Amtrak #572 Pacific Surfliner 2005 Activity

[amtrak115]

Some of you may know, but I've been looking into the source code for Open Rails, in an attempt to learn the code baseline, and prepare for creating/modifying an Activity Editor specifically for ORTS. This has been a long process and I'm making some progress. Recently (well it's been at least a year), I decided to take a break from that and watched a Train Video.....Hmmm who would have guess it. Anyway. without getting into the politics or ethics of the situation, this was Facing Point Media's Pacific Surfliner Headend DVD. After watching I wondered...could I recreate that Headend video as an Activity in OpenRails. This Activity is the result of that effort. Due to the large size of the Sound files (it appears that .wav files don't compress much), I had to break the activity down into 5 parts to get it all to upload.

"Amtrak 572, Pacific Surfliner service to San Diego with stops in Fullerton, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside, Solano Beach, and San Diego is ready for departure on Track 11. All Aboard! "

There are over 80 radio calls that are added as part of this activity. The conductor basically tells the engineer when passenger loading is complete at station stops and to proceed to the next stop (Highball) as well as remind engineer of restricted Speed zones along the route. The radio calls can only be heard in the cab, so you have to keep your perspective in the cab in order to hear the conductor make his callouts. I've tried to recreate the static consists you see along the way between LA and San Diego. Also the traffic meant to recreate the traffic seen out the window of the cab and to set the signals to mimic the real signal settings as seen through the cab front window. This activity is Open Rails ONLY due to the use of specific OR Location events that don't exist within MSTS, specifically modifying wait points of AI trains (traffic). Occasionally a message box appears on the screen indicating what I call a "Work Order Reminder" which basically calls out speeds for turnouts that you should try to adhere to. The objective of this activity is to basically follow the conductor's instructions and take your train from LAUPT to San Diego.

This activity uses all freeware rolling stock available here on trainsim. (I've included service files and consist files if you have the payware version. My payware version comes from the prototype FPM Pacific Surfliner route that was released in 2012. Yes I have 3Dtrains Surfliner set but I forgot the password on that file...oh well)

For the route it uses Surfliner 2.3 (again found here on Trainsim.com). There are a couple of discrepancies between track layout on the Headend DVD and the Route but for the most part everything matches up.

I've also been experimenting with using "github" to backup my files. I have uploaded this activity up to github and in that repository the TRAINSET sub-folder of TRAINS has all the rollingstock contained. (Again all the files are available on Trainsim.com) After a few more tests this might be available to public, if your interested, please drop me an email or PM me here on Trainsim.com.

The files should be available in the next day or so in the library!

anyway....back to the code.....

later

Amtrak115

[Don6218]

I just got everything sorted (almost) to start this journey. Just WOW! What a difference the Cab Talk makes to this fine route. Activities like this are very worthwhile and enhance all the fine work that has been done.

Thank you for this great activity.

[amtrak115]

Thanks, it took a while to figure out all the placements of event triggers and modifications of traffic to make the signals work.....I got most of them correct...there are still a few that engineer callouts are different that what you see on the sim...anyway...hope you enjoy...and if you run into any issues drop me a line here.....it'll distract me from reading though code and trying to figure out how to code in C#...you know that old saying about teaching old dogs new tricks or something like that.

later

[Don6218]

I like it the way you have related the information to the activity. With all the required stock, and trying to find it, I ran into issues with "Act-Man" finding errors, where there did not seem to be any with some consist files. I filled in and corrected/substituted units with TSRE Consist Builder, and they check out fine there. Oh well, I decided to run it anyway and have everything needed has been in place, despite the errors in Act-Man.
Again great work! Very enjoyable.

Don
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

[Don6218]

Hey, just had an issue with the activity. I am stopped at the signal (red) after just passing Laguna Niguel Station, at the switch at the end of the double track. An oncoming train, 46t-Amtrk572-7 is stopped in the middle between a Amber signal and San Juan Capistrano, I cannot change the signal to get that train moving, it is on the single track. I switched from Autopilot to manual, but no change with the signals. I am going to investigate further, but any suggestions? All has been good up until this point.

[R. Steele]

I just finished putting it all together, substitutions and correcting some stuff ( consist named wrong in srv file I believe -- no worries there) AND I gotta say WOW -- what an activity for OR. This is extremely well done, KUDOS!!

What a lot of work, very complete instructions, nicely done! Now to get some time to run it....from the way you've taken time to put it all together, I'm expecting good things.
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[amtrak115]

consist named wrong in srv file I believe.
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Can you tell me which srv file....(PM me)...I had two that were giving me problems toward the end of testing..curious

Amtrak115

[R. Steele]

Can you tell me which srv file....(PM me)...I had two that were giving me problems toward the end of testing..curious

Amtrak115

Done. Believe me I have downloaded and installed too many activities to count...some are so riddled with mistakes and errors, that it takes forever to untangle the mess... and clear instructions...Fahgettaboudit...with the complexity of this activity and the inclusion of OR sounds and other special stuff and all the service files...this little thing is not even worth mentioning...so my apologies.

[amtrak115]

Hey, just had an issue with the activity. I am stopped at the signal (red) after just passing Laguna Niguel Station, at the switch at the end of the double track. An oncoming train, 46t-Amtrk572-7 is stopped in the middle between a Amber signal and San Juan Capistrano, I cannot change the signal to get that train moving, it is on the single track. I switched from Autopilot to manual, but no change with the signals. I am going to investigate further, but any suggestions? All has been good up until this point.

If you setting at the red signal and the engineer makes a call that he has a green signal before the signal changes....then something is messed up. The trigger event is just after the station but before the signal. it changes the wait point on the path for ai train t-amtk572-7 to 0. You should here a track detector callout then Amtrak 573 calling out signal just before he passes in front of you. Then the signal should change..and a few seconds later the engineer should make the call-out that he's clear. The sound wav for that stop is pretty long...can't remember the number of the sound wave as I'm not at my "big" computer right now. I'll check in the morning and let you know the number of the sound file you should be hearing at that light.

The other thing is that the preceeding traffic (a bnsf truck) is stopped in next block which would hold up T-amtrk572-7. I thought i had fixed that. I ran through there at least 10-20 times without it reoccurring.

[bandorr2000]

Hey, just had an issue with the activity. I am stopped at the signal (red) after just passing Laguna Niguel Station, at the switch at the end of the double track. An oncoming train, 46t-Amtrk572-7 is stopped in the middle between a Amber signal and San Juan Capistrano, I cannot change the signal to get that train moving, it is on the single track. I switched from Autopilot to manual, but no change with the signals. I am going to investigate further, but any suggestions? All has been good up until this point.

Same thing when I run it. Have tried several times, always hangs up at the same point.