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johninchicago (23 posts)
Aug-12-01, 05:15 PM (EST) "SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" I downloaded the ConRail SW1200 (CR9578) and noticed that the lights work only when the engine is not coupled to any cars. I later applied the latest lighting fixes by Bob Easterday and Steven Anderson, and this problem still persists. I'd love to fix this, as a similar engine became very special to my son and me when my son and I got to ride in the cab of one when he was at the age of seven. He's all grwon up now, and I'd like to show him this for nostalgia. Any ideas? Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... MuYa Aug-12-01 1 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... johninchicago Aug-12-01 2 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... stevealex Aug-13-01 3 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... johninchicago Aug-13-01 5 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... Dokkensound Aug-13-01 4 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... johninchicago Aug-13-01 6 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... nighthawk1 Aug-13-01 7 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... lightbg Aug-13-01 8 RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoup... ChckHbrt Aug-13-01 9

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MuYa (7 posts)
Aug-12-01, 05:38 PM (EST) 1. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" At first I thought this was one of mine but it's not. Do you remember the number of the one you were on? If so I can make you one with that number on it. Brian Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
johninchicago (23 posts)
Aug-12-01, 06:23 PM (EST) 2. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" >At first I thought this was
>one of mine but it's
>not. Do you remember the
>number of the one you
>were on? If so I
>can make you one with
>that number on it.
>
>Brian Unfortunately, I don't reecall the number... but your offer is very kind Brian. Thanks.Btw, any clue as to what could be wrong wit the lights. I'd happily edit the .eng file if I knew what the problem was.
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stevealex (16 posts)
Aug-13-01, 00:03 AM (EST) 3. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" I just checked the at1200 engine file from the switching folder of Robs update... I see nothing that would tie the engine lights to coupling or not. You see, coupling status is ignored when it is part of the lighting description. Made my life miserable.All I see in my copy of the at1200 switcher file is the headlight ( 2 ) and Headlight ( 3 ) commands for the dim and bright lightswitch positions, together with " Unit ( 2 ) " to tell it to apply that light to the front engine.Make sure that the unit codes are Unit ( 2 ) in your file copy. IF THEY ARE " Unit ( 3 ) " instead, that would do that. Unit 3 tells the sim to apply that light to the last engine. Since an engine is only 'the last' at the front of the train when it is solo, that " 3 " where a " 2 " belonged would really mess things up for you in the manner you describe.For Bright lights on front:Headlight ( 3 )
Unit ( 2 )For Dim lights on front:Headlight ( 2 )
Unit ( 2 )Also, this switching version in the Easterday update is a special purpose defined file. When your light switch is set to BRIGHT, you will have bright forward lights for normal forward running, and the rear lights will be a normal dim. IF you want to back up and couple, then switch the light switch to DIM, and the rear lights facing your new direction of travel in reverse will kick up to a bright representation. But your front lights should work normally like all the other engines do.And just in case your talking about the ground and cars lighting up behind you like the scenery does in front of you, that won't happen. That function for forward scenery shining is defined with the 'sphere' description, and although I did accidentally discover that "" some of the time, under exactly the right set of conditions "", I could sphere to the rear, it made a mess of things even on my Pentium 3 at 900 Mhz. with 128 megs. of RAM machine. Trainsim did not like that at all. And I do not know what Rob has for a computer, but his didn't handle it well at all either. If you want to experiment on your own with "rear" light spheres, you can set the radius to a negative value. And -150 seems to be about the maximum that will display. But the Sim program will be very cranky about allowing your lights to properly function if you do. You see, the radius parameter tells it how far to shine the light, and the Sim just assumes a forward direction with distance greater than zero. When you throw that negative number at it, the program goes ballistic trying to shine a distance less than zero in a forward direction.So after much discussion back and forth, we decided not to do that because our goal is not to cause more trouble for people, but rather to overcome the deficiencies that we reasonably can in the quest of improving 'realism'.But if you have enough JUICE in your machine, and you still want to play with it, you can try to use the cabview HEADOUT on the headlight DIM setting, and change the

Light(
Comment( "Sphere of light dim" )
radius ( xxx )radius parameter from a positive to a negative number LESS than 180, and see how it will work with the headout view from the cab. But you may have to switch back and forth between different views a few times to get it "unconfused" again so that your lights will work properly when you are ready for moving forward. You have been warned, and it has been a good lesson in lights, no?. Took me two hours to write this reply.Hope this helps explain things better,
Steven Alexander aka Stevealex Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
johninchicago (23 posts)
Aug-13-01, 10:18 AM (EST) 5. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" Steven - thanks so much for the detailed explanation. I'll try this tonight and let you know how it works.Much obliged,
John Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Dokkensound (49 posts)
Aug-13-01, 02:53 AM (EST) 4. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" John if you can't get it working just send me the .eng file that came with it originaly and let me see whats going on. The two files in my package were only for the ATSF paint jobs and would require some changes to about 5 lines in the .eng file to use with another paint skin. My address is in the Lighting Docs.
R. Easterday (DokkenSound)
"But these go to "11""
Spinal Tap Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
johninchicago (23 posts)
Aug-13-01, 10:28 AM (EST) 6. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" >John if you can't get it
>working just send me the
>.eng file that came with
>it originaly and let me
>see whats going on. The
>two files in my package
>were only for the ATSF
>paint jobs and would require
>some changes to about 5
>lines in the .eng file
>to use with another paint
>skin. My address is in
>the Lighting Docs.
>R. Easterday (DokkenSound)
>"But these go to "11""
>Spinal Tap Rob - thanks for your very kind offer. I'll first try to fix this using the suggestions Steven made, and if I don't succeed, I'll mail you the .eng file. And, while I'm at it, thanks also for the great work you and Steven have done to remedy and enhance the orginal lighting. It adds so much more life to the sim, especially on AI trains. It was also nice of you to package Scott's excellent physics updates with your lighting fixes. makes it very easy for newbies like me to get the most out of MSTS.Best,
JohnJohn Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
nighthawk1 (36 posts)
Aug-13-01, 12:43 PM (EST) 7. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" LAST EDITED ON Aug-13-01 AT 01:21 PM (EST)i don't know if this is the same engine but i coupled a switcher with another loco (i think it was the genisis.) when i switched on the lights the genisis lights came on. and the switcher was the lead. i can't repeat to make sure. (still waiting for the video card i ordered and still stuck in 16 colors.) nighthawk1 Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lightbg (86 posts)
Aug-13-01, 09:58 PM (EST) 8. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" This condition exists ONLY when you run any SW engine cab-forward, or reversed and leading the consist. MSTS thinks the front should be away from the consist ( that beloved coupling "bug" ), so when coupled nose-up, it gets confused. Break the coupling, and everything is normal. For a real trip, run a consist like this and shove: all the car wheels spin in the opposite direction ( The Twilight Zone Activity ). Jake. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
ChckHbrt (177 posts)
Aug-13-01, 11:31 PM (EST) 9. "RE: SW 1200 lights only when uncoupled (??)!" lightbgYou are correct sir, On any switch engine running in Train Sim the hood end is considered to be the front. If you are using the hood end of the engine toward the cars and the lights do not work properly, try editing and flip the engine around so that the cab is toward the cars or add another switcher on the front and run them cab to cab. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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