Closed Loops And Circuits

[NorthernWarrior]

Apologies if this has been asked before but I was wondering whether OR supports closed circuits or return/balloon loop type operation which MSTS has always thrown a wobbly at? There's a couple of small narrow gauge routes I'm looking at which require this type of configuration as indeed would any attempt to scale up a miniature or model railway track plan.

Of course that still leaves the tricky issue of building such a route in the MSTS RE, though possibly TSRE could help in that respect?

[ebnertra000]

I'm not sure about a closed loop (I suspect it won't like that too much), but I do know that balloon tracks can be handled in OR, though you may need to be careful about putting paths through them, since OR has put me on the wrong track through until I reached a switch, when I suddenly jumped back to the right track. I used TSRE to build the track and it was much better than the MSTS RE once I really figured it out, but I don't think it would affect the ability to place certain configurations of track. Lay a circle and see what you get...

[frliss]

I have a copy of the "Seaboard Air Line Fla" route and it has a closed loop on one of the sidings off of the Bradenton to Tampa path. With Open Rails in the explore mode I can take a consist around the loop as many times as I like. However, when I try to generate a path around the closed loop using the MSTS AE the editor crashes.

Fred

[dcarleton]

The contributed Track Viewer that is included with OR can make looping paths.

The attached path in on the SAL FL Div. It starts at Edison, makes two entire loops through the phosphate plant, and then heads back to Edison. Try an activity with this path, and see what happens.

[NorthernWarrior]

Thanks for the responses, guys. Still seems a bit hit and miss but in the meantime I have come up with a solution to the track design which will allow me to create as a linear route while still preserving the overall shape, if not entirely true to the prototype. This one is purely for fun anyway and at least it will allow MSTS hold-outs (me!) to use it as well as in OR!

[geepster775]

Still seems a bit hit and miss, but in the meantime

Not sure what you mean by that. A bit hit and miss? I read the same thread and interpreted it as an affirmative (it CAN be done and the Track Viewer CAN create the needed paths). I downloaded DCarleton's path, ran a train in activity mode, set it to autopilot, and watched it leave Edison yard, loop around the phosphate plant twice, and return to Edison Yard.

I will concede it appears to be another hit that open rails can perform that MSTS fields a miss on. Same goes for the editors/tools, apparently.

Thanks for playing "ask the question, don't like the answer".

[eric]

It's been a while since I tested it, but there's a functioning closed loop on my IRM route. There are enough nodes and "escape paths" on the route and with signalling that it doesn't fail. The trick I found was to start and stop the paths before they overlap.

[ebnertra000]

I'll have to try this out on a route I'm working on. Now that I've finally finished the T-Bird mine, I have a potential closed loop when operating from there to the processing plant about 10 miles away...

[duke1234]

I keep hearing TSRE, what is that?

[frliss]

I keep hearing TSRE, what is that?

TSRE stands for Train Simulator Route Editor. It is the new route editor that does not depend on having MSTS installed on your machine. If you search for TSRE on this forum or on Elvas Tower you will get a wealth of information.

Fred

[duke1234]

Thanks for the info, I have been with Open Rails since 0.9, can't believe my dream has come true. New RE!