WHAT A RIDE!!
(This essay is going to include some technical stuff, but it may be very helpful to those of you that have a route that is giving you tdb issues.)
So I got ALL the bridges and cribbing and forestation in at Capitol City, and far enough past Capitol City so the scenery just doesn't "end" at the edge of town. (In actuality, Capitol City is divided by a tile boundary, so I was going to have to proceed onward anyway!)
That done, I wanted to attend to a few track arrangement things that had been bugging me in other portions of the route that contain scenery. Namely the helper station and station location I created for Chattanooga. It was too far from the actual town. Hm. Think I'll move the station, pass track, and spur, closer to where the actual location of the Chattanooga settlement (so the spur to the town looked more like it should.) I would then take the former Chattanooga location, reduce the scope of it, rearrange the track and structure elements, and rename the simplified version simply: "Helper". Helper would then have only small depot/crew shanty, a northbound trailing point connection that fans out into two spur tracks: One for the small engine house, the other to the turntable/coal. The turntable track also contained a hidden turning/reversing loop for the non-functional turntables of MSTS. (By the way, I actually think this little "Helper" location is probably redundant, likely the helpers would be in place leaving Silverton, for there's stiff grades to even GET to the little "Helper" location, but I'll try it for now.)
Anyway, as I was mucking about rearranging the track, I discovered a red pole (switch node) that would not disappear when the track piece was deleted. Hm, that ain't good. Time to back out without saving and try again.
That I did... only to discover that now the route would not load in either RE or AE!!
Then the sickening reality hit me: My last backup zip was made upon the bridges/cribbing arriving AT Capitol City... nearly two days ago. I had two days of work that WOULD be lost if I have to revert to a back up!
Panic hit... then that sick feeling in my stomach.
Okay, think son, think. You've been here before. Worst case scenario is a manual rebuild. However, that's a last gasp path. For now, how should I proceed trying to salvage two days of intense tedium?
First thing was to try an automated tdb rebuild. I began by removing the tdb, rdb, tit, and rit files from the route, as well as delete the bk files for same.
The files removed, as I expected, the route would now open in RE. This at least meant a manual rebuild is on the table if needed, and doing so would get me back in business, but those, too, are VERY time consuming and tedious, and it is WAY too easy to miss a tiny piece of track and thus have a blue pole issue because of an inactivated track shape. A missed track piece can deal you fits as you go about running a train on the route only to discover you missed an itty biddy .025m piece of track! (You discover as your train tumbles down the side of a cliff! LOL!)
So, with the necessary files removed, it was time to attempt an automated tdb rebuild. That I did. As the camera whipped about, a window popped up about a track piece with an interactive object attached and did I want to delete and proceed or ignore and proceed? Crapadap. I forgot about my 6m-9m track pieces off to the side of the track with a siding object thereon with the name of the place! Anyway, I clicked no and the camera resumed whizzing about here and there, only to suddenly freeze with the dreaded "vector" issue warning. Crapadap number 2.
Jotting down the lat/lon information, I again went back into RE sans needed tdb/etc files, and hit the lat/lon figures RE had provided. It placed me directly over a 150r 1d piece. With no track data base in place, the track had no wires above (which indicates track continuity). SO, with no tdb, in place, I was able to select the offending piece, and delete it, which obviously left a gap. I then saved and exited.
With that, I tried another automated tdb rebuild, and this time the wonderful little window popped up with "All Tiles Visited". Well, THAT is encouraging!
Much to my delight, the route opened in both AE and RE. Once in RE, it was time to do a flyover of ALL track to check for any "Rouge Blue Poles" On my way again, the window again popped up: "Track piece has missing Track Object attached. Delete: Yes or no? Save to make final". This time, I told RE to delete the offending track object, saving after each deleting. This was repeated each time the camera started to enter another tile, I continued to delete and save until there were NO track objects left. First flyover accomplished.
Now it was time to go back into RE, and replace that 150r 1d track piece so the main line would again be contiguous. I went to the lat/lon location and reinstalled a 150r 1d piece that to replace the one I had removed. (The piece that was removed that allowed the tdb to rebuild.) As expected, once I installed the 150r 1d piece, RE saved without issue and the overhead tdb wire showed continuity. That done, I saved and exited.
