Sometimes the scenario dispatcher surprises me!

[tubemad]

Hello all,

Last night I finished a scenario for the South London - Brighton route, the 6Y60 Ardingly- Hither Green empties, set in 2012 with a EWS 66 and 18 JHA wagons. I had two minds weather to start at Haywards Heath or Ardingly and attempt the run around, which I thought would be a headache in its own right, seeing as its pathed out 13 minutes ahead of a London fast, and also requires the player to stop further down from Platform 1 at Haywards Heath as per reality as the consist is too long to fit in the platform, and you need to be clear of the rear signal as this would be the starter signal.

I went for starting at Ardingly, built the required AI around Haywards Heath, set the run around and ended the path at Three Bridges, and gave it a test run just to see how it worked.

To my surprise it worked! I still had the problem of deciding how to tell the player where to stop at Haywards Heath, but I got around that my placing a workman in high viz object at the point where you should stop.

Next would be following a bunch of services through London but already looking at the Working Timetable I could see another problem. Because it runs via Clapham, Polparts, Longhedge and Wansworth Road, it needs to run on the Fast from Balham.

The route is via Crystal Palace and Streatham Hill, but the challenge is crossing onto the fast with a rough 3 - 4 minute gap to slot in on the fast line.

I had no faith whatsoever with the dispatcher, I could see all sorts of problems, mostly by sitting at the junction waiting for lots of AI to pass that I should be seeing at Clapham. My service class was 'Express Freight' so that the freight speeds would appear, but also to stop it running through every goods loop it sees.

At the signal before the junctions at Balham, I set a siding marker and called it Streatham Hill sig VC160 (or whatever the number was I can't remember off hand). and had it as a timed location from 1100 - 1104 hoping it would work.

I had to set another near Factory Jn to hold the player there otherwise the dispatcher sends you through too early.

The scenario ends at Nenthead, and is 2 hours long in total. I had my first full test drive last night and was not confident at all. I was waiting for an AI derailment pop up, or a mess up at Balham.

Apart from being routed through Redhill P2 and the North loop (which I've now fixed) the whole thing ran as it should have!

I've set the difficulty to hard, mostly because of the run round, lots of yellows, and signal location markers which means the player does need to run roughly on time for it to work.

But I was thoroughly amazed it worked first time! It was a gamble as I spent a whole week building it (evenings after work and most of the weekend) and hoped all that time wasn't to waste, and it wasn't.

Something so complicated worked wonders, yet my last project, which was a simple A - B run, I ditched as I had all sorts of problems trying to follow a Gatwick Express, and the dispatcher wasn't having it!


James

[jp92214]

Hi James.
This sounds interesting. Have you uploaded it to workshop or anywhere and if so what's it called, I'd like to give it a go.

Regards. JP.

[theorganist]

Now buy a lottery ticket!

I find that it does surprise sometimes and at others can't do something simple!

I have had trouble holding a freight train in a loop for 15 minutes!

Peter

[749006]

So it might be a strange question - which end of the loco is the "Front" at Ardingley?

If the loco has its front at the south end it would be coupled to the train at Haywards Heath so when running North of there View 2 would be of the rear of the train and view 3 would be at the front

Peter

[tubemad]

Hi James.
This sounds interesting. Have you uploaded it to workshop or anywhere and if so what's it called, I'd like to give it a go.

Regards. JP.

It will be uploaded on UKTS but I haven't got round to doing the manual or packaging it yet. I finished the test drive at about 1130pm, and had to be up at 8am for work. Not long been back so maybe tonight I'll get round to uploading it.

So it might be a strange question - which end of the loco is the "Front" at Ardingley?

If the loco has its front at the south end it would be coupled to the train at Haywards Heath so when running North of there View 2 would be of the rear of the train and view 3 would be at the front

Peter

You start at Ardingly with the loco at the South end, but you initially face the wagons as that's where the driver object is, so you change ends, and then when you have ran round the train, the driver is visible up front at the North end, and the no.2 view is at the front, the no.3 cam goes to the back.

Initially at Ardingly the no.2 cam puts you to the rear of the train.

Now buy a lottery ticket!

I find that it does surprise sometimes and at others can't do something simple!

I have had trouble holding a freight train in a loop for 15 minutes!

Peter

I think I should!

Was that AI or player train problem holding it? I think I've had something like that for the player train. I had a headache at Gatwick where you come from Brighton and stop at Gatwick P4, meanwhile a Gatwick Express leaves platform 1 straight out in front of you. Could I get the dispatcher to understand that!! I had the GatEx at the highest of highest priority, and the player train as stopping train. But still it was adamant on throwing me out in front and getting to East Croydon early, and putting the Gatwick Express behind me!

[gptech]

I've found that an invisible blocker works a treat for when you want to hold something for a fair while---subject to there being enough room to fit it in without it fouling other lines.

[749006]

So it might be a strange question - which end of the loco is the "Front" at Ardingley?
If the loco has its front at the south end it would be coupled to the train at Haywards Heath so when running North of there View 2 would be of the rear of the train and view 3 would be at the front

Peter

You start at Ardingly with the loco at the South end, but you initially face the wagons as that's where the driver object is, so you change ends, and then when you have ran round the train, the driver is visible up front at the North end, and the no.2 view is at the front, the no.3 cam goes to the back.

Thank you - that sounds just right

Peter

[tubemad]

Just uploaded on UKTS, should be available tomorrow

[theorganist]

Was that AI or player train problem holding it? I think I've had something like that for the player train. I had a headache at Gatwick where you come from Brighton and stop at Gatwick P4, meanwhile a Gatwick Express leaves platform 1 straight out in front of you. Could I get the dispatcher to understand that!! I had the GatEx at the highest of highest priority, and the player train as stopping train. But still it was adamant on throwing me out in front and getting to East Croydon early, and putting the Gatwick Express behind me!

It was a loop on WCML Over Shap. I set a stop at instruction for 15 minutes but when you play it insists on letting you go after 35 seconds and any AI even set as express passenger wouldn't pass! I had started them from before Preston, this loop was north of Lancaster, IIRC (was some time ago). I managed to get it to work in the end by starting the passing services, there were two, in the portal before the loop and setting them as special. But the stop at instruction would still finish after 35 seconds rather than the 15 minutes (which was in timetable mode with the timetable icon clicked) but it held me at a red signal until the two train had passed so it worked in a fashion in the end. I don't see why the stop at instruction did not run for the full 15 minutes, pick up passenger instructions do at stations.

Peter