Strange Problem with ORRR v7 activity 2

[kmanc21]

I am running activity 2 (logging run to Sarahville) and am having a problem with the reverse arrows at the Marietta Wye. As I pull forward the reverse arrow goes to the bottom does NOT disappear and starts to go up again. I manually reverse into the wye and that reverse arrow is going up hits the point of the blue arrow and then starts to go back down. I did a clean install of the route and the activities with the same problem. Any suggestions?

Ken

[DTA]

I think there maybe a problem with the Marietta wye, other activities have a similar problem there. I have emailed Rich about it.

David

[DudleyG]

DTA,

I put an answer to your problem with the Marietta Wye on the original thread you posted it on.

Dudley

[jtousign]

I'd like to see your answer about that frequent problem in this route Dudley!
Thanks
Jean

[DudleyG]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-16-02 AT 09:39AM (EDT)[p]The answer was to a question about the Unionville Passenger run (activity #14). Basically, when you start that activity, you run down to the wye and turn around to get back into the Marietta Station at platform #4. You have to immediately turn right into the wye going head first, and then back thru the other leg, and thus be pointed toward the station. If you go across the top of the wye and back into the wye, and the pull out going toward the station, you get a red light and can't go anywhere.

With that said, I run into the same problem as the original poster on using this activity (#2). When I get to Marietta, I can't figure out how to get past the "reversing point". I have tried several things, but nothing works. I think you have to somehow get yourself in a position to use the wye the same way as above, but I haven't found the way.

Dudley

[DTA]

Re the unionville activity, I have gone into the wye as suggested, but cannot get shift g to alter the points, consequently I am stuck.

David

[DudleyG]

David,

Are you stuck at the "bottom" of the wye, ie you can't switch the points to the other leg so you can back up the "right side", or are you unable to change the points on the top of the "right" leg so you can back onto the main. I wasn't able to change them, however you can back right on over them without derailing.

Dudley

[DTA]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-16-02 AT 11:22AM (EDT)[p]The former. I go into the wye, with the intent of coming out on the leg I didn't come in on (the "right" leg of the wye). But the switch just refuses to operate. I have tried doing it when still going forward, stanionary, and in reverse and shift g does absolutely nothing. It is wierd.

One other point. I have no station times on this activity. Could the activity I have be corrupt in some way?

David

[DudleyG]

I don't have any station times either, they all show 00:00:00. Therefore, at the end of the activity, I show that I was 12 to 13 hours late on every station stop since the activity starts you out at 12 (noon). That hasn't caused me any problems.

Dudley

[rgarber]

On the station times... there isn't any. The reason is because even though I could have added in times, I on purposely made you'all late. It's covered in the manual why you are late. If you run this activity in the AE, it's pretty cool and you'll see what and why this happens. There's no way you can be on time after Dale so I on purposely left off the station times. Also when I did a recalc of the times, it would increase the station loading times to 3:20 seconds for each station. With about five stops, that's another 15 minutes playing time for an already lengthy activity. This way you don't have as much dead time. Plus, heh heh... the bottleneck that occurs up ahead would have had a little less impact on ya ( y'all know how much I love to hear y'all fuss when you're sitting at those reds? :-) ) But seriously, that's why there's no station times. I left it out figuring it would be better.

Rich Garber

[DudleyG]

David,
I just tried the Unionville Passenger activity again, and when you turn right into the wye and go past the bottom wye switch, I had to go approximately 1 passenger car length past the switch toward the bottom of the wye before the "switch monitor" show the bottom wye switch and let me change it.

Rich,
I really like the latest version and the activities. What is the secret or strategy to get turned around on activity #2 (log cars to Marietta and the back up to Sarahville)?

Dudley

[DTA]

Perhaps you would be good enough to email me your activity file for unionville, and I will replace the one I have at the moment.

Can you send it to davidta@blueyonder.co.uk


Cheers David

[kmanc21]

As the original poster let me tell you what I have treid to get the wye to work. I have tried every possible way to use thw wye on activity #2 and there seems to be no way to make the turn around. I have followed the activity path and can't get the 1st reversing point to trip. I manually set the switch to back onto the leg of the wye the reversing pint wont trip and get an unpassable red when heading back to Sarahville. I pulled into the left leg of the wye and backed out(with no reverse points showing) and again run into an unpassable red heading back to Sarahville. Tried following the activity path to the bumper without tripping the reverse arrow and then back across the top of the wye and get an unpassable red. There does not seem to be any way to make this work. Rich, if you can pass along a hint as to how to get the activity to work it would be much appreciated.

Ken

[DudleyG]

David,

I sent you the file. I don't think it matters, but I am running under Windows/XP with MSTS installed plus the Microsoft Patch (from a few months ago) but not any other modifications such as Xtracks or Sky Conductor. In other words, a fairly vanilla installation.

