 PM, (68) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, OTTODAD, Apr-13-04, 08:16 PM, (69) RE: P.O.&.N.-7 Beta-3, philskene, Apr-13-04, 10:15 PM, (70)

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Greatly appreciated Otto! -Jeff

Union Pacific fan.

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Thanks Otto, I'll give it a try. WIll let you know how it went.Ken Plaza

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>Please keep in mind that this is a BETA Version and although
>I have found nothing wrong with it, not having run all it's
>Activities, there could be the odd glitch here and there. In
>the absence of Jim Ward (SNIPER) to answer questions
>about problems, should there be any, it will be up to us
>using it to try to help others with solving them.
The only issue I've seen so far is that there were a few dash9.ace files (dash9a, b, & c) missing from the route textures folder. I found them in the dash9 packaged rolling stock folder and copied them over. Not sure if the installme.bat file was supposed to copy these and didn't for some reason? I did install the rolling stock first, so the .bat should have been able to find them.It looks great though. Even more scenery, yet decent framerates! I really like the train wreck at CPR_Malice.Great job Sniper! (Wherever you may be)
-Jeff

Union Pacific fan.

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Hi Jeff !I get no problems like you did. Where does MSTS complain about these files missing ? Which Activities ? There are many Static Consist Objects in the Route. Could it be an Object.ref for DASH9 your version calls for but not mine ?My Statictrains.ref only calls for a DASH9.s but there is also a Statictrains.bat which I think needs to be run ! This is what the Installme.bat copies, looking strange, the Dash9 not copying it's ACE and the US2Dash9/92.ACE not copying their .S/.SD files. But it seems not to cause any problems !call copy ..\..\Trains\Trainset\dash9\*.s* .\Shapes
call copy ..\..\Trains\Trainset\dash9\us2dash9.ace .\Textures
call copy ..\..\Trains\Trainset\dash9\us2dash92.ace .\TexturesO t t o

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>I get no problems like you did. Where does MSTS complain
>about these files missing ? Which Activities ? There are
>many Static Consist Objects in the Route. Could it be an
>Object.ref for DASH9 your version calls for but not mine ? It comes up even when running "explore route". Looks like dhammerman2003 had the same issue. Looks like not running the statictrains.bat was the problem. -Jeff

Union Pacific fan.

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Sorry about that, Jeff !Jim, assuming that us BETA Testers should know what it takes to install a Route, did not bother to waste much time on specific instructions. Glad that all works well now. It's one of my favourite Routes, FREESTYLE Activities and full of AI Traffic ! HAVE FUN, O t t o.

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>Jim, assuming that us BETA Testers should know what it takes
>to install a Route, did not bother to waste much time on
>specific instructions. I have no problems installing routes, I've just never seen a statictrains.bat before. Jim has always been big on adding lots of .bat files for various customizations, which is great. I figured the statictrains.bat was one of these. Not finding any mention of it in the various readme's, I assumed it wasn't "mission critical". -Jeff

Union Pacific fan.

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Hi Otto,
Although i thanked you already via e-mail, i feel that i need to do it publicly as well. Thanks a million, for putting the files back onto your site.
What has really happened to "Sniper"?? Has he joined up with M$, for the creation of M$TS2? ( Meant in a good way )
My installation complains about missing "Portogden7.rdb" and "Portogden7.rit"?? + a whole lot of motorcars, trucks and mopeds that is missing? I have no idea where to find these goodies.
Great stuff otherwise,
Johan.

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LAST EDITED ON Mar-17-04 AT 11:52 AM (EST)

Johan,RouteRiter picked up that the P.O.&.N.-7 has no "RDB" or "RIT", to be ignored as is has no Roads in that sense.SNIPER ? I speculated when MSTS-2 was on the cards last year that he and others who suddenly went quiet could be involved in the planning of it.Dare I speculate again ? O t t oP.S.: Missing Objects ? There are a number of STUFFIT and other Batch files to be found. Will not hurt to run all of them. Better to have too much than not enough !

