Consist Editor

[solentary]

I have just used the Consist Editor for the very first time. I successfully produced a freight train for the Russian Demitrov line on the USSR site. It comprises an electric loco and a dozen or more freight cars. Works fine!

I have two questions, however.

When I was running the Consist Editor I got a few "failure to read" messages like one sometimes gets when ordinarily loading the MSTS. I do not get these (unless they are new ones) when I use MSTS normally. Moreover, when I clicked them away, I had no bother. So far as I could tell, they seemed to relate to trainsets that had no locomotives, such as the diesel railcars. Should I be concerned, please?

Second question: I created this first consist using a dummy name for it, as recommended my Michael Sinclair (my own name was used). Now that I am satisfied, how do I change that name to a more specific one, without messing up? When I just altered the name in the Consist file, I got error messages after starting the "Explore" instruction. So, I reversed that adjustment and the errors went away. Do I need to go back to Consist Editor, please?

Thanks again all you good people with know-how. I am having a lot of fun and learning at the same time. Also, I am getting back to Russia, where I have enjoyed many visits.

[johndibben]

A "failure to read" means there's a problem with that piece of stock. So long as you don't use a consist with it, MSTS will run OK but the annoying message will continue.

Make sure the piece of stock is installed properly, deleting it and reinstalling if neccessary. It may appear on a consist but not be in your trainset folder but you'd have to look into that a little further.

To change the name of the consist, return to the Activity Editor, open the original and save it as the new name. You can also use Conbuilder, a utility which is on the front page of this site which is quicker.

You can edit the consist file but if you're unsure it's best not to touch it.