Question about modifying a current existing route.

[amtrak115]

I'm using TSRE5. (I don't have a working copy of MSTS AE or RE...have the software, it just doesn't work). I'm looking at a project to take an existing route, and then modifying it for my own purposes. So the question to those Route developers, is there a process you would recommend in doing that besides just backing up? Example...Do you Delete all signals before adding track? If your moving track (because it appears misaligned to you), do you delete the track or do you drag and drop existing track...Those are just a couple of questions...I'm looking for a "best practices/procedures" to try. I'm hoping someone like Vince who redid the PRR would either have suggestions or point me at a past post where this was discussed. Appreciate any suggestions/help along these lines. Thanks in advance.

Barry.... aka Amtrak115

[eric]

You'll want to remove the interactives if you're moving track.

Dragging existing track isn't a problem as long as you use the Z key to remove it from the TDB before moving it. If you don't, it won't snap to the new alignment.

[rdayt]

You'll have to remove all interactives between the two end nodes of the section of track you want to modify.
The end of a track node is usually a switch where you see the big red number over the end of the shape.
Signals, level crossings, animated switches all of it has to go.
I usually save any changes and minimize TSRE then fire up OR and check the log. If anything goes sideways I can always ctrl Z my way back in TSRE.
Don't make a lot of changes and close TSRE, you can really mess up a route.

Randy

[amtrak115]

Just so I understand, What are the "interactives"??

[rdayt]

Interactives are things that interact with the track. They are part of the .tdb, or track data base.
I'll try to list them all, but...

Mile posts
Speed posts
Level Crossings, where cars stop at a crossing, be it a crossbuck or active crossing signals
Signals
Stations, platforms or sidings that show up in the f6 display
Hazards, not sure about these, don't use them

Anybody else got any?

[niknak]

Anybody else got any?[/QUOTE]

Bumpers/buffers (added some once and lost my saved game grrr) Hazards don't seem to be interactive - I've added them after saving a game and it restarted okay afterwards.

[ebnertra000]

Whether or not being able to restart a saved activity has nothing to do with whether or not something is an interactive. If you move track with hazards or any other interactive object, you will have problems. I will add fueling points and sound regions to rdayt's list. If you haven't read Michael Vone's route-building guide (available in the FL), I would do so before editing any routes

[niknak]

I stand corrected. (well sit anyway...) It's just that on a few occasions I added missing buffers to some sidings on TS Mullan route and then got an error message when I tried to restart the saved activity. This ONLY happened when I added the buffer stops to existing sidings. However I can add hazards (deer crows etc) and then restart a saved activity.

[geepster775]

There are plenty of things just in code changes alone that can render saves unplayable. It is so common that nobody needs congressional hearings whenever a save breaks. Just throw away the save and start at the beginning again.

[amtrak115]

I have read Michael Vone's guide, in fact I'm in the process of reworking that guide using TSRE as the editor. I'm about 1/3 of the way through now

Amtrak115

[jonpd]

I stand corrected. (well sit anyway...) It's just that on a few occasions I added missing buffers to some sidings on TS Mullan route and then got an error message when I tried to restart the saved activity. This ONLY happened when I added the buffer stops to existing sidings. However I can add hazards (deer crows etc) and then restart a saved activity.

A buffer is just another kind of track section. Any track changes will break a path that uses it which in turn will break the activity.
In some cases you might be able to repair the paths in ORTS track viewer using the "auto fix all broken paths" function.

Jon

[eric]

There's a hack for tricking a small TDB change to let an activity resume... change the TDB and RDB serial number. It increments with each modification. If you know what the activity saved, you can try rolling that number back manually....

[niknak]

Thanks for the responses guys.

[eric]

Probably a bit late for your project, but I did confirm that WorldFileHacker's strip/convert interactives can be somewhat safely used in combination with TSRE to remove interactives from a route.

Run WFH to remove interactives from either the whole route or a subset of W files, and then run TSRE using AutoFix & save.

You can get WFH from DigitalRails.com for a $10 donation.

[PerryPlatypus]

I stand corrected. (well sit anyway...) It's just that on a few occasions I added missing buffers to some sidings on TS Mullan route and then got an error message when I tried to restart the saved activity. This ONLY happened when I added the buffer stops to existing sidings. However I can add hazards (deer crows etc) and then restart a saved activity.

Niknak,

There are many things on Mullan that are not perfect (if I had tried to aim to be perfect the route would've NEVER gotten released) but just as an FYI: There are a LOT of spur tracks along the Mullan Pass route in the real world that do not have big beefy steel buffers. Some have just a pile of dirt ("Earthen Bumper" to be proper), some have little wheel stops, and yet many have nothing at all - the rails literally just end. That's not to say there aren't some steel buffers that I missed, just letting you know that the total lack of buffers is not as un-prototypical as you may think