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Hmm.,Appearently I got the failed to find usdash9.ace file and all the rest of the Dash9's ace files. All you have to do is copy them into the Textures folder and then a-ok. BTW: Ottodad, is there a documentation for the new signals?I was at the GATS show in Dupage, but I didn't see John or Jim there. But then again I was helping out Auran by selling TRS2004 (don't flame me fopr that).Dave

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> BTW: Ottodad, is there a documentation for the new signals ?Not that I am aware of, Dave.That's where we all miss Jim Ward and his enormous experience of all there is about MSTS in general and the P.O.&.N. in particular !But the SIGNALMASTER worked closely with Jim and should be able to answer your question if he reads this Thread ! O t t o

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Otto, thanks for that info. I agree with your saying.."rather too much, than too little".
Gosh! man! all the great guys are leaving? eventually it will only be a few "flamers" and us other normal "Beings" left. When will it be your turn to, desert us?
Greetings,
Johan.

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Thanks Otto"I do what my Rice Krispies tell me to do"

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No chance of me leaving as well, although I had my butt kicked once or twice and suffered the occasional unkind remark, tempting me to fade into the background too.I love Railways and guys like you who share the same interest.I am 75 now, mature with an unused reserve of tolerance and nothing better to do than to be OTTODAD to all of you ! Take Care, O t t o.

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Thanks Otto,Dave

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Thanks Otto, along with the rest.
On another front, that you might be aquainted with... Have you had any problems running Alpensee with the new update 1.1? I get SDS failures on first 2 I've tried..EF-Almseebahn01, and EF-Hachbahn01. I am running trainStore, and get no errors with RouteRiter or RouteControl. John

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Sorry John, but Alpensee is not a Route I am familiar with.Is it worth having ?O t t o

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OttoI have the Alpensee route but not installed it yet. Apparently there are some mighty steep hills in it, if you like that type of route. There is also an Alpensee stock pack.Beer is not a matter of life and death. It is much more serious than that.
mervyn.

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Thanks, Merv !Just spotted the ALPENSEE Thread, mentioning that an Update with English Activities is in the pipeline.Will give it a try.O t t o

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V1.0 was very PRETTY with great scenery, tunnels and loops. Should be avail here and at thetrain.de. Comes with it's own Stock in a separate DL. I'm going back and check some of the activities in V1.0. I might have missed this problem before because I created my own WHOLE Route Activity before the German activities were converted to English. If I still have the problem I will simply delete the original activities and just run my own. John

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Hi, Otto and mega blessings to you from the supreme being of your choice!Wild Willy the Wacko

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Hi Otto,
You could be dead right about SNIPER being involved with MSTS 2. What is so supicious is that he has not responded to emails at all: even the rudest person would eventually grunt an aknowledgement with all the electronic mail he has got, if only to stop it.What I don't understand is why the secrecy: surely it would be better to pop your head around the now and again and just say hi everyone.
I have even checked the "who is online" facility for the Scarlet Pimpernail, but nothing.Mike <>Michael Sinclair

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Mike,knowing Jim and we have classified each other as "Blabbermouth #1 & 2" , there is always the danger that one might let something slip one is not supposed to, or let something to be read between the lines.He would have a job trying to give us a good reason why there has been no more news about progress with the MSTS-1 PON-7. Admitting that he is doing no more with it would give the game away, now wouldn't it ? Better to be stumm !I just can not see Jim having stopped working on anything to do with MSTS, can you ? It's in his blood the same as it is in mine, TREEFROG and his Crew, 3d-TRAINS, TEEMU and many other developers ! Time will tell ! O t t o

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Hi, Otto and all the other Great Simmers,
The reason for not hearing or seeing any postings from all the Great Guys that left us, (...and presumeably joined M$TS2...) is that they would obviously been sworn to secrecy and "No" contact with the outside world. Company policy surely?
Johan.

