Realistic Switching?

[Railfan727]

Will the new physics for OR allow cars to keep rolling after being cut off in motion, so that we can do realistic flat switching and hump operations? And will there be a way to simulate radio communications with one or more crew members who are out on the ground or riding on the cars during switching operations?

And if you are running a mainline freight and stop at a yard to make a setout and pickup, will you be able to enter a block that is occupied by your own consist in order to get your train back together to depart? For instance, the former Conrail South Anderson Yard in Anderson, IN is accessed from a controlled siding (with an interlocking at each end, like a passing siding in CTC territory), and switching moves in the yard regularly include asking the dispatcher for permission to pass stop signals one or more times at CP247 or CP249 over the course of operations. If your train's stopped on the main, you have to get permission past the stop signal to get into the siding (the dispatcher can throw the switches but can't clear the signal) to access the yard, and then again on your way out to get back into the block where the rest of your train's sitting to get coupled back up to leave.

Will we be able to simulate this in ORTS?

[longiron]

Will the new physics for OR allow cars to keep rolling after being cut off in motion, so that we can do realistic flat switching and hump operations?

Please see this thread for what's available in Open Rails today. https://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showth...yard-operation We have some improvements noted in this thread in our roadmap.

And will there be a way to simulate radio communications with one or more crew members who are out on the ground or riding on the cars during switching operations?

We are working on implementing MSTS Dynamic Events in OR. As part of this process, we are gathering input for other types of Events that could be triggered, such as play wav, and other actions. Implementing new Event types will probably be linked to the release of an independent AE for Open Rails.

And if you are running a mainline freight and stop at a yard to make a setout and pickup, will you be able to enter a block that is occupied by your own consist in order to get your train back together to depart? For instance, the former Conrail South Anderson Yard in Anderson, IN is accessed from a controlled siding (with an interlocking at each end, like a passing siding in CTC territory), and switching moves in the yard regularly include asking the dispatcher for permission to pass stop signals one or more times at CP247 or CP249 over the course of operations. If your train's stopped on the main, you have to get permission past the stop signal to get into the siding (the dispatcher can throw the switches but can't clear the signal) to access the yard, and then again on your way out to get back into the block where the rest of your train's sitting to get coupled back up to leave.

Will we be able to simulate this in ORTS?

In the near future, absolutely. It's a mode that we call "shunting" which allows a player train to gain movement rights into, within, and out of a yard that may be occupied by another AI train or your own Player train.

[sniper297]

Someone made a pretty good video here;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPnCrEONu6c

As for passing red signals to run around a cut of cars, that's already doable in MSTS if the route is designed for it - permissive instead of absolute signals at yard leads, manual instead of automatic switches, only use auto switches and absolute signals on tracks the AI trains will be running on.

[davebridges]

So would it be possible to go in and out of shunting mode over the course of an activity?

For instance... Conrail train INPI leaves Avon Yard in Indy headed for Pittsburgh. It is regularly assigned to make a setout and pickup at Anderson, IN before continuing east. Say that you want to make an activity based on an INPI run from Avon to Crestline, OH, would it be possible to include this switching assignment en route, while having AI traffic running during the activity?

[longiron]

So would it be possible to go in and out of shunting mode over the course of an activity?

Correct