Atomic Systems

MSTS Standardized global tsection.dat file Build 00042UK [325489 bytes] - Tsection42UK.zip File ID: 13758 Date: 05 Jan 2012 - 25066 Downloads

Files Included:

Readme.txt - this file.
File_id.diz - the file description file.
tsection.dat - build 00042 of the standardized \global\tsection.dat file

Add-On Packages Covered:
Autobahn Roads
Included in Newroads
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com
Conrail Indy Custom Roads
Included in Newroads
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com
CykWorks Pack 1
Included in XTracks
Dirt Roads
Included in Newroads
DualTracks V1.1
Included in XTracks
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com
Europeanbahn (Commercial Add-Ons)
Located at: http://www.europeanbahn.co.uk/
Gravel Roads v1.0
Included in Newroads
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com
"Magnetic" Platforms (Ashphalt, Brick, Marble, White Stone)
Download at: http://www.uktrainsim.com
MTracks V1.9
Download at: http://home.comcast.net/~markhyams/mtracks
Newroads V4.01
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com, http://www.uktrainsim.com
Residential City Roads V1.0
Included in Newroads
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com
RET Metro (Commercial Add-Ons)
Located at: http://www.retmetro.netmenu.nl
ScaleRail Beta
Download at: http://www.3dtrains.com
ScaleRoad Beta
Download at: http://www.3dtrains.com
STracks V1.0
Download at: ?
UK FineScale V3.1.6
Download at: ukfs.trainsimfiles.com
XTracks V3.18
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com, http://www.uktrainsim.com
YTracks V1
Download at: http://www.train-sim.com

Other Download Sites
Australia
Steam4Me: http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/index.htm
Denmark
Team Routebuilders: http://team.routebuilders.dk/Engelsk/Engelsk.htm
Germany
Train DE: http://www.the-train.de

What it's about:

This is a project, discussed with several people, tested and verified by Okrasa Ghia of Xtracks fame, put together and distributed by David Beach. The purpose of this project is to provide a standardized \global\tsection.dat file that can be shared by all track section developers. Facing a Tower of Babel situation where every route that used extended track sections needed its own unique \global\tsection.dat file, this project was born. One early, fortuitous, discovery paved the way to a \global\tsection.dat file that both includes extended sections and is compatible with the default routes. So what we have here is a \global\tsection.dat file that includes many extended shapes, from several different developers, that is completely compatible with the default routes as issued by MS/KUJU.

WARNING:

If you have any \global\tsection.dat file installed other than the MS/KUJU default \global\tsection.dat file or an earlier build of this standardized \global\tsection.dat file, use of this file may initially cause MSTS to crash. See item 4.c. below for how to resolve this.

How to use:

1. BACK UP YOUR EXISTING \GLOBAL\TSECTION.DAT FILE.

2. Copy the tsection.dat file included with this file into the ..\Train Simulator\Global\ folder.

3. Chris Cyko's Original L2 route (released in early 2002) is not compatible and the combination of that route and this file will cause MSTS to fail to completely start. Chris' work released after late July 2003 is compatible.

4. First use of the standardized \global\tsection.dat file will impact existing routes in one of three ways (Updating a previously installed standardized \global\tsection.dat file as no additional impact):

a. Routes which do not use any extended track sections are not impacted so long as they remain as they are. This includes all six of the default routes included in the original program and many other routes. Editing these routes may require that track section id number be updated prior to editing, see below for id updating. Any edit of a section of dynamic track, unless the route has been updated, will corrupt all other sections of dynamic track. DO NOT EDIT ANY DYNAMIC TRACK without updating the route. It is possible to edit dynamic track without realizing that the track is being edited.

b. Routes which use extended track sections that are included in this file will require one id number updating. One means of updating id numbers is to use Okrasa Ghia's program "Horace" which is available for download in the files library at train-sim.com, search for the word Horace in the file descriptions to get the latest version. Horace is also included in the Xtracks collection.

c. Routes which use extend track sections that are not included in this file are not compatible and will likely cause program errors (known as crashes). There is a relatively easy, though possibly time consuming solution, have those sections included in the file. See below for further detail on having sections included in the file. Until the sections are added to this file, it will be necessary to move all routes using those sections out of the routes folder while using this \global\tsection.dat file.

