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"YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!"

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dvdhoven (265 posts)
Dec-15-01, 02:48 PM (EST) "YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Hi,Some months ago, a guy posted a message here that he had developed some nice switch stands or switch indicators. Sorry I'm Dutch, I don't know the American equivalents. But nobody knew how to animate these things and couple them to the switches.Last week I read in a thread about semaphore signals a link to the site of Hagen Knop. This fellow has developed a whole package of German signals, buth semaphores and light. Very good work. But the most intriguing was that he had also working switch indicators.I have tried them out and they work. Really! In fact it is a signal, but then flagged as Informational, which means that it is not indicated at the track monitor and has no influence on the train. Distance signals are also informational.Here are a bunch of screenshots:
The indicator is on the left with the small white plane, indicating your on the straight track. This is an interlocking semaphore, showing the straight track (highest speed) and the indicator also showing the same.
Now you see that the indicator is showing that you go to the left, the semaphore is showing the low-speed variant.
Well a somewhate better picture, showing you're going to the right. You see they can be coupled to manual switches, everywhere you want
The back of the signal when you drive the curved path.
Yes, This is signal too! It indicated the other signals that the track really ends here.
The distance signal for the semaphore, indicating that the semaphore shows the low speed track.What I cannot show here is the good slow animation of the signals.Hagen Knop has done a really great job.My point is: If he has done this for German signals, this can also be done for American Signals. When someone can find the shapes of that switch stands from months ago or someone make new ones, then using the same techniques, American switch indicators can be made.There are some drawbacks: The indicators are signals. So they cannot stand on a switch section. This can cause trouble in yards, specially in ladders. The second is that there must a signal between the indicator and the end of the track, both pointing in the same direction.Well I recommand you, visit the site of Hagen Knop:
http://hagen.knop.bei.t-online.de/He has also a small Testroute where you can see his signals working and a tutorial. The language is German, but when you have trouble with it, I can translate if necessary.Dick van den Hoven Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Table of Contents

Subject Author Message Date ID RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... dvdhoven Dec-16-01 1 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... CSXALine Dec-16-01 2 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... Momocat Dec-16-01 3 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... dvdhoven Dec-16-01 6 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... jkcooney Dec-16-01 5 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... jkcooney Dec-16-01 4 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... sniper297 Dec-16-01 7 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... jkcooney Dec-16-01 11 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... dvdhoven Dec-16-01 8 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... rgarber Dec-16-01 9 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... dvdhoven Dec-16-01 10 RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can w... jkcooney Dec-16-01 12

