Atomic Systems

Is it only me, or is anybody else having troubles laying TS2013 Slipped Junctions?

Try as i might, I cannot form a Slipped Junction, as in earlier issues of Train Simulator/Railworks. The cross-over renders OK (if not as good looking as earler Railworks), but I cannot get the slip to form. I am holding down the left mouse button, but nothing happens as per earlier Railworks instructions and dragging to form slip.

If I am doing something wrong somebody please advise.

Ian

icairns wrote:Is it only me, or is anybody else having troubles laying TS2013 Slipped Junctions?

Try as i might, I cannot form a Slipped Junction, as in earlier issues of Train Simulator/Railworks. The cross-over renders OK (if not as good looking as earler Railworks), but I cannot get the slip to form. I am holding down the left mouse button, but nothing happens as per earlier Railworks instructions and dragging to form slip.

If I am doing something wrong somebody please advise.

If I understand your terminology correctly . . .

If you want to make a double-slip, you click on the grey box that created the diamond crossing a second time. Simples!

Single slips are a little harder.

John

Double and single slips will only form on straight or nearly straight track. Additionally they will only form if the crossing is at a fairly gentle angle. Fortunately the undo button normally works when you get it wrong but not always! If things go badly wrong it's best to quit RW without saving. If RW considers no slip can be formed you won't have any option to proceed beyond the diamond crossing stage. Another restriction is that you may be only allowed to form a single slip unless you change the angle at which the tracks meet. Slips do form better than they did in the early days of RS/RW when single slips formed but didn't work operationally. Even now it's best to place destination markers around the slip to persuade the dispatcher to send your train the way of your choosing over the slip. If you don't do this you may well succeed with way points though I haven't tried that as yet.

Slips are, alas, very fiddly and take up more room than they should. Occasionally track work will fly in the air when you try to finalise their formation.

Mark

Hi

Try changing the track type to Yard in the right hand flyout before trying to weld the slip. This gives you a much greater chance of getting it to render correctly.

Cheers

Bob

I find it hard to judge whether the angle will be right for a slip to form. So what I do is this: I lay a pair of track and form a (single) crossover using the crossover tool, choosing a moderate option (one where there is a bit of a straight between the two curved pieces of the switches). Then I look at these curves and note radius and length (rounding a bit). I also inspect the frog to see if I like it.

Then, I go to the place where the slip (or junction or whatever) will be and fork off a curve of such length and radius to the desired side, followed by a long straight. That is my reference then - everything parallel to this straight will look fair enough.

Alternatively, you can lay two crossing straights at a very sharp angle and form a slip (single or double), note the radius of the curved parts, then try it again at a bigger angle. Then, you measure the angle between the straight where the slip just worked, e.g., how many metres it takes from where the sleepers tough to where the sleepers are 1 m apart.

The other factor, hinted at by Bob, is the minimum radius. Some track rules use quite large values for mainline track which lets you only lay the sharpest angles of slips (or switches). Changing to yard track is the most elegant option because yard track does not lock out AI the way freight or passenger track does. And it features the smallest minimum radius in general, although that simply depends on the data entered by the track rule creator.

IIRC, as Bob's post implies the track editor won't create slips and crossovers with a curve below the minimum radius set by the track rule.

hertsbob wrote:Hi

Try changing the track type to Yard in the right hand flyout before trying to weld the slip. This gives you a much greater chance of getting it to render correctly.

Cheers

Bob

And to get really compact slips, change to the Hagen yard tracks before welding but dont forget to untick the wires in the right hand fly out if not using wires!

Oh and dont try driving a 9F or 04 over a verytight one or it will get stuck

I also think that this is the reason why sometimes the track seems to explode when you're putting them in. Somehow it tries to create the slip with a tighter curve than is possible, with the net result being tracks pointing out in all directions.

I haven't managed to prove my theory to myself, but I'm reasonably happy that this is what happens sometimes. It might be something else more bizarre though.

Cheers

Bob

when I put in a double slip at Hawes junction on my S&C route the speed over it on the slips has to be no more than 5 mph.

Has any one found why they only operate once for a loaded scenario? Makes life so hard shunting and I do not want to

'unhand' them.