Siding signal wont turn green

I've got a problem with getting a Stop signal out of a yard to turn Green for me to pass. I have created an activity on the Marias Pass where I pick up 5 different consists on different sidings in Whitefish. I have each associated with an Activity, so I am forcing the order of pickups. I also display a message at each activicty completion to indicate the next move. I run through the scenario and get all 5 consists and get messages at each pickup. I then try to exit the Whitefish sidings to head for Columbia Falls for the drop-offs. When I get to the signal at the east siding exit it is red and will not turn green when I request permission to pass with the TAB key. What is really strange is that when I look at the Evaluation Details after exiting the activity, the Work Order Adherence shows that all 5 pickups were complete and the two drop-offs not complete, since I hadn't left Whitefish yet. This looks all welll and good, but when I look at the Operations Notebook, it shows the first two pickups NOT done, the next three pickups done and the 2 drop-offs done!?! Why is the Operations Notebook incorrect and not matching the Evaluations Details and why won't the signal turn green to let me out of the yard to head for Columbia Falls? I even put an enabled location event just down the tracks from this signal in hopes this would help get me through the signal and to indicate that I got out. There are no Ai trains.I have attached the act and asv in a winzip file

Attachments
http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e346fee4d2d670d.zip

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

RE: Siding signal wont turn green, dvdhoven, Jan-27-03, 12:54 PM, (1) RE: Siding signal wont turn green, destatez, Feb-05-03, 09:18 PM, (2) RE: Siding signal wont turn green, dvdhoven, Feb-06-03, 02:41 PM, (3) RE: Siding signal wont turn green, MSG Redleg, Feb-07-03, 09:43 AM, (4) RE: Siding signal wont turn green, kevarc, Feb-07-03, 09:45 AM, (5) RE: Siding signal wont turn green, johndww, Feb-07-03, 12:02 PM, (6) RE: Siding signal wont turn green, destatez, Feb-09-03, 00:36 AM, (7)

Conferences | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic

Hi,The Work Order that you call with F11 has a bug and will show the completed pickups upside down or sometime it will show nothing.
You have to live with it.The signal will never turn green when you ask permission with TAB. It will stay red until ever. The permission is there to get you through a red signal, as you have to move into an already occupied track or a dead ended track.When you want to have a green signal to Columbia Falls, you need to create a path to Columbia Falls. The switches towards Columbia are automatic and cannot be switched manually in an Activity.So create a path to Columbia Falls.
Only manual switches, those with a lever, can be switched manually in an Activity.Dick van den Hoven

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

I have gone in and completely redone the activity to make sure that all my reverse points were behind consists that I was picking up and were in front of the engine with its multiple consists when it needed to back down a siding. After picking up several consists in Whitefish I then had the activity leave that yard heading for Columbia Falls switching over to the eastbound line and head to Columbia Falls. Once there, I had a back down onto the westbound side to be able to move up into Siding 2 for the final drop-off. After picking up all my consists in Whitefish, making sure I ?hits? all the reverse-point arrows on the track monitor I came up to the eastbound signal to exit the yard and it was still red. I don?t get it. Is there a known bug with MSTS when you have multiple reverse points on the same line. I come up Siding 6 and back down Siding 8 for a consist and then pull forward and back down for consists on Sidings 9 through 11, which gives me multiple reverse points on the siding. Everything went as planned, since I had messages displayed for each pick-up activity that was on the activity list, but the light stayed red. I did a ?cludge? experiment with a totally different activity which placed the engines with consist on Siding 6 with the only activity being a dropoff in Columbia Falls. Funny thing, the light was green to start with. Have I messed up or is this just one of those MSTS ?gotchas??

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Hi,Too many reverse point can confuse MSTS.
Are the switches in Whitefish manual? I cannot remember it.
When so, design a path to Columbia Falls and let the player do the switching in the Whitefish yard.
This brings more action in the activity and gives the player more freedom.Dick van den Hoven

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

A few thoughts from a modeler who loves the "branch line"Get rid of ALL reverse points unless they are absolutely necessary.
Having those suckers everywhere is like trying to tip-toe through a A mine field. Sooner or later one is gonna get ya !!Think of your activity in a prototypical manner and let the engineer/conductor (player)in the activity decide how they are going to accomplish their work order. The enjoyment and challenge of switching is figuring out the most efficient manner in which to build a consist or switch out a siding. There is no challenge in trying to find reversers and trying to figure out what the creator wanted. An analogy would be a yard crew having to get permission from the guy in the office to turn here, now go back, now go forward, etc.Give a list of requirements, give a track warrant (path) to occupy certain track sections and let us do our job.IF you NEED to force the player to block a set of cars in a specific order you can use "assemble train" at some location before leaving yard. This instruction should be covered in the briefing you give the crew before you send out to the yard.

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Yes, but there are times when signalling or auto switchs require the use of reverse points.Kevin Arceneaux
It is time for Amtrak to become a fallen flag!

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

I agree with Kevin's statement. The only time you need reverse points is accessing spurs or sidings that have automatic switches. One other place you'll need it, is at wye's where you may want to reverse you engine.John

JohnDWW

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Thanks, I took your advice and removed all of the reverse points that I had in the Whitefish main yard. What I also did was to modify each of the actions for the consist pickups on each of four sidings in that yard. I made three mods to each of these. I turned their activation levels to 1, thinking this would allow pickups in any order. Second I turned the outcomes to 1, to just display a message, where I previously had a second outcome to increase the next action?s activation level. Thirdly I checked the reversable box on each.I picked up all my consists in Whitefish, getting all four messages and headed for Columbia Falls for a drop-off. Part way there I needed to stop and after saving I looked at my work order adherence on the evaluation screen and it showed incomplete for all four pickups. Out of desperation I went back in and changed all the actions back to the way I had them before the three mods and things seem to be working since I stopped the sim after the first pickup and the work order adherence showed complete. Which of my three mods messed things up the work order adherence?Dave

Alert | IP

[ Home | MSTS Forum | MSTS FAQ | File Library ] Copyright © 2002 by Nels Anderson. All Rights Reserved.