Speed limits

[keber]

I have a mainline and a branchline, which goes off mainline (an later comes back). Now I want in Route editor to define speed limit for branchline (80 km/h) without interfering with mainline speed limit (160 km/h). Let's say, If I have an activity, which goes thorugh mainline, speed limit stays at 160, but in a activity, where train goes from mainline to branchline, speed limit is changed from 160 to 80 (on a switch or very close to it).

Another question: On my route there are three types of trains: Slow freight trains, normal speed passenger trains and fast passenger tilting trains. All of them have different speed limits (80, 160 and 200 respectively). Is it possible to define speed limits in MSTS to show them as appropriately as different trains are used in activities.

[dwkarch]

A route has only one "default speed limit" which is also its maximum speed limit. This can be changed either in the Route Editor or the RGE.

However, you can also place speed limit signs along the route, either visable or buried. These give you the options of specifying the speed for all trains, or passenger trains, or freight trains.


http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/Attachments/up1/83656.jpg

[keber]

I know that, but what about three types of speed limits? Is it anyhow possible?

[dwkarch]

I thought I answered that--2 only--passenger and freight.

Or to put it another way, no. :-)

[Swissie]

Hi Gregor,

MSTS only distinguishes between two .wag types:
- Type ( Freight )
- Type ( Carriage )
based on which it can either applies the passenger speed limit (by default) or the - usually lower - freight speed limit as soon as one car in your consist is classified as "Freight"

There is also the category
- Type ( Tender )
for steam locomotive tenders, but the sim applies passenger speed limits to tenders.

The only way to solve your dilemma is to apply the higher speed limit of the tilt trains as interactive passenger speed limit which will show in the track monitor of all passenger trains.

Of course you can place 160kph speed limit signs for regular passenger trains as simple "static" scenery items along the interactive ones, but they will only be "eye-candy" as the "regular" passenger limit will not appear in the track monitor.

Instead, you'd have to include an overspeed display in the cabview of the conventional locomotives which activates at 160kph, and/or tweak the physics for the locomotives to actually level out around the 160kph.

For conventional passenger trains in AI services, you'll have to limit their speed with the MaxVelocity settings in the .con file (first numbers - by default 40.0000 if you use ConBuilder - is speed in m/s, i.e. 40m/s = 144kph).

Lukas a.k.a Swissie

[keber]

What about activities? Any possibility to define speed there?

And first question - speed limits for mainline versus branchline? I've seen that in LGVMED, so it should work elsewhere, but I can't find out, how.

[Swissie]

Hi Gregor,

you can only set one general speed limit that governs the entire route (in the properties of the route, while in RE). However, you can of course place individual interactive speedlimits where ever you want them, for example at each starting point / turnout into the branch line. All you need is to have a valid speedpost.dat file in your route's folder, with all .s and .ace files specified by it in the correct places (shapes, textures of your route).

If you don't want the speed limit signs to be visible, just lower them underground, as suggested by Don in his first post.

Lukas a.k.a Swissie

[keber]

Thanks for answer (but I knew that already ;)).

The problem at my branch is, that it follows very closely to mainline for few 100 meters (I need to do so), so when I put speedlimit onto branch line, it also covers mainline, which is annoying.
Switch, which diverts track onto branchline, is designed for 80 km/h. This means, that if train goes onto branchline, it must go at most 80 km/h, when it reaches switch. If train goes straight mainline, limit should stay at 160 km/h. Simmilar as at LGVMED 3.0 but I don't know how to do this.

[Swissie]

Hi Gregor

I think I see your problem now ;-) Try placing the speed limit in the middle between the branch and main line, so that the red line points away from the main. If you do so, the speed limit should only apply to the branch.

One thing, though: MSTS seems to remember nearby limits when you throw switches: If you approach on the mainline, with the path - for whatever reason - pointing into the branch line with the speed limit, and then throw the switch to continue on the main, you'll still get the lower speed limit of the branch line as soon as you pass nearby on the main. That can be corrected however by having an additional speed limit on the mainline a bit further down, as a "repeater" so to say, ideally far down enough for the branch line to have swung away from the main.

