Activity - Advanced Shunting - Helper Service

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

I have made activities where an AI helper works the yard for a bit - then heads over to the end of the player's train and attaches itself for a shove up the hill. At the top of the hill the player train stops - the helper detaches itself automatically - does some more yard switching - then trundles back down the hill.

All good - but it was the very start of the activity - and the player train was in position.

Question: Is there a way - to have the helper just sit on a siding awaiting the player train - and doesn't start moving until the player train is stopped at a specific point?

Thanks.

Regards,
Scott

[wwhall]

Yes, I think, for the last question in your post. Check out Section 11.16.10 "AI train Waiting Point modification through event" in the OpenRails Manual. For a rear helper being added, for example, an eastbound Player train could pass the east switch of a siding where the helper is located, triggering a Location Event when the Player train had sufficiently cleared the East switch. The AI Helper would have a path with a long waiting point on the siding, and that the Player train's Location Event would void the waiting point, then the AI Helper could proceed out from the siding on its path onto the main to a coupling with the Player train. The Player might have to use the Dispatch window and/or manually throw that East Switch in favor of the siding to allow the helper to pass a signal displaying stop to enter the main. Even cooler, but way more tricky, would be using a Location Event to allow a mid-train AI helper to enter the main to couple to the front of the rear half of a Player Train split in two on the main--where the AI Helper would enter the main, then reverse to a coupling with the rear half of the Player train (the AI helper and the rear of the Player Train briefly becoming an AI train), then moving forward to a coupling with the Player train, thus that whole train (with the mid-train helpers) becoming a Player train. I tried to design this into an activity that I was working on a couple of years ago, but I was trying to accomplish this on a double main line, where the helpers were moving from one main to the other. I could never get it to work quite correctly, partly, I think, because the signal scripting at the crossovers was pretty complicated.

[geepster775]

Um, yea. There is an activity that came with the Shasta route that does just that. Player departs K Falls and 40 miles down the line the train pauses to pick up a stationary helper who ties itself onto the rear end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4TeXDrRjDQ&t=842s

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the detailed write up and the example - I have the route but haven’t run that activity.

I’ll give this a try.

Appreciate the help.

Regards,
Scott