"AI" and "TRAIL" engines from Streamlines releases?

[Der_Hans]

Do I recall correctly that the "AI" and "TRAIL" designated engines from Streamlines/SLI are nolonger required when using Open Rails?

I've recently run into some issues with a route where some strange things appear to be happening with AI trains and passing paths. It's the DRGW Green River route, which features long stretches of single track, and frequent sidings for trains to pass. On occasion, I'm finding when I am on a stretch of double track, an oncoming AI train on the single track will cause me to have a red signal requiring me to stop and wait. Sometimes all is well, however sometimes the AI train on the single track will reach the switch and stop and wait at a red signal...We are now both forever waiting at red signals...

I would like, in these situations, to suspend my train, take control of the AI train, move it out of the way (or even just delete it would be a great function! Is this possible?) and continue with my activity...

Trouble is that this is an older Streamlines route with many AI trains lead by uncontrollable "AI" engines...

Do I even need those? Or can I just go into my consist files and replace leading AI engines with regular ones?

[slipperman]

Hi Der_Hans,
Have a look at my AI2Driver utility (ai2driver.zip in the file library). It won't work in all cases, but might for your locos It depends on the AI and TRAIL locos using the same shape file as the respective Player loco.

You can, of course, modify your consists as you suggest, but they would then not work correctly under MSTS.

Cheers,
Ged

[Rick-MONON]

Yes you could take control of them in OR (Alt and F9).
Then change the switch and signal if needed to move the train through and then jump back to the original train.

The AI and Trail just do not have a cab or cab sound file and the OR log will report the error but it should work.

Or you could first identify the engine, save the activity and close OR, then go and add the cab and sound file to that engine.
Then go back to your saved spot in OR and take control of the engine.

I believe one of the activities in the Green River Route has a train meet where both trains use the same track at a train meet and needs corrected. It is by the river in the canyon at Mack or Shale I think on the Westbound Ford activity.

[Don6218]

I have eliminated all my AI Locos, I kept the "Trail" ones, some are just reversed versions of driveable units. The AI Trains seem to work much better as well as Smoke Effects and Lighting when using Open Rails. I no longer use MSTS for anything.

This also reduces the numbers in the files.

[davebridges]

I too have eliminated all of my AI locos.. also deleted the "trail" ones, as Open Rails handles everything just fine. I too, no longer use MSTS for anything, other than for the activity editor.

[Erick_Cantu]

I think the only use for separate "trail" units in the future will be:

a.) Leaders can have crews via freightanim, while trailers can leave the crew off
b.) Leaders can have a 3D cab specified, and trailers can have a passenger view (with the relevant handles removed and switches changed) specified.

Really more about adding an extra touch of realism more than anything else now, I think. The sounds and whatnot would otherwise remain the same.

[geepster775]

Ideally, every locomotive on every player train, AI train, or static consist when spawned into the simulation world needs to be (player) engineer-mountable. That's how it is in the real world. Unless the locomotive is tagged for a defect, all you need is a key to the door lock (if equipped) and a reverser handle and you are good to sit down and operate it. I see no reason to dilute that featured ability, or manage a boat-load of single-purpose consists just for the eye candy effect of crew figures. If we want crew figures bad enough, the sim should automatically apply them, visually, based on wherever the leading unit is for any consist at any point in time.

We are just beginning to scratch the surface on designing some complex activities

https://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showthread.php?328909-Vandalized-UP-M-RONY-activity

built around the necessity of every locomotive cab being player mountable and good-to-go as a leader at any time for the reason of handling any enroute-defect encountered.

[tbundy1982]

I think Rick may be correct. An alternative, if you meet at a siding switch, is to use the Ctrl+9 Dispatcher window to manually redirect the AI train into the siding and on it's way. This is not ideal, but I've averted a few standoffs this way.

A comment about the "need/don't need" question: You don't need the AI and Trail locomotives anymore with Open Rails, however the SLI player locomotive lighting is not correctly set up for AI lighting. If you know how to edit lights, you could copy the lights from the AI unit to the player unit, adding them to the bottom of the light list and increasing the number of lights at the top. Once the AI lighting is corrected, you should be able to replace all the AI and Trail examples in consists and activities to no detriment (Trail units have different lighting, but I think it's a simpler version of the AI lights). Be sure to make a backup before editing, especially if you are unfamiliar with what is to be edited.

Tyler

[Erick_Cantu]

Ideally, every locomotive on every player train, AI train, or static consist when spawned into the simulation world needs to be (player) engineer-mountable. That's how it is in the real world. Unless the locomotive is tagged for a defect, all you need is a key to the door lock (if equipped) and a reverser handle and you are good to sit down and operate it. I see no reason to dilute that featured ability, or manage a boat-load of single-purpose consists just for the eye candy effect of crew figures. If we want crew figures bad enough, the sim should automatically apply them, visually, based on wherever the leading unit is for any consist at any point in time.

Yes, what I'd ultimately like is for each cab to be scriptable, so that we can operate all of the lead/trail controls for lights and whatnot, remove reversers, operate FRT/PASS/OUT cutoff valves, and so on. Ideally, also, crew would automatically appear in the lead unit. But the thing is, I don't see any of it happening. So my idea is a workable compromise for the near future, so that you can ride in a trailing unit's cab if you like, without stopping the train and swapping cabs.

[Shawmut]

Ideally, every locomotive on every player train, AI train, or static consist when spawned into the simulation world needs to be (player) engineer-mountable. That's how it is in the real world. Unless the locomotive is tagged for a defect, all you need is a key to the door lock (if equipped) and a reverser handle and you are good to sit down and operate it. I see no reason to dilute that featured ability, or manage a boat-load of single-purpose consists just for the eye candy effect of crew figures. If we want crew figures bad enough, the sim should automatically apply them, visually, based on wherever the leading unit is for any consist at any point in time.

Automatic application is precisely what the much-derided TS20XX does with FREDs: if a car is the last car in a freight consist the FRED will automatically appear. If you have to drop off a few cars, and that last car is one that has to go, the FRED will disappear and a new one will appear at the end of your now-shortened train.

This is a neat principle that could be applied in a variety of situations.

Dave