Open Rails AI Traffic

[charland]

I'm trying to add AI traffic to the activities I'm creating for the FJ&Gv2 route. The first AI traffic is an Amtrak train that goes through Fonda on the south mainline that is not connected to any other track on the route. I have the traffic started at one minute after the activity begins and in MSTS two minutes later the train goes through. The problem is, it doesn't show up at all in Open Rails.

I've read the Open Rails manual, chapter 10.2, and there is no reason the traffic shouldn't show up.

I'm using OR version 1.3.1.4328

Of course searching for anything with two letters here or in ET will get you nowhere, so thought I'd try my luck here, hope this isn't a repeat question.

Paul :-)

[R. Steele]

Paul, have you checked the log for warnings or any mention of AI traffic problems?
You can zip it up and attach to new post.

[charland]

Hi Gerry,

There was something in the log about the two F40s on the train, OR for some reason does not like the use of N/m in the Coupler section of the engine file which is a little odd seeing as all engine file have that, nut it also singled out the FJ&G 100 and LASB 103 for the same reason and I've run activities with them.

I added an AI freight train to the other track and it ran on time and just fine. I then deleted the first set of F40s and downloaded another set, but as it turned out they were just an earlier set by NALW from the library and they came with the same problems and many others OR didn't like. Tomorrow I'm going to have a look at the engine files from the GP-40-2s I was running on the freight and see if I can change them and replace the F40 engine files and get them to run.

Paul :-)

[crstagg]

The NALW F40s have this common problem:
Damping is entered as Newton Meters ( N/m ) and it should be Newton Meters per second ( N/m/s )

From NALW F40 ENG file
Coupling (
Type ( Automatic )
Spring (
Stiffness ( 1e6N/m 5e6N/m )
Damping ( 1e6N/m 1e6N/m )
Break ( 5.1e7N 5.1e7N )
r0 ( 20cm 30cm )
)
comment( CouplingHasRigidConnection () )
Velocity ( 0.1m/s )
)

Should be:
Coupling (
Type ( Automatic )
Spring (
Stiffness ( 1e6N/m 5e6N/m )
Damping ( 1e6N/m/s 1e6N/m/s )
Break ( 5.1e7N 5.1e7N )
r0 ( 20cm 30cm )
)
comment( CouplingHasRigidConnection () )
Velocity ( 0.1m/s )
)

[charland]

So I just changed the Damping line for the six F40s in the set. Now the Open Rails log doesn't say anything about the engines, but the train just didn't run again. I'll do some more testing tomorrow, starting with removing all the cars and seeing if the engines will run by themselves.

Paul :-)

[R. Steele]

So I just changed the Damping line for the six F40s in the set. Now the Open Rails log doesn't say anything about the engines, but the train just didn't run again. I'll do some more testing tomorrow, starting with removing all the cars and seeing if the engines will run by themselves.

Paul :-)

...and the log didn't have any warnings about this particular AI? Sometimes, if the starting point of the AI is placed wrong OR has a problem with it and then the AI does not start...might be the path itself, although, usually in that case there is something in the log about the AI starting inproperly...I'll keep a watch on the thread here and at ET, perhaps someone else has a suggestion?

[peterman]

Hi Paul,

If you used the MSTS activity editor to set up your activity, then Open Rails is notorious for AI traffic appearing to not show up when you think it should... when in fact it has already shown up and passed the point where you are looking for it. I suggest that you delay the start time of the AI.

Peter

[charland]

Hi Peter,

The enginehouse in Fonda is right beside the Conrail mainline. The activity starts at 7:30 at the enginehouse and Amtrak is to spawn at 0731, two miles away and go through Fonda. In the same activity Conrail is set to spawn two miles away in the other direction at 0735. Conrail comes through town as expected, Amtrak never shows up.

The F40s I'm using do work, I used them as the player train when I was testing the turbo train and baggage cars I built, they just don't want to show up as AI traffic for some reason.

Paul :-)

[csantucci]

Paul,
a thing that can be done is checking on the Dispatcher info extended HUD (that you reach from the standard F5 HUD after pressing some times Shift-F5) whether your AI train is listed or not after 7:31. If it is listed, you can use the Dispatcher window (Ctrl-9) and look where your AI train is.
If the AI train is not there, the log file should provide info about what is happening.

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

Just for the record - as per recent conversations I've had on OR Physics - the "Damping" line is not used in ORTS...

These are the only coupler values used - as per Peter's site:

• CouplingHasRigidConnection
• Spring - Stifness
• Spring - Break
• Spring - r0

Only (1) Coupler definition is used - the last in order of occurrence I believe - Example:

Comment ( ##### COUPLING ##### )
        Coupling ( 
                Type ( Automatic ) 
                Spring ( 
                        Stiffness ( 9.0e4N/m 4.6e6N/m )
                        Break ( 1.28e6N 1.29e6N ) 
                        r0 ( 19cm 27cm )
                )
        )

Regards,
Scott

[charland]

Morning,

I'm going to start checking this again but yesterday I did go to the dispatcher's window and there was nothing showing. I'll get that up as soon as the activity starts and see if anything happens.

I'm still trying to keep the route working properly in both OR and MSTS Scott, so I don't want to change anything that makes it or it's activities OR only.

Paul :-)

[charland]

Hi All,

I did find the cause and now have Amtrak running.

First a little background. Conrail through Fonda has a eastbound mainline (Track 1), then a westbound mainline (Track 2). Track 3 has been removed, then Track 4 is used to let the way freight clear the mainline and that connects to the FJ&G. Track 4 connects at each end to track 2. In real life there are crossovers between tracks 1 and 2 but they are miles away from Fonda so I never modeled them seeing as the Conrail mainlines are just for AI traffic passing through.

That turned out to be the reason my Amtrak train wouldn't spawn in OR but did in MSTS. While vacuuming I started to wonder if this was creating the problem, Track 1 was not touching any of the rest of the route. I added a crossover at one end and a few hundred meters of double track and that cured the problem.

It's nice to find the solution but that leads to other problems in other routes where a foreign railroad just happens to pass your railroad and doesn't have a physical connection, your AI traffic on that railroad will not spawn. Or several of my routes have flight paths, track buried under the terrain for an aircraft to follow but do not connect to anything, plane is grounded there.

Anyway, something to keep in mind if you're wondering where you AI traffic is.



Paul :-)