OR & MLT Niagara Route...

[TorontoMainlineTrains]

A curious question has anyone had issues in Explore mode, in MLT's Niagara Route, when using Open Rails you cannot change the switches ahead of you ??

Ran out of Hamilton Yard wanted to head onto another track and nothing changed, ran the scenario a few times with same results.

[charland]

Don't have this route but did you first switch OR to Manual Mode... CTRL+M?

Paul :-)

[mikeebb]

I've had that happen in some routes, rarely but often enough to be noticeable. Ctl-M doesn't help in Explore Mode, which is usually in Manual Mode by default. It does appear at times that following some paths in Explore Mode locks the switches to that path - only sometimes, not all the time, and not consistently, so it's hard to say what might cause it without more information. Occasionally, stopping before the switch you want to change, backing up, approaching and stopping again, and trying to change it again, will work.

OR usually makes a log and a .csv file even in Explore Mode and even if it doesn't crash. You might try to recreate the problem, stop the simulation, then post the log file (not the .csv unless requested - it can be huge) with a description of what happened and what your program options, and path and equipment choices, were.

[geepster775]

Unlike MSTS which only throws the next facing point switch ahead, OR throws whatever switch lies ahead, regardless of facing point or trailing point. The net result is when you travel through complex junctions, you have a very narrow time window to throw the switch. You have to wait until you get past "the blue pole" (think of when in the RE) of the trailing point switch before you have the opportunity to throw the facing point switch ahead. After you pass "the blue pole" of the facing point switch, you are too late to bend the iron. On these early routes, the blue poles for various switches in a complex interlocking are too close to each other. Pull up the F8 switch indicator and watch it, and wait until the graphic for the turnout ahead jumps to a facing point orientation. You have a very small time window to hit the G key.

[geepster775]

In cases where the needed switch nodes are too close to neighboring nodes, the best way to set facing point switches far in advance of the train's arrival is to pull up the dispatcher view and set the switches manually, changing the switch node dot from black (normal) to gray (reversed). It's about time people learn how to use some of the new features.

[woodfyr]

In OR, I Always run with the Dispatcher Mode Window on a second monitor. You then can observe the path a couple of miles ahead.

PS I also have Google Earth up on the second monitor. Would be great to have GE track progress.