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Otto: Thanks -- wife says next time were over there she'll be looking for you! George

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Problem!I got it to run but's it's still missing some ace files. CAB.ace, something.s. Also when I run Fowlis East DXDIAG.exe comes up and instant CTD!Dave

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LAST EDITED ON Mar-18-04 AT 08:56 AM (EST)

Dave,there are a number of BATCH Files which need to be run, like the Statictrains.bat in the PON-7 Root Folder.Also have a good look into the included DOC and TXT Files in the 1Maps&Docs&Hacks and the Stuffitpack2 Folders and take the appropriate action.My PON-7.3 BETA runs without any problems having done all Jim Ward suggested. O t t oP.S.: You asked about Signalling in an earlier message, I just remembered.Looking through everything to do with the PON-7.3 again to find answers to some of the problems mentioned in this Thread, I came across a section in the 1Maps&Docs&Hacks - Readme6.doc which deals comprehensively with Signalling.There is also a reference to Hank Sundermayer who helped Jim with the Signalling for the PON-6/7, who could give you the answers to your PON Signalling questions ! But he too may have gone Underground for the same reason others seem to have disappeared !

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Once again,thank you Otto.Dave

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Hi everyone1st let me assure you that Jim is not working for MS.He is very busy looking for a job, and getting the old house on Lockwood ready to sell. He is also taking care of Mike, and taking our model railroad apart for sale at the train show in Wheaton.His phone and internet connections were down for awhile due to a short
in the phone wire on the pole in the alley. The phone company kept telling him that the problem was in the house, and he was sure that it was not.Jim and I have been at the last 2 train shows at the DuPage County
Fairgrounds, and we intend to be at the next one April 4. We are in bldg 2 (the snack bar bldg) at tables 2024 and 25.I don't think he has turned his computer on in 5 or 6 weeks.
PO&N V7 is compressed down to about 15 megs, but he needs to get it
under 12 to upload from his house. I picked up a cd of the latest
version a couple of months ago, and it has a few bugs in it. He intends to upload it as is, and let the greater minds here sort them out. More later.

john

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Great to hear from you, John !Give Jim my regards and if it's a question of making the PON-7 available like I did before then all he has got to do is to Mail me a CD and I shall put the Route on my Web Site, if he has problems Uploading it to the File Library himself !Good luck with all your efforts and hope that he finds a good job soon !Take Care, O t t o.

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Or he can mail it to me. I'm in the same state as Jim and John and all I can do it upload it with my DSL connection. (No offense Otto)John is that for sure you'll be in building 2? I'll hopefully be in building 1 if not 3 selling TRS2004 ($39.95/cd). I didn't see you there a couple weeks ago if you can tell me what scale you are selling (HO, N, etc.) so that way my hunt will be easier to find!BTW: Otto, found the documentation but that was from the previous version! I also noticed that some parts, like Anderson does not have signals along the player path!Dave

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Dave,no problem, as long as somebody can make the final PON-7 available to the masses ! Yes, the documentation which came with the PON-7.3 BETA is still referring to the PON-6. Don't think that Jim got around to updating it for the 7 version at that time.Say HALLO from me to Jim and John when you see them next.Take Care, O t t o.

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Hi John,
Many thanks for the info regarding "sniper". I echo, Otto's regards as well. Let him know that we definately "miss" his humor etc. on the Forum. Hope he finds a job soon.
Johan.

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Hi, please accept my best wishes in this time of need for you and yours.I feel especially bad about the run-a-round Jim got from the phone company, having experienced his overwhelming assistance on these fora. I recently retired from one and I know how hard the company resists giving the service customers deserve. In my company they were rewarding those fat-a$$ repair clerks with candy bars for being the employee who convinced the most customers that they didn't need a technician dispatched. It helps the company bottom line temporarily and hurted mine. I was one of those techs being denied the opertunity to help customers and they were often too pi$$ed to get along with by the time I fanally got to go out to fix the real problem. I am a member of The Communications Workers of America Local 13000.In defense of that company I must say that we used to have the biggest and best service organization. I understand that they have to try to protect the bottom line somewhat in order to try to preserve that, especially when the government forces them to wholesale to new competing companies at below cost.Still, it fires me up when I hear that they are messing with someone I would consider a very good friend.Good luck
Wild Willy the Wacko

