Lifespan of a player path

Is there any time limit on a defined player path?If you create a path which takes the player train into a yard or branchline operation where the player can shift cars or run on track with manual switches similar to Sniper's PON style, then returns to trackage that's under control of the AI until the player finishes the path defined, is that time gap limited?Let me explain my experiment:
In the track diagram, 'A' to 'B' and 'C' to 'D' is the mainline. The player path is defined as entering at 'A', proceeding the the Mill Grove Grainery siding, reverse point, backing out and taking the 3 to 1 crossover, reverse point, forward to the yard lead, reverse point, back out on to the mainline going toward 'D'.All switches are manual. Red signal markers are absolute, green are permissive. Ghost signal markers are switch indicators and a TO board at the station.If I pull the train into the yard lead and DO NOT hit the reverse point, it seems the train can continue to carry on switching chores in the yard and industrial tracks as long as it needs to. To inhance the test, I scheduled AI traffic to pass by on the mainline, which went through without getting hung up.When the switching was done, I pulled the train up to the yard lead reverse point, reversed direction, the yard lead/mainline crossover activated, signal 6N cleared and off I went down the mainline to the end of the activity. As luck would have it, AI traffic entered at 'C' and dutifully stopped at signal 2N and followed me back to the division point yard.Again the question; If I do not trigger the reverse point on the yard lead, could the player train stay in the yard indefinately without the return path to 'D' expiring?Also note that AI traffic did reset these manual switchs to suit the defined path.Hank

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RE: Lifespan of a player path, dmikulec, Dec-18-02, 10:25 AM, (1) RE: Lifespan of a player path, Signalmaster, Dec-18-02, 01:08 PM, (4) RE: Lifespan of a player path, dmikulec, Dec-18-02, 09:46 PM, (6) RE: Lifespan of a player path, rgarber, Dec-18-02, 10:29 AM, (2) RE: Lifespan of a player path, Signalmaster, Dec-18-02, 12:54 PM, (3) RE: Lifespan of a player path, rgarber, Dec-18-02, 02:10 PM, (5)

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Hank,Not to go off on a tangent here but I read your post and couldn't help but notice those words ... "train order board".Did a search for it in the file library but came up dry. Would this perhaps be a future offering? Thanks!Dave Mikulec
Ohio Southeastern System
a freelanced route through the New River Gorge
(laying track)

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I'll send you a copy.....

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Thanks Hank Dave Mikulec
Ohio Southeastern System
a freelanced route through the New River Gorge
(laying track)The Nickel Plate Project
http://rdimages.com/MSTS_NKP/

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"If I pull the train into the yard lead and DO NOT hit the reverse point, it seems the train can continue to carry on switching chores in the yard and industrial tracks as long as it needs to. To inhance the test, I scheduled AI traffic to pass by on the mainline, which went through without getting hung up."Hank,I would say this is pretty correct. I think of reversing points as an extension to the original path which seem to be dormant until activated by the engine passing over the reversing point and satisfying the 'rules' (train and cars fitting within the reverse point and nearest switch).For instance, let's say you beat the AI train passing through on the mainline track by getting to the reversing point first. If that would happen, the second leg of the path which looks to cross over the mainline, should halt the AI train because your path takes priority over AI trains.So by staying on the first leg of the path as long as it takes for that AI train to go through, your AI train functions normally. Now, another reason your AI train would stop if you beat it to the reversing point and crossed over the mainline would be because you said your switches are manual. An AI train can't throw manual switches except when his path is initialized in the sim. So you're passing through the mainline switch before he does even if a path isn't drawn that way should stop the ai train because the AI train would see his own path obstructed.Rich Garber

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-18-02 AT 01:07 PM (EST)

Hi Rich,Here's the activity sequence as I've set it up in the AE;The player train enters at A and is placed 'in the pocket' at the grainery by the local dispatcher because there's a hotshot freight on the local's tail still several blocks away. The player pulls into the siding and touches the reverse trigger, reverses and pulls up to signal 4N. Signal 4N stays at stop 'cause the interlocking is setup for the hotshot(AI train). As soon as the AI train clears the interlocking, the siding switch and the mainline crossover switches move to favor the local's path over the mainline to the yard lead. Once on the yard lead, the reverse trigger isn't touched until the local's work is done. I did notice that the yard lead crossover switch leading to signal 6N goes from the reverse position to normal as soon as the train clears about where the 'red pole' would be on the yard lead.Even after the local has used the crossover and is in the yard, AI traffic still moves smoothly over the mainline.Does this still fit your understanding?HankHere's an overview of that area:

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Hank,I believe so, if I'm following ya. I tend to think of the player path and the player train like a pac man thing. As you move along, the path behind the train is in a sense, eaten up. So once you clear a AI train's path, even if you haven't completed that leg of the path, the AI sees a clear path ahead of it and begins to move.You can see this happen in one of my activities. I'm not sure what # it is, but there's an activity where a AI train is held in place by absolutely nothing except your presence on the rail. The activity is the Reiner coal run. The moment your engine clears the switch, an AI train just sitting there suddenly takes off. But there's no signal holding it there.In the same activity, I used to have that same AI train going past Caldwell all the way to Mt. Ephraim. However, it would only get part way because your player train crosses the mainline. This crossing of the track via a switch would hold the AI train at the nearest signal. Since the player train is now behind the AI train, the activity couldn't continue because the signals wouldn't clear the AI train. The only solution was to terminate the AI train path before the signal to get the player to have a green.Hope this helps.Rich Garber

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