Service Classes and Line Types

[OrpheusRocker]

Here is an aide memoire for checking Line Types and Service Classes for your AI trains.


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Have fun,
Andy

[Bullet399]

What does the color code mean?

[OrpheusRocker]

In EDIT mode Track, you can press the spacebar on your keyboard to display track properties. The input is cyclic. that is each time you press the spacebar, you will see a different set of track properties. See the Creator Manual PDF para 2.5.5 Track Views for details.

These are the colours from the first spacebar press showing Line Type. Hover your mouse over the track and you will see the hint for Line Type.

Andy

[Klaabu]

But in most cases those service classes don't work. I have made hundreds of tests and almost always player train gets permission to proceed and AI is waiting even if AI train has higher priority. No matter which service classes had been set to trains. IMO dispatching module was not finished by developers of the Rail Simulator (KUJU). New Timetable scenario editor for RW changed nothing in that just provided better and clearer overview. RW's dispatcher still don't care much about train priorities. Error messages like "track blocked by another train" or "unknown error" are very common if trying to set crossing path for player and AI trains. Dispatcher is extremely simplified in RailWorks and in most cases unable to behave adequate way. This is the main reason why there are only very few and primitive scenarios (mostly free-roam) included in commercial add-on loco packs. Railsimulator.com has to finish KUJU's work on dispatcher. And the annoying need to ask permission to pass red signal ... I hope RS.com is working on that and improvements are coming soon.

[OrpheusRocker]

I believe what you say since I've only run rudimentary tests. But I guess that the intention was as I've described. I plan to do more tests to see if I can spot the holes in the dispatcher programming.
I was inspired to get into this having downloaded the signal test route and discovered that all the trains were defined as Special or Light Engine.
I hope I've not misled anyone. I hope also that it won't be long before the dispatcher is brought up to standard.
Wouldn't it be nice to discover that the new scenario interface was implemented partly to assist RSC to accomplish this?

Andy

[Klaabu]

Little ellaboration - service class "Empty stock" don't mean automatically freight traffic. It can be used in case of passanger stock shunting too. I've checked it. Sometimes if passanger train priorities do not allow my train (consisting of only passanger coaches, empty, not in service) to reach some destination tracks "Empty stock" helps. Another problem in RW is that service classes can't be changed during scenario run. It was quite common in my country that trains had a mixed service "Freight + passangers". Some two or three passanger coaches were added to the end of freight train. Passangers had a longer stops when locomotive crew was doing a local shunting job and adding cars to consist. I have seen passanger timetables from thirties where mixed trains were listed. Service level was slowest one for passangers and useful only for branch lines. Another type of service I'm not sure are You right about is "International". Can't it really be used for freight trains? Haven't checked this one yet.
But anyway - service classes currently don't affect much traffic in RW and Railsimulator.com team have to do something to make them working normal way.

[OrpheusRocker]

I created a simple four-road test track and worked through all possible combinations in order to arrive at the results I posted. It was really simple to do if a little tedious. After removing an incompatible track type following a successful test, it is necessary to exit RW, re-start and re-write the timetable for the "repaired" line.


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I was only able to schedule a train with the Service Class "Empty Stock" (regardless of the consist) on Main Line, Yard and Freight designated track.

In a similar way, I was only able to schedule a train with the Service Class "International" (regardless of the consist) on Main Line, Yard and Passenger designated track.

Of course, in the real world, there are no restrictions to how this is implemented and mixed consists are always possible.
All I was hoping to do here was try and remove a level of mystique from scenario creation.

Unfortunately, the rules above only seem to stand until signalling is introduced and then the rules seems to go out of the window.

Andy

[Klaabu]

All I was hoping to do here was try and remove a level of mystique from scenario creation.

Thank You for doing it. Very useful and important information for activity makers. Because of the sevice class problems normal and advanced scenarios can't be made. Only scenarios I'm creating now are more like type of test to find weaknesses in dispatching system of RW and then to report about them to RS.com. But I'm sure they are fully aware of all those problems. Fixes are just question of priorities in they long list of tasks.

[almark]

Any chance of this been made a sticky,i personally think its pretty helpful?

[NeutronIC]

Andy,

This is really great, thanks for taking the time to produce it!

Matt.