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dvdhoven (265 posts)
Dec-16-01, 02:58 AM (EST) 1. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Hi, I don't understand this. I thought that some people may be interested in this subject as they claim to be so much prototypical. Dick van den Hoven Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
CSXALine (381 posts)
Dec-16-01, 03:59 AM (EST) 2. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" actually i am quite exctied about this, unfortunately i have to find a way to make US Standard SwitchstandsJason Webb
The Seaboard Coast Line/CSX A Line from Tampa Florida to Jacksonville, FL
http://sclcsxaline.cjb.net/
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Momocat (18 posts)
Dec-16-01, 04:14 AM (EST) 3. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" hi DVDHOVEN!The mstsguys in germany know hagen knop (the maker of these things) very well. But it looks like nobody wants to make a german route (execpt the germans). but nearly no german ( i'm one) reads this forum, so that's you got no response.momocatps. the signals are really great. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
dvdhoven (265 posts)
Dec-16-01, 12:36 PM (EST) 6. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" LAST EDITED ON Dec-16-01 AT 12:40 PM (EST)Momocat, there are some German freeware routes out there and good ones to my opinion. But that was not the intention of my posting. I was talking about the possibility of making American switch stands as I know that some American fellows would like to have them.And when I had the time and the skills I would like to develop a German route. As you possibly know I live in the Netherlands in the more eastern part and I know the Münsterland very well. Nice place for a route. Specially a what-if route, what if not all those lines were abonded. A route where you still can drive from Rheine to Coesfeld over BurgSteinfurt.
Or the Grensland Expres from Bentheim Nord to Borken via Gronau, Ahaus.Dick van den Hoven Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jkcooney (546 posts)
Dec-16-01, 09:08 AM (EST) 5. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" I am ... very interested. Would it be difficult to change the line and arrow indicators to simply display a colored panel (red for diverging route, green for main route?).
Joe Cooney, Ocala, FL Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jkcooney (546 posts)
Dec-16-01, 09:06 AM (EST) 4. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Excellent work. As noted in other posts we in U.S. are looking for N. American style indicators. But in the meantime... what are the installation requirements. Are they merely added to my route REF file? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
sniper297 (1074 posts)
Dec-16-01, 12:48 PM (EST) 7. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Not really a question of lack of interest, Dick, it's a matter of new info that takes a while to digest, and anyone who looks at it is going to see it from the angle of "how would this fit into what I'm trying to do?" If you had hit me with this 3 months ago I would have ignored it completely because I was trying to build a basic route at that time, and altho it would have been technically interesting to me, I would have put it aside until the day I decided to actually tackle signals. I'm currently working on signals, but I'm not gonna be the guy to create a new American signal set out of this new script, so it isn't any real use to me now. When an old-style American version does become available, especially if I can use distant signals to warn the player of an upcoming meet with an AI train, then you'll have my interest. Some people have fixed the problems with the grade crossings and car spawners. Wonderful. To me, tho, it's "so what? I got other problems!". Since I haven't even added roads yet, any progress in car spawners and correctly working grade crossings doesn't interest me.YET.At some point in the future it will. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jkcooney (546 posts)
Dec-16-01, 06:22 PM (EST) 11. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" I'm on the same wavelength as you Jim. Switchstands would be nice but they are not high priority (or any priority right now). Car spawners???? Do I really need traffic moving or can I live with a fixed vehicle or two at a grade crossing. I just elevate standard road sections so the rail just peaks through and take it from there. Close enough for government work!
Joe C. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
dvdhoven (265 posts)
Dec-16-01, 12:48 PM (EST) 8. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Hi,To give some response.
Yes I think that painting must be possible. Must be tried out. The only quirk is that the switch stand has some light for the evening.The switch stands are in fact interlocking signals. You have to link them (Head1) to the straight track. But they are flagged as informational and so doesn't influence the traffic.The scripting is a different story. Hagen Knop has made a closed scripting, so some study is needed to see how to get other signals in the script. But I think that can be done.
And of course we need his permission, as he is the creator. I don't like the postings here on the board the last time about copying and using without permissions.
So far, I don't see that I have offended any rules or copyright, but if you think I have, please give me a warning.And this are signals, they don't go in the reference file. They go to the track objects just like all other signals. The well know red pyramid and then dragging the signal to the right place.Thanks to you all for the reactions.Dick van den Hoven Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (840 posts)
Dec-16-01, 01:58 PM (EST) 9. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Dick,the page is in German, do you think you could do some translating for us?Are the scripts in German too?Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
dvdhoven (265 posts)
Dec-16-01, 02:17 PM (EST) 10. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Hi Rich,The script is somewhat more plain English, as far there is English involved.
I think you are referring to the tutorial and the readme's. Yes I can translate them.Some German terms:
Hauptsignal = Signal
Vorsignal = Distant signal
The German signalling has always a Distant signal to indicate the Signal following, but the Vorsignal (Distant signal) cannot show stop, only restricted and proceed.Ausfahrtsignale = the Signals that are guarding the exit of the station.1 gleisiger Strecke = single trackWeiche = SwitchVerknüpfung = LinkRangier = Switching
The German signalling has an option to show switching signals, in this way the signal doesn't control if the track ahead is occupied. Some sort of permissive signalFormsignale = Semaphore signals
Dick van den Hoven Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jkcooney (546 posts)
Dec-16-01, 06:24 PM (EST) 12. "RE: YIPPIE, Switch indicators can work!!!" Hagen Knop's site is in German. That will do it for me. Should an English translation become available I will revisit. I have enough trouble getting the block signals to be stable.
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