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Hi, could you elaborate on where this DuPage County Fairgrounds is located? I was just thinking that I might be tempted to pay a premium price for just about any item, provided it was autographed by Sniper!
Wild Willy the Wacko

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Sure,click the link http://www.dupagecountyfair.org/directions.htmlDave

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LAST EDITED ON Mar-18-04 AT 09:15 PM (EST)

As good as his stuff is, give me an address and how much (within reason)this is called shareware. It beats the hell out of the a lot of the commercial junk I've bought! George

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George,I share your sentiments ! Jim and many others providing us with a lot of FREE MSTS FUN deserve some sort of reward for their toil and labour ! Some have "Donations" facilities I frequently use and others had "Notes" from me, having given me a Mailing Address. However, many feel that taking money would place them under some sort of commitment to attend to the occasional problem and perhaps invite unkind remarks.Your thoughts are no doubt being appreciated by the MSTS FREEWARE Developers ! O t t o

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Thanks Ottodad Thanks! PO&N 7 is the best PO&N so far, of course. It speaks volumes of you that Jim would entrust you with this during these hard times for him. I'm glad I read previous posts on this thread about installation, everything is working fine and I'm enjoying it immensely, as usual. My condolences to Jim and John and their family. Sniper's wit and work have made MSTS and this forum a great way to spend my free time and really enjoy what I love - TRAINS!-Al

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Otto,A successful install here as well !! I just had to manually copy the Dash 9 files. Thank You very much for hosting Jim's great route. Everyone above has expressed all of my sentiments about the freeware developers and their unselfish sharing of their talents and efforts. Thanks again for your part in making this available.
Regards, Bob Kambach"Home" is about 500 Yds. from the famous "Pequest Fill" on the abandoned "DL&W Cutoff"

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Otto,Thanks for hosting the files. I didn't get a chance to install it until last night. I did change all the BNSF locos with PO&N stock and I started to run a couple of activities and I was totally blown away by the attention to detail on this route. The AI traffic is intense. What's not to love.Thanks again...to you and JimBill

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To all of you !I am glad that I have been able to repay members of this Forum for all the help and assistance I have received since joining ! As for appreciating Jim and all he has done for MSTS and this Forum, I hope that him knowing what we all feel about him will lift his spirits and motivate him to carry on where he had to leave off due to unforeseen circumstances.My best wishes to him ! O t t o

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LAST EDITED ON Apr-01-04 AT 08:43 AM (EST)

I had no problems with the download or installation. I've installed everyone of Jim's versions of the P.O.& N. and am familiar with his bat files and installation proceedures. I don't know if that makes any difference because most everything installs with a couple clicks of the mouse. I'm enclosing a few screen shots of this newest and greatest version.Thanks for hosting the download and all the advise.

Attachments

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/406c192335c8db32.jpg

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Anyone reading this thread who has contact with Jim, please give him my regards as well. I won't dump into his email. If he has had that long a time with a problem, he doesn't need more to contend with. I for one am truly sorry to hear that he isn't working on MSTS-next with MS. Jim is one of the many here that I feel would make sure that things were right. MS would do well to at least get beta testers from this group.

Joe Morris CRR #2
Senior Engineer
Vice President, Equip. & Physics, OVS
Gen. Manager, Canton Railroad

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drjoe,I'll be seeing him Sunday. I hope.Dave

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Otto,
TexasTea, Fowlis, Paludane, coalmine and PortOgden Activities all crash on me. Anyone else having this problem. John

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LAST EDITED ON Apr-01-04 AT 04:00 PM (EST)

John,I am getting problems with these Activities too."Failed to initialise car <201211> rigidbody" ! Carry on and MSTS hangs "Send, do not send...".Can't trace that description in any of my Consists or Trainset Folders.Any ideas anybody ?O t t oP.S.: Neither ConBuilder nor Route_Riter found any errors !

