Waiting points

[scottm]

just after a little help regarding waiting points. I am currently creating an activity on Highland Mainline and at a couple of stations I want either freight or other passenger services to pass on the loops. I am currently getting a stand-off between myself and another service. If I rollback their signal clears and they pass. After searching the forum I found that I should try placing 6 waiting points but after doing so the problem persists. I set the wait time to 10secs for each one, is this too short?

[jbilton]

Hi
I believe that the time of the first five doesn't matter, its the last one which sets the wait time.
Chers
Jon

[expressboy1983]

The purpose of the waiting points is to create a more reliable form of double reverse point, without the need to roll back. When you place the waiting points, you do not need to set any times for any of them, placing 6 in a row as close to each other as you can get them, is enough to break your path so that the approaching AI see's a clear path for itself.

If you still have the problem of a stand off, then you have placed the waiting points slightly wrong, and your path isn't being broken. They do take some practicing with, in order to get the hang of them!

I would suggest deleteing the current waiting points you have on your path, and re-placing them with new ones, and just keep practicing with them, until your AI passes successfully.

Good luck!

Kindest regards.

Simon

[simon3747]

Hi there,

I find that it works for me if I place 7 waiting points all set at zero time and I place them so tight together that they actually pretty much overlap each other. I have found that I have never had a problem breaking my path by doing this and that any other traffic that is meant to pass does so as I planned it to happen.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards

Simon3747

[rfletcher72]

Though on a route such as Highland Mainline, waiting points themselves do not always work in their own right due to the long single track sections.

It is important to remember that if a waiting point is to operate in the desired fashion, the AI service that you wish to give priority to must be within, at the maximum, 3 signal sections away from the player service AND vice versa, as this is the usual distance that MSTS grabs the path for whichever service has priority (watch the signals on GE north of Ilford, you can see 3 signals ahead at some points and you can see the ambers beyond change to green as you proceed through clear signals).

If the AI service is outside this distance, you will get a stand off. With HM, this 3 sections rule can represent some considerable distance, meaning AI services have to be started well in advance of the time the player service reaches the point where you wish trains to pass. Again, the long single track sections may mean the player service may occupy the path long in advance of the AI service, again you will get a stand off.

What I do here is to judge where each service will be at a given time, then ensure the AI train starts well in advance of the point in time where the player service will have grabbed the path, ie. occupy three signals sections ahead. This could mean though that the AI train will arrive well in advance of the time required. To cure this, place a single wait point for the AI service at some point on its path (out of sight of course of the player service) to hold the AI train for whatever time is required to delay it, in order for it to arrive at the passing point around the time you need. It is important that you use only one wait point to delay the AI train as a single wait point will not break its' path, keeping the path clear for itself.

What should happen then is the AI train will have a clear path, the player service will be held at the signal (as the AI train has three signals path ahead). The AI train will arrive as planned and the road will clear for you .

Also remember that MSTS will look ahead of a wait point for any other available clear path and route the player service off its' path onto that. Block any other available path ahead of a wait point (a headshunt for instance) with a static consist or an invisible blocker.

It sounds complicated I know and it took me a while to get used to it. Testing such a set up in AE can also be misleading as what goes off in AE is rarely replicated in the sim. Trial and error will get the desired result .

Hope this helps,

[scottm]

thanks for the advice folks, I will go and have a play with it and see how it goes. This is the second activity I have written and it seems as demanding to construct as the activity itself will be to play!

I will report back

[scottm]

thanks Richard, i did as you suggested and it worked a treat. Just a little tweaking to do with the timings. I tried the other options having all the waiting points at zero to break the path but didnt work for me.

[rfletcher72]

thanks Richard, i did as you suggested and it worked a treat. Just a little tweaking to do with the timings. I tried the other options having all the waiting points at zero to break the path but didnt work for me.

Any time mate