Edit: I think there might be a cleaner and more subtle way of achieving what you want: You could also controll the speed for that point where the branch line exits the main with a signal that shows a speed limit of 80kph when the switch is thrown to the branch. Perhaps you need to create a custom signal in your sigcfg.dat for just that location. Probably the easiest way is to use one of the already existing signals and create a new SignalType and a new SignalShape with adjusted signal aspects (in case the signals you have now have different, normally lower, speed restrictions for the turn-out path).

Lets assume you used Hank Sundermeyer's replacement signals for the US2 default ones, namely the modell with a three-light upper head (which will be linked to the mainline) and the lower two light head (which will be linked to the branchline)

- Now, increase the number of SignalTypes by 1 and
- copy the entire section of SignalType ( "BNSF2Light" ... )
- Rename the section you copied to SignalType ( "BNSF2LightBranch" ... )
- Change the speed from ( 25 ) in the two lines to
-- SignalAspect ( APPROACH_1 "Yellow" SpeedMPH ( 31.25 ) SignalFlags ( ASAP ) )
-- SignalAspect ( APPROACH_2 "Flashing Yellow" SpeedMPH ( 50 ) SignalFlags ( ASAP ) )

- Then, increase the number of SignalShapes by 1 and
- Copy the entire section of SignalShape ( "US2BSignal4.s" ... )
- Rename the section you copied to ( "US2BSignal4Branch"
- Also edit the name line, for example to "BNSF Interlocking (2 light Branch Line)"
- In section SignalSubObj2, change the line from SigSubSType ( "BNSF2Light" ) to SigSubSType ( "BNSF2LightBranch" )

- Open the sigscr.dat
- Copy/paste the entire section for SCRIPT BNSF2Light (including the final line of /////)
- Rename the section you copied to SCRIPT BNSF2LightBranch
- Leave it otherwise unchanged as long as you do not want to change the aspects your signals can show

- Place the new signal at the entry of the branch line. When you approach the branch line you will either get a yellow light and a speed limit of 50kph (31.25MPH) in case the next signal on the branch line shows red, or flashing yellow light and a speed limit of 80kph (50MPH) if the next signal on the branch line is yellow or green.

You can of course also do the same with the signal that has a 3-light second head, in case you prefer the second head to show a combination of green and yellow, or you can modify the two light second head to just show either green or red, for which you'd also have to edit the section on SignalLights and re-define which light (red, yellow, green) it should draw for which aspect.

Please note: The speed limit the signal imposes on the train is only "temporary" i.e. it will remain in force until you pass the next green signal. Only if there is a speedpost with the same or a lower speed, then the limit will not jump back to 160kph at the next green. But I assume you will have enough space on the branch line to somewhere bury a 80kph speedpost that will be far enough from the mainline not to interfere with it, before you get to the next signal showing green.

Lukas a.k.a Swissie

[dwkarch]

To have the branch speed limit sign apply only to the branch and not affect the main, do this:

When placing a speed limit sign, it will cover up to 4 tracks in the area, but no more, as shown by the red line, below. So, add a 3 track 10 meter straight next to the branch where you want the sign, and place the speed limit sign to affect the 3 new tracks and the branch. Bury the 3 track 10 meter section. The problem is that when you try to move the sign to where it should be seen, the tracks affected will probably change to include the main. Therefore, you probably have to leave the sign where it was and bury it. You would then still have the option of placing a static object speed limit sign in the proper location if desired.

EDIT: I don't know how far the branch is from the main. If there is room to place the 3 tracks between the two, then there should be no problem with having the sign show in the desired location. Instead of using a 3 track piece, you can use 3 separate 1 track pieces and put them much closer together. To keep them from attaching to each other, add a temporary 100 meter piece to each end of each before adding the next one. Then delete the 100 meter pieces.

http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/Attachments/up1/83723.jpg