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Otto and all,I have posted in the general trains thread about the GATS show. If you would like me to tell Sniper and John anything please post there or you can email me with the subject GATS Show.Dave

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*bump*

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To Otto and all,I have printed this discussion for Sniper to read tomorrow.Dave

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*bump* a week.Otto anything?Dave

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Dave, Apart from John telling me that he had a minor stroke shortly after you have seen him, NOTHING !Anyway, I'll try holding the P.O.&.N. Fort until I hear from Jim ! O t t oP.S.: Anybody having downloaded the P.O.&.N. Activities Fixes I made available a while ago, I have since updated them, starting all the Activities in the middle of the AI Traffic Rush Hour ! www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/downloads/pon7act.zip

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Thanks Otto,is that the up-up dated activites(meaning re-modified of the modified one you did)? or is the same one that you updated? Or am I confused?Dave

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Hi Dave !Time to own up ! What happened was that looking for what screwed up the P.O.&.N. Activities I suspected that all the many AI running everywhere when starting activities might have been the cause.Took me many hours, after I think it was Cyndi who suggested it, to look for and find the real reason, a single waggon sitting right on top of a track end. Realised, now that the activities were playable again, that there was no AI Traffic in sight when starting an activity, of which there was plenty before.So I brought the EAST Activities Starting Time forward to 14:30 again, well after most of the AI trains were launched and are running all over the Route ! Did not change the WEST Activities Start Times, which are earlier in the morning, again hours after their AI trains have been started, to make sure that there is plenty of action going on.Seems that after I released the first Fix nobody missed them running at the start of activities like in previous versions. Take Care, O t t o.

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Hi Otto,First, let me just say that I just found this post. As you well know, I haven't been around here much lately, and you no doubt know the reason, but I just want to add my two cents, farthings or whatever about Jim "Sniper" Ward (oh, first I want to thank you as well for carrying the latest version of the PO&N for him). The one man I wanted to talk to and see a post from when I got back from my illness was Sniper. There is no one who knows more about this game nor anyone who has contributed more to it than he has. His wit and humor are what kept me coming back here day after day. I, like a lot of other people here, had assumed that Microsoft had hired him for MSTS2, but apparently that isn't so and that is their loss and our loss as well.
Are you saying that he had the stroke or am I misreading your post. I certainly hope not but if so I hope he is doing better. There must be a lot of dumb companies out there if they wouldn't hire this man. That's my personal opinion.
Anyway, I just wanted....no, I just had to add my post in here as someone who knew Jim fairly well when I was here before. He never ceased to amaze me with his brilliance, his wit, his charm. And it saddens me very much that he is having all of these problems and can't be here at this time. I greatly miss him and wish him all the best in the world and in the future. I hope that he will be back here soon. And on that day you will see me back here regularly too. That is how much I respect that man. People that never got a chance to see his wonderful and witty posts, nor talk to him in a PM, or see his brilliance in the game itself, just can't imagine what they missed. I just hope they will get that chance in the future. I know I want to get that chance again. I hope he realizes what an unofficial fan club he has here and how much we all want to see him come back in good health and wit. Never mind the great PO&N route that he has created and the innovations to the game he has created. It was the man himself that I enjoyed the most. I miss the he$$ out of not seeing Jim "Sniper" Ward here anymore. God bless him!Thanks again Otto for being his spokesman and allowing his latest creation to be carried by you. And thanks for being you, as well. It is more than appreciated.TimWestern Maryland
"Gone but never forgotten"

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HEAR HEAR !!!!!

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Hi Tim !Glad to hear that you are alright ! It was John, Jim's brother who had the stroke.I owe Jim a lot ! If it had not been for the P.O.&.N., one of the first Routes I downloaded, giving me extreme pleasure right up to this very day, getting a lot of help from him directly, from his manuals at Steam4Me and learning much from his frequent, interesting and amusing messages in this Forum, I would have lost interest in MSTS a long time ago ! Looking forward to him coming back here soon, but got the feeling that he is near the summit of what he can achieve with the P.O.&.N., until the next MSTS ? Take Care, O t t o.

