How to set a Player train stationary

Hi,I have an activity which begins with a steam hauled consist placed at a station. The problem is that the consist is not stationary, it has a bit of a roll on. The F10 schedule shows that the train has arrived, and departed, the station. The problem is, it departed early.How do I make the consist begin stationary?
BTW, the begining speed and the ending speed are both set to 0 for this train, and expected perfomance is set to 75.Thanks.BarryG

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RE: How to set a Player train stationary, Vince, Mar-06-05, 01:43 PM, (1) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, BarryG, Mar-06-05, 04:39 PM, (2) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, trainmstr_1, Mar-06-05, 07:43 PM, (3) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, BarryG, Mar-07-05, 04:47 PM, (4) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, black5, Mar-07-05, 05:57 PM, (5) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, Vince, Mar-08-05, 02:48 PM, (6) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, BarryG, Mar-08-05, 04:31 PM, (7) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, BarryG, Mar-09-05, 06:37 AM, (8) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, buttercup, Mar-09-05, 12:08 PM, (9) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, funnelfan, Mar-10-05, 01:34 PM, (10) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, BarryG, Mar-10-05, 08:32 PM, (11) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, trainmstr_1, Mar-11-05, 11:44 PM, (12) RE: How to set a Player train stationary, BarryG, Mar-12-05, 00:50 AM, (13)

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I'm not sure what you mean here Barry. Are you saying that when you start the activity (and you are in the engineer seat) the train is rolling forward? . . . or are you looking in the playback tool?If you are looking at the activity in the editor playback tool this has nothing to do with the way the player train acts when actually running the activity.
The playback tool is useful only for planning AI traffic and rarely shows correct timings for a player train.
If you want to elininate that bit of rolling forward shorten the player path slightly where it begins at the station.
The playback tool always seems to allow the player train to start disregarding the schedule and so cannot be used to set up player timings. Just look at when it arrives at the first station stop versus the actual schedule and you'll see what I mean.
The engine driver has control of when the player train actually departs the station.

Regards,
Vince Cockeram
Author: NECv4 Route;
Now enjoyed by over 10,000 Train Simmers!

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Hi Vince,Thanks for your reply.What I mean, and probably didn't clearly explain, is that when you start the activity by "Driving a Train", and the activity opens, with me in the driver's seat, the engine is rolling forward slowly. As the train is already at the 1st station on the trip, the F10 schedule shows that the train has arrived, and sadly also departed. The problem is that the openning time is about 1 minute ahead of depature time, so this means that the train has departed early, which duly gets written up in the evaluation.
I'd like to know what I have to do to make the activity open with the train standing still at the platform having just arrived, and waiting for the voice to tell me "OK to proceed" when depature time arrives.Thanks,
BarryG

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Is your staion platform on any sort of downgrade? It sounds as if the train brakes are not set when the activity opens, and your are facing downgrade.

"He who dies with the MOST Trains.....WINS!!!!!"

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Hi Vince,I don't know of the track has a grade on it. The route is a model of the real world, and the real track has a downhill grade of 1 in 100.
I didn't build the route, but how can I tell if the model has the real downhill grade in it?The train brake is set to FULL SERVICE, the reverser is 50%, and the regulator is 0% when the activity opens. The train stops moving in a couple of seconds, but it's too late for the F10 schedule.I opened the route in Route Editor. When It opens, the scene is actually at the other end of the line. How do I move around the route? Right mouse button, and move the mouse does pan and tilt, but I can move anywhere. The left mouse doesn't seem to do anything.Thanks for your interest.BarryG

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See if you have a 'BrakeEngine' line in the 'Engine Controllers section of the .eng file.. replace the last number of the first line with 1
This might help hold the train in place..!!! but you will need to release the engine brake everytime you use that loco...
I would also have the reverser on 0%... just in case..
That's all I can think of..!!??
Georges

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Yes this does sound like an engine file set up with brakes released at startup.
You can diagnose this simply by substituting your present engine with an unmodified default engine.
The stock GP-38 comes to mind as that engine starts with the brakes applied. . .UNLESS the activity has been created with the start speed >0 MPH.
If the start speed is greater than 0 MPH I have found that simply setting it to zero does not fix this and I have had to delete the player service and then re-create the service.

Regards,
Vince Cockeram
Author: NECv4 Route;
Now enjoyed by over 10,000 Train Simmers!

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Hi Vince.The train has it brakes set to full service. I modified the eng file to have the engine brake set to 100% also, but still the train is rolling at the start. Only very slowly, but rolling nevertheless.I'll give it fly with a different engine tonight, as you suggest.Thanks for you interest.Regards,
BarryG

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Hi Vince,I tried replacing the steam engine with a SD40, and the activity open with the train standing still at the platform.I then replaced the SD40 with the Goldsdorf steam engine, and this time the activity opened with the train rolling again.This sure beats me.BarryG

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Hi Barry,You might try starting the engine with a negative speed to counteract the forward motion until the brakes set.Regards,Eric

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I had some trouble trying to get the begining and ending speeds stick. Check you activity editor again, and I'll bet that the begining speed is greater than 0. You simple can just type in 0 and expect it to stick, you must use the little up and down arrows to make the new speed stick.Ted Curphey
funnelfan@icehouse.net

Railfanning the Northwest
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When I open the activity with Activity Editor, the beginning speed shows 0.
Do you mean that even when it shows 0, it might not be so?The srv file for this player train shows TimeTable (
StartingSpeed ( 0 )
EndingSpeed ( 0 )
StartInWorld ( 0 )
EndInWorld ( 0 )
StationStop (
PlatformStartID ( 3456 )
DistanceDownPath ( 196.021 )
SkipCount ( 0 )
)
When I substitute a diesel for the steam engine, then it does start standing stil, but when I use a steam engine, be it 3801, or a genuine MSTS Goldsdorf 380, then the activity opens with a slight roll on. It stops fairly quickly, but the F10 schedule window does show the train as having already departed. The timetable depart time hasn't occurred yet, there is still one minute 'till the proper departure time.BarryG

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Have you tried to reset the arrival time at the station for the player train to say 15 - 20 seconds before the act starts? Say the activity starts at 8:00a....set the trains arrival for 7:49:40a. It might work.

"He who dies with the MOST Trains.....WINS!!!!!"

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I've just tried setting the the arrival time for 10 seconds before the activity starting time, and STILL the train is rolling. The F10 schedule even the shows the train as having departed 1 second after arrival, 9 seconds before the activity begins!!I think the activity might just have to begin 100 yards before the station, and actually drive into the first station. That should do it.Thanks for all the suggestions.BarryG

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