5. If you use Horace to update the id numbers, be sure to follow all of the instructions included with the program, particularly in regards to uncompressed world files, the need to delete the .RDB, .RIT, .TDB, and .TIT files, any .BK versions thereof, and do a track data base rebuild.

6. New routes, those started after the first use of any build of this file, are fully compatible.

7. Further versions of the standardized file will be fully compatible with all routes that are compatible with this version, once "Horaced" for this version, a route will not need to be "Horaced" again.

8. Did I mention that you should backup before using this for the first time?

How to get shapes/sections included:

1. If you have shapes/sections you wish to have included, email the .S, .SD files and the relevant tsection.dat entries to tsection@train-sim.com. New versions will be released as warranted.

2. If you are developing shapes/sections and wish to have a block of id numbers allocated, please send an email to tsection@train-sim.com with a request for the number of id numbers desired.

3. My intent is to maintain reasonable compatibility with the naming convention that MS/KUJU mostly used for their shapes. So I may request that you rename files to maintain the naming convention. If you wish, you may email your proposed .S file names with a brief description of the object to me at tsection@train-sim.com and I will let you know if the names seem appropriate.

4. All files sent will be kept in strict confidence and will not be available from me. The only file I will release is a version of the \global\tsection.dat file that includes reference to the sections and shapes. This file will only be released through train-sim.com.

5. When developing shapes, try to use existing sections. For example if your shape is for a 10 meter long track with a 1.5 meter gauge, use track section 0, rather than making a new SectionSize ( 1.5 10 ) entry.

General Notes:

1. Please do not distribute any modified version of the standardized \global\tsection.dat file. The file may be freely distributed in its unmodified form, but it is no longer standardized if anyone else modifies it.

2. If you are distributing a route that relies on the standardized \global\tsection.dat file, please add the following to your distribution and install package:

a. Include notification in the readme file of your route that you are using the standardized \global\tsection.dat file and that it may introduce incompatibilities with routes that use extended track sections that are not included in the file.

b. Read the _INFO(Build nnnnn) line of the \global\tsection.dat file on the machine the route is being installed on (if present).

i. Do not install a lower build number over a higher build number.
ii. If the build number ends with an alpha character, stop and ask the user to continue or skip. A trailing alpha character indicates a development beta version of the file.
iii. If the build number is not present - if a _Skip line appears before the _INFO(Build ... line is found - warn the user and ask if they wish to continue.

3. Questions about the file itself should come to me at tsection@train-sim.com.

4. Questions about any of the sections or shapes included should be directed to the developers. Each developer is listed, with contact information, and the file is sufficiently annotated to tell who the developed any section or shape.

5. Questions of general interest should be directed to the route developers forum at train-sim.com.

6. At present, I also monitor the route building, Xtracks, and UK Fine Scale forums at UKTrainSim, questions may be directed to one of those forums as relevant.

7. There are now utilities that can be used to produce a trimmed down working version of this file. These utilities are of benefit to route builders, reducing the number of shape names that show up in the selection window to only those present in the \global\shapes\ folder. One utilitly is from Martyn Griffin, available in the http://www.train-sim.com files library. Another choice is a function within the current version of Route Riter, available in various locations.

8. The entries in the selection window in the RE are not sorted alphabetically, but rather by ASCII value. This may be used to bring various groups of shape names to the top of the list. For example, if you do a search and replace in the tsection.dat file changing all "A1txxx" through "A4txxx" shape references to "a1txxx" through "a4txxx" and change all "ukfsxxx" to "UKFSxxx", the UKFS shapes will sort out above the a series shapes.

Does this fix the problems introduced in v41?

Hi Geoffrey
To be honest, I have no idea, I am just the nominated uploader for it at ukts.
I would ask the question via tsectionATtrain-sim.com
Replacing the AT with @

Glyn

Geoffrey

Just asked the question.