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quote: Looking forward to him coming back here soon, but got the feeling that he is near the summit of what he can achieve with the P.O.&.N., until the next MSTS ? end quote: U never know Otto.Dave

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Tim,I am the one who actually met the legend himself. And yes he does miss all of us too. What Otto was saying is that after I saw John Ward (Jim's brother) had a stroke. It's been a week since his last email (Otto's that is) and thought that he might know some news.We all miss him Tim. He'll be back online if and when he get's his computer hooked up and what not.I hope this helps.Dave

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Thanks Dave and Otto for the update. Sorry to hear about John, hope he is doing better.
As for Jim, you are a lucky man to have met him in person. I know that is the one man I would love to meet. No one gave me more pleasure here than he did with his witty posts and knowledge of the game. I, like Otto, learned a lot from him. And you never knew what he was going to come up with next.
I suspect that Jim could do a lot more with his route Otto. MSTS2 or not. I watched it grow and was always amazed at what he would come up with next.
I know I will be in a long line of welcomers if and when he comes back. If I was a rich man I would send him the money to get back on line, that's how much his presence means to me. Alas, I am not, but hope he will be soon. A legend doesn't even begin to cover his meaning to the game and this forum.
And like I said, should he return, then I will also. That's what the man means to me.
Thanks Dave for the info. All I could think of when I was ill was coming back here just to see what he had accompished while I was gone and to see his next witty post. It kept me going. And I am very serious about that. I hope to see him soon, that's all I can say.Thanks Dave and Otto. Your post here about him has made me realize just how much he meant to me. I won't ever forget that either.Jim, you get your butt back here soon. We need you around here now, for all kinds of reasons. TimWestern Maryland
"Gone but never forgotten"

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Otto,I've tried your re-jigged activities for PON7, The first one I tried was Sundermeyer East, I think it starts around 14:30.There is A1 traffic stopped everywhere!Any ideas please.Alan

Hotmetal

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Extra info Otto,The pile up occures at 13:41 at the Esat end of the loop between Sundermeyer and Van den Hoven.Thats's between mile posts 27 an 28.I'm not clever enough to sort this out, can you help please.???
Alan

Hotmetal

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Hi Alan !Yes, it is Signal Problems which cause the Pile-Up ! Managed to fix a few and pushed the Pile-Up incident past 16:00 PM, but there is still a bit more work to be done and it's getting late, or should I say "Early - 4:00 AM" here in the U.K. !There is a: www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/downloads/pon7fix.zip you can download and try out in the meantime until I got the AI trains running until their Bed Time ! Report back anything else you find running the Activities.Take Care, O t t o.

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Hi Alan !After uploading the pon7fix to my Web Site I investigated some more, only to realise that I was moving the problem forward time wise but not eradicating it. There is something funny going on in the Anderson Area yards where at 14:30 a AI suddenly diverts from the regular AI path and finishes up in the Loco Shed siding if the Activity is set to start at 14:30. I side-stepped a disaster there by advancing the Anderson West Activity by one minute, avoiding a collision with the AI due to arrive at 14:30. Doing that seems to have prevented that AI from turning towards the Loco Shed where the Player Loco is waiting to be used, getting into the yard a minute or so after the start of the Activity. STRANGE ! To check the above, change the Anderson EAST Activity to start at 14:30 and fasten your seat belt !!! The WEST Activities also suffer from a AI Traffic Pile-Up in the Sundermeyer area at about 7:24 AM. Avoiding that stretch of line around that time would be advisable, or Start Activities from Sundermeyer prior to 7:00, before tracks there get choked with AI Traffic. Signalling is a complex matter and somewhere along the line and working an the latest Updates, adding more and more Bells and Whistles to the Route, Jim got something wrong with the signalling or other ?Will have to wait for the MASTER to return ! In the meantime, the Activities run well enough before causing a AI Traffic pile up somewhere, mostly out of sight and not affecting the Player. In the odd Activity where this could be a nuisance, starting it earlier would avoid meeting such pile-ups ! HAVE FUN and Take Care,O t t o

