Fatal error on old MSTS route running in OR (moved from MSTS forum)

[niknak]

Hi guys,

A little help please if you can. I recently installed Making Tracks old London and South East MSTS route but I'm having problems on the Norwood Departmental act. After a save I get a fatal error 'illegal characters in path' message upon trying to resume after picking up a loose consist. I've narrowed it down (I think) to this piece of stock which I've zipped and attached together with the OR log in the hope that someone can tell me what needs amending.

[slipperman]

Hi Nick,
Your second upload of htv.wag has the 'Id ( ? )' and CentreOfGravity' lines missing compared with the first upload, but they won't make any difference (as you will have found!)

The difference between your first upload and my LSE Gold original are as follows :
1. Coupling section > Original = Stiffness ( 1e1N/m 5e6N/m ) - Yours = Stiffness ( 1e1N/m 1e6N/m ) -- No problem
2. Coupling section > Original = Damping ( 1e7N/m/s 1e7N/m/s ) - Yours = Damping ( 1e7N/m 1e7N/m) -- BAD!! Units must be N/m/s
3. Original = MaxReleaseRate( 2 ) - Yours = MaxReleaseRate( 12 ) -- No problem
4. Original = MaxApplicationRate( 2 ) - Yours = MaxApplicationRate( 12 ) -- No problem
5. Original = MaxAuxilaryChargingRate( 3 ) - Yours = MaxAuxilaryChargingRate( 10 ) -- No problem

I don't know if this is the cause of Open Rail's fatal error because a 'Path' error is indicated and this is not a path.

Cheers,
Ged

[niknak]

Hi Ged,
I checked all the htv wagons and that was the only one with the line faulty. Changed it but as you said it didn't cure the problem. I notice that on the track monitor as I go to couple up to the wagons the node is shown as 'switch' and there's a red shown although its just a short siding that ends there. But that doesn't explain why the error doesn't appear if I change the stock from htv wagons. I notice that you have the gold original whereas mine is the bog standard.

[slipperman]

Hi Nick,
That's odd!! When I first saw your post, I checked my 'bog standard' LSE and that activity wasn't included, which is why I went with the Gold edition. Maybe I wasn't checking closely enough - will repeat the exercise!!

Cheers,
Ged

[niknak]

Hi Ged,
The 'First Class Simulations' catalogue number 4 that came in the case states 12 activities but the handbook and the cd contain 15.

[slipperman]

Hi Nick,
My apologies
My 'bog standard' version of LSE DOES contain that activity.
I used v1.2 straight from the CD (ie without any of the following updates/patches), saved going through Redhill and resumed without any problem.
On checking htv.wag, the Coupling 'Damping' units are correctly shown as N/m/s so I wonder if your version is earlier (1.0 or 1.1) - it is shown in the bottom right of the start-up screen. If it is, I suggest that you apply Service Pack v1.2 (UKTS_38089 includes all the released updates and more) because all the hopper wagons have been updated in some way. I further recommend that you also apply the v1.3 and v1.3.1 Service Packs together with the listed patches.

Cheers,
Ged

[niknak]

Hi Ged,
Sadly I had already applied all the service packs and other updates that you kindly included in your upload file number 38089 to UKTS back in July 2018. My version appears to be 1.0 I just tried the act again, this time with Esso tanks instead of the htv hoppers and it saves perfectly - all very strange!

[R. Steele]

I looked at the log thinking there was something wrong with a Path -- specifically the players path which is usually a fatal error --- the log mentions something wrong with a "path string" >>>

Error: System.ArgumentException: Illegal characters in path.
at System.IO.Path.CheckInvalidPathChars(String path, Boolean checkAdditional)
at System.IO.Path.InternalGetDirectoryName(String path)
at Orts.Parsers.Msts.STFReader..ctor(String filename, Boolean useTree) in F:\ADRIANA\Carlo\OR_Work\Git_ORTS_source_mio\Sourc e\Orts.Parsers.Msts\STFReader.cs:line 178
at Orts.Simulation.RollingStocks.RollingStock.Generic WAGFile.WagFile(String filenamewithpath) in F:\ADRIANA\Carlo\OR_Work\Git_ORTS_source_mio\Sourc e\Orts.Simulation\Simulation\RollingStocks\Rolling Stock.cs:line 141

This could be caused by rolling stock or something else, I'm stumped...we need more information. There have been discussions about improving the log to provide more information to the user in cases like this...it would have been nice to have a reference to a specific file that OR was having trouble parsing...the file that prompted the error in the first place. I'll try to bring that up in a post...or anyone else with the time or inclination could do also.

[niknak]

Well Gerry if YOU'RE stumped then I CERTAINLY am! lol. Anyway thanks for your input. It's definitely something to do with the wagon as switching it out for another type cures the problem.

[slipperman]

Hi Chaps,
@Gerry : I think that 'path' in this context means the address of a file on a hard drive, not a player's activity path. I do not see this error so suspect it's something within Nick's installation.

@ Nick : If you've applied all the updates, the version should be 1.3.1, not 1.0. I suggest that the updates haven't been correctly applied - Service Pack 1.2 will upgrade from v1.0, then 1.3 and 1.3.1 should be applied in order. After that you are free to apply the other patches. This is assuming that you installed v1.0 directly from its CD and didn't just copy it from another installation!
It doesn't make sense that you only see the error when you resume from a save. Can you please attach your .act file?

Cheers,
Ged

[R. Steele]

Well Gerry if YOU'RE stumped then I CERTAINLY am! lol. Anyway thanks for your input. It's definitely something to do with the wagon as switching it out for another type cures the problem.

It certainly is a case of the unique and peculiar charms of an interesting pastime pursuit.

Hi Chaps,
@Gerry : I think that 'path' in this context means the address of a file on a hard drive, not a player's activity path. I do not see this error so suspect it's something within Nick's installation...
Cheers,
Ged

My thinking also, Ged.

[baldwin]

The logfile shows that this error came out of a resume activity. It may be that during the save, path data got corrupted giving rise to the invalid data.
.

[slipperman]

Thanks, Baldwin. That's a good suggestion!

@Nick : Did that error only occur after one particular save or does it happen after every save you take?

Ged

[charland]

Try this. Remove the HTV so the line just says Wagon (

Wagon ( HTV
Id ( ? )
Type ( Freight )
WagonShape ( htv.s )
Size ( 2.607m 3.792m 7.4m )
CentreOfGravity ( 0m 2.2m 0m )
Mass ( 12.5t )

Paul :-)

[slipperman]

Hi Paul.
With respect, what would this achieve?
However, I tried it, but the loco can't now move the wagons!! There are no error or warning messages in the log.

As it only happens in a save, the saved data seems to be faulty. Is the data stored by 'Save' re-read from the disk or is it saved from internal memory? If the former, it could be a failing disk drive, otherwise a failing memory module.

Ged