Cheers Glyn

gswindale wrote:Cheers Glyn

No problem, as soon as I get a reply I will let everybody know.

The clearance distance of 10d points has been reduced from 46m to 35m. This should resolve many of the SPADs, signal passed at danger, where the signal is closer to the point than the clearance distance.

A bit of history on this issue is that collisions were noticed on Marias Pass, http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showthread ... -clearance The default clearance was 26m and an increase to 46m resolved the collisions. Later it was noticed that signals on 10d points would change to stop as a train approached from the converging side. These SPADs were affected by the speed of the train, slower trains experiencing more SPADs, and the distance of the signal from the point. Signals further from the point than the clearance distance would not experience SPADs. Some experiments were done to determine a minimum distance to avoid collisions and reduce the chance of SPADs with signals close to the point, http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showthread ... een-signal.

Geoffrey wrote:Does this fix the problems introduced in v41?

The short answer is likely to be “No.”

For 10 deg points, the most common,

V38 has a ClearanceDist value of 26m.
V41 has a ClearanceDist value of 46m.
V42 has a ClearanceDist value of 35m

So V42 will cause less SPAD’s than V41. But V42 will not eliminate them as V38 does.

Or, as

Jeffrey wrote:This should resolve many of the SPADs, signal passed at danger, where the signal is closer to the point than the clearance distance.

Regards,
Chris

More testing required then.

Looks like that we'll be stuck with having to run multiple versions of tsection.dat for ever then due to there being problems with having a standardised version that suits all users

What will happen when someone who requires v38 wants to extend their route & use some of the new track pieces now available? Will they have to re-work all existing trackwork or will there be an alternative way round this?

Hi Geoffrey,

Interesting question!! The ideal would be to relocate all problem signals (if known), then use the new track items.

If the problem signals cannot be relocated, then you would have to do what you are not supposed to do! Create a route specific Tsection.dat - which I know nothing about!

Regards,
Chris

I've made my own corrections to tsection 41 after having problems with the latest two or three tsections. Can't remember the order but one would work 100% in dorset v6 and would cause the spad problem in Briscard and vice versa, this also applies to few other routes of mind. Reading from 'trainsim.com' of the problem, i used wordpad to replaced the problem entries and after 18 months the SPAD problem has gone from the routes i have used so far. Glad to see a new tsection has been released and will be testing the routes and areas which used to cause the spad problems with the latest tsection files.

Thanks

Hi All,
I have posted to this effect before and make no apologies for doing so again for those that may have missed it.

Trainstore has the ability to start any route with any tSection and even tell you when you try to start two routes set with different tSections.

So although it does no solve the problem, once identified a route with an offending tSection can be worked round.

I agree entirely it is a pity the masters of the Global tSection did not consider a fix to the tSection40/41 'fix' necessary.

Good luck
Doug

douglee wrote:Hi All,
Trainstore has the ability to start any route with any tSection and even tell you when you try to start two routes set with different tSections.
Doug

Yes, completely forgot all about that. That would saved me a little bit of time in testing.

Thanks

Hi Coolhand101,
I am tempted to call you Luke as in the Paul Newman film.
No problem. There is so much to remember in MSTS now.

Will not solve the route that is added to with any new sections syndrome though.
In that situation I can see problems which ever tSection is used. I.E. The original tSection used in the route it will not run as it needs the new tSection and the new one is used the SPAD. Signal Passed at Danger problems will remain.

Not ideal.

Good luck
Doug

Tsection 41 caused me so many problems in the Glasgow Central 'throat' area, which is the section between the bridge and Pollokshields turn-off. The spads always occurred for me on services that would head to Pollokshields (at one point causing me to re-write all Cathcart activities). Anyone who has the route will know that there's a lot of points and signals in that area.

I eventually returned to Tsection 38, which caused no such problems and I think I even recommeded using Tsection 38 in the documentation that came with the route. At some point I'll take a look at the new Tsection and see what impact it has but haven't got the time at the moment.