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Hi Otto,Not only do you go to bed late, your up earlish too!As you say we'll have to await Jims return to the forum, let's hope that's not too long.
RegardsAlan

Hotmetal

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LAST EDITED ON Apr-12-04 AT 08:02 PM (EDT)

Hi Alan !Yes, I noticed that the last time I tried that Activity, but was busy with something else for the penny to drop !Looks like the AI at the front of that queue had a problem, causing the others to pile up behind it. Signalling ? More to learn ! Will check it out by running them in the AE to see what the problem is there and fix it if I can !Until later, O t t o.P.S.: Thanks for the lead ! Should have read your second message as well before replying to your first !

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Otto –I’ve followed the last few posts about AI traffic difficulties with interest, mainly because I’m working my way through a signalised version of my Dragon Bay route, which is based very heavily on Jim’s PO&N.After a very frustrating time using very similar signalling to the latest PO&N, I came to the conclusion that there is a fundamental flaw somewhere in Jim’s signal script.I’ve re-written relevant parts of the signal script and last night managed a three hour activity on Dragon Bay with opposing AI traffic at 10 minute intervals. The AI traffic was a random mixture of 2 x Dash 9 with 50+ tankers and very short trains. So there was considerably variation in the AI train speeds.With the new script it worked perfectly.This morning I tried again at 5 minute intervals, but the AI trains came to a grinding halt part way through.I’ll continue working through this and see if I can resolve the problem.My guess is if I can get it to work for me it will also work on PO&N.I’ll get back to you about this.
Thanks for hosting Jim’s great route,
Phil

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Otto –As a postscript, to make AI train generation a little easier, have you tried:http://msts.juliane-und-torben.de/It will transform one AI train, say a PO&N westbound consist at 0730, into a multitude!!Far easier than setting all the consists and start times by hand.Phil

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Looking forward to your findings, Phil !Had a look at this "Activity Changer" before but am so used to setting up the small selection of AI trains I use in my Test Routes, I did not bother learning how to use that one as well ! Jim's Routes are another matter. His EAST Activities start at 12:OO noon and 8 different Consists run at 10 mins intervals right up to 23:50. The WEST ones start at 6:00 AM, again 8 different Consists up to 23:00.They run O.K. for a while and then for no apparent reason I can see one Consists stops at a signal causing all the following to stop behind it until the Route is choked with Consists and the Spawner can not launch any more !There is also this odd occurrence starting the ANDERSON EAST Activity at 14:30 when an approaching AI Train is being diverted from it's otherwise programmed path and switched into the siding where the Player Engine is waiting to get going. Now who threw that switch ? Managed to advance the blockage of the Eastbound AIs by an hour, removing the odd signal, but could not prevent it happening again later elsewhere.Only Jim would know how he set up the Signalling with certain types of interacting and stumm Signals, I wouldn't have a clue about ! Take Care, O t t o.

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Otto –Using Jim’s signal scripting I also had blockages in Dragon Rail, usually in the top and the left part of the route for absolutely no apparent reason.Changing the type of consist or the departure time of the AI trains just seemed to move the blockage from one signal or from one area to another, again for no apparent reason.I was totally ignorant about MSTS signalling, so this last couple of days has been a extremely steep learning curve!! All compounded by the fact that Jim/Hank left minimal documentation.What I have done is simplify the signal script. As I said, this seems to work for 10 minute headways, but if the signal logic is correct it should work for shorter headways too. After all, with the interaction between AI trains and the player’s consist, headways are bound to be compressed, so what started as 10 minutes between trains becomes much less.At this stage I’m not sure why the 5 minute headway does not work (or is MSTS completely illogical?).I will do a bit more work and experimentation, then I’ll upload the revised script for a wider audience – it’s a bit difficult to know if a particular activity works for me just by chance.
Best,
Phil

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