Dudley

[DTA]

Thanks. I am going to try a complete reinstallation first, to see if that works.

I will not be beaten! LOL

David

[DTA]

Sorry Ken, I have obfuscated (word of the day! LOL!) your original post. As soon as I get mine sorted, I will work on yours.

David

[rgarber]

Hmmm... there really shouldn't be any trick to this. I'm a bit perplexed by the trouble y'all are having here. I didn't have any trouble getting through the wye when I tested the activity. It maybe that something I did in the v6 to v7 upgrade messed up the path for this activity but I can't see why. I think if there is trouble because of the revision, it would be around the Y switch which was automatic and is now manual. Don Shepley tells me he's gotten through it so I'm sure he'll want to post the secret himself. But really, the wye should be easy to get through.

I don't have build #8 on my computer so I may have to reinstall to see what gives.

Rich Garber

[DTA]

Re activity14 I have reinstalled everything, and the switch at Marietta Wye still won't budge. I blame the snow myself, it is probably frozen.

Just a quick question: Is there some time to wait before I can activate the switch, as there is another train waiting to get into Marietta?

If not, I will download the whole caboodle again tomorrow.

David

[DTA]

Note to Ken: just tried doing your activity, everything ok going into the wye at Marietta, in order to turn round. But now I have a permanent red, trying to come back on the main.

Message to Rich: there is something amiss with the Marietta wye I think.

David.

[DudleyG]

Ken and David,

I get the same permanent red also. I can request permission to pass the first red that governs getting off the wye onto the main, but I get hung up at the second red about 0.2 mi on down the main, just before a crossover.

Dudley

[DTA]

I need new glasses! LOL!

I had build8 version 6 installed not 7! What a Wally!!!!!

I think Ken may have the same problem, I will check on activity 2 shortly.

Many thanks to those who tried to help, and my apologies for wasting your time.

David

[kmanc21]

David,
I am running Build 8 v7. I deleted the old v6 and installed v7 clean. I also downloaded the two activity packs and installed both of those clean, so I don't think the problem is with th version of Build 8. I would suspect that something in the upgrade to v7 changed the path, but I don't even want to think about using AE so I'll just wait until I see a further post about the work around on this. Thanks to all who replied.

Ken

[DTA]

Ok Ken, Rich thinks there is a problem, and I have downloaded a patch for it. I have sent it to you to try.

David

[DudleyG]

If the patch works, please send it to me. Thanks.

dudleyg@qx.net

Dudley

[DudleyG]

Rich sent me the patch via email and I tried and it works. I got around the wye at Marietta with no problems.

However, when I got to Sarahville and the sawmill, I think I had what is refered to as an operator error or something. I ran around the train in the yard, hooked on to push it into the siding but couldn't figure out how to uncouple from the "rear" of the train. Then came the dreaded "Send - Don't Send" message. Oh well, I will try it again later.

Dudley

[kmanc21]

David,

Thanks to you and Rich for the patch. It works!!!!!!!!!! Got through the wye without trouble. Haven't tried to finish the activity yet, so I don't know if I'll run into the same problem as Dudley, but will post the final outcome here when I finish the activity (unfortunately having to work gets in the way of my train-simming LOL).

Ken

[DudleyG]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-18-02 AT 02:11PM (EDT)[p]I successfully complete the activity. What I was encountering was the MSTS front coupler bug. After pushing the seven cars into the sawmill #1 siding, I was crashing the simulator every time I tried to uncouple from the seven cars (which were hooked to the front of the engine).

The work around is -- only uncouple the 3 cars the farthest from the engine (thus leaving 4 cars still attached to the engines), put the engines in reverse, and leave the sawmill #1 track. After you cross the switch, the activity will successfully end.

I know, that's cheating a little, but they got 3 cars.:D

I have the MS Patch installed but it apparently doesn't help me.

Dudley

[kmanc21]

Dudley,

I just finished the activity and here is how I did it. I pulled the train all the way in across the top of the wye then uncoupled the engines turned them on the wye and then coupled to the train (now pulling forward) into the industrial area and then dropped the log cars and picked up the other loads and pulled back toward the main and when I got to the thrift store the activity ended successfully. I remember Skyrat's original activity that was similar to this one and using the wye is the only way to complete the activity. Or at least the way that the popup indicated.

Ken

[DudleyG]

Ken,

Thanks for the tip. It works great. (a whole lot better than what I was doing.) However, I am embarrassed to say that I had overlooked what you and others would consider obvious. Oh well, I am still having fun with Rich's great route. :D

Dudley

[kmanc21]

Dudley,
There was nothing obvious about it - I had screwed up a couple of activities for the original ORWV route in the Sarahville area, so I had the benefit of that experience. Keep on train-siming and enjoying all the fun!!!!!!!!

Ken