Another Front Coupling Bug?

[dforrest]

On the screen capture below the A4 has just coupled onto the B17 static consist. Both locos have two entries for couplings in their .eng files with the "bar" entry being the first in both.

Note that in the F9 display the B17 loco is facing in the wrong direction. Also note that the highlighted coupling in this display is the coupling between the two locos and the text for this states that it is of a type which cannot be uncoupled.

On investigating I concluded that the sim has inverted coupling characteristics of the B17 loco and the coupling I am trying to uncouple from it is the bar coupling which, if all is read correctly, should be at the other end, coupling to the tender.

The following two additions test support this:

1. I can, without problem, uncouple the B17 from its tender, although both of these are, if correctly read by the sim, bar couplings.

2. If I temporarily edit the B17 .eng file to put the bar coupling second and rerun the scenario, it still shows the wrong way round in F9, but is able to be uncoupled.

Is this the cause of some of our front coupling problems?

[saddletank]

1) There looks to be a problem between the A4 and it's tender - they are too close.
2) Why are you trying to couple 2 tender engines front to front? This was almost never done in practice and I can't see a use for it in the game. If you run historically correct train formations you won't aggravate the broken bits of MSTS! And you can hardly blame them for not planning to couple 2 tender engines front to front....

[bjdick]

You're confusing it old chum.

If you notice,the "F9" monitor ALWAYS shows the loco facing to the LEFT,whether it's front coupled or not,and irrespective of the actual direction of travel.

To turn it,you'll have to rewrite,and complicate further MSTS's basic program.

No offence,but looking for "bugs" whilst doing the extraordinary,is a bit futile,and in fact I'm surprised you got the sensible message you have in your F9 window.
Part of the learning process,I suppose.You wouldn't have got the message you did,if it hadn't been tested by KUJU,and found not to work.

[dforrest]

If you notice,the "F9" monitor ALWAYS shows the loco facing to the LEFT,whether it's front coupled or not,and irrespective of the actual direction of travel.

You are absoloutely correct, my apologies.

The transposition of coulping types between front and back remains though.

I was not looking for bugs but trying to run an activity. This is the "ME March Shift 1-6" activity converted to steam.

I can think of another activity which uses this configuration, the S and C 1930, "Gardsale Recovery" activity and this has many front coupling problems.

[saddletank]

I know that some activities use the front coupler like this but that is (IMHO) unprototypical - a loco sent to rescue a stranded train would almost certainly be sent tender first so it could haul the disabled train out smokebox first.

Can't you just spin the A4 180 degs and carry on?

[grahamrfd]

I can't really understand any company producing a train sim with out working couplings at both ends of an engine as runrounds are an everyday part of railway operation.( Its how i spend most of my weekends these days )I have some engines that will work both ends but most don't but hopefully someday we will see engines with 2 cabs that can work from either end.Maybe.

[johndibben]

I can't really understand any company producing a train sim with out working couplings at both ends of an engine as runrounds are an everyday part of railway operation.( Its how i spend most of my weekends these days )I have some engines that will work both ends but most don't but hopefully someday we will see engines with 2 cabs that can work from either end.Maybe.

Possibly, as a sim and with US practice of long trains, only attaching and detaching 'helpers' and a few wagons on route, it wasn't a priority

Havn't a clue really