FWIW, almost all of my very complex routes have one or two "pressure points" that will prevent a successful automated tdb rebuild. I've learned to jot down the lat/lon of the piece, as well as a description of the track piece, AND gradient factor. Such a "pressure point" track piece (or pieces) MUST be removed before using the automated tdb feature and replaced once a rebuild is successfully completed.
So, the above track piece reinstalled without incident, it was now time to reopen the route in RE, and starting at Silverton, do a flyover over the entire route checking ALL tracks for "Rouge Blue Poles" that CAN be introduced in a complex route. (There are several "gotcha's" that can produce these "Rogue Blue Pole's", but IMHO, connected reversing/turning loops are the worst offenders in MSTS.)
Anyway, I was just about done with the flyover when, Crapadap No 3: There sat a "Rouge Blue Pole" on the branch line to Fall Creek. "Rouge Blue Poles", or RBP's, are sometimes created when trying to do an automated tdb and it indicates a pressure point, but one that wasn't violent enough to cause RE to gag. Anyway, I noted the piece and location, then went back and once again removed the tdb and associated files, hopped back over to the location, and removed that piece of track, saved, then exited, then hopped over to the OTHER pressure point (the 150r 1d piece) and removed IT, then saved and exited RE.
It as now time for ANOTHER automated rebuild. This time, no pop up warnings/nothing, only the "All Tiles Visited" ending that is typically good, but doesn't mean things are well just yet!
With that, I again reopened RE, went over and replaced the two pressure point track pieces, saved, exited, then reopened, and beginning at Silverton, did another flyover. This time, there were NO RPB's or any such issues.
WHEW! I've finally got this thing healthy again!
LESSONS RELEARNED:
* Make backups OFTEN. In this case, I KNOW what I did that created the problem: I was editing over at a location containing a turning/reversing loop that was CONNECTED and thus active. In the process, with my clicking and putzing, I created an issue for RE and the tdb. What I SHOULD have done, is once I reached my goal in bridge/cribbing placement and forestation, I should have RIGHT THEN created a back up zip and THEN started tampering with track again. Plus, before starting to edit at the turning/reversing loop location, I wouldn't have had any issue tampering with track IF I had DISCONNECTED the turning/reverse loop BEFORE starting to click, move, delete, mix/match track pieces etc.
* Be SURE to keep notes of where "pressure point" track pieces reside on your route, and should you cobble up the track data base in the future and a rebuild is necessary, those "pressure point" pieces MUST be removed before using the automated tdb feature. I keep this and more information on a text file named "ID". ("ID" stands for "Identification".) Therein are notations on the DEMEX dmz files I've used, terrain offsets, "Pressure Point" location data, progress notes, etc, etc. ALL of my later routes now have ID.txt files within their route folder.
* IF your route has reversing/turning loops, DISCONNECT them by removing a piece from the loop BEFORE you do an automated tdb rebuild. Those can deal the rebuild process a curve it gags at. (What I do is keep them disconnected on the working copy, and only connect them for a save that's to be zipped for sharing, that way they're active on the shared route, I then disconnect them on the working copy if more track work is anticipated.)
SO, there you have it: I spent an agonizing evening fixing what I had inadvertently screwed up... BUT in so doing, I saved two days of intensely tedious work!
All fer now!
Andre
(This essay is going to include some technical stuff, but it may be very helpful to those of you that have a route that is giving you tdb issues.)
So I got ALL the bridges and cribbing and forestation in at Capitol City, and far enough past Capitol City so the scenery just doesn't "end" at the edge of town. (In actuality, Capitol City is divided by a tile boundary, so I was going to have to proceed onward anyway!)
That done, I wanted to attend to a few track arrangement things that had been bugging me in other portions of the route that contain scenery. Namely the helper station and station location I created for Chattanooga. It was too far from the actual town. Hm. Think I'll move the station, pass track, and spur, closer to where the actual location of the Chattanooga settlement (so the spur to the town looked more like it should.) I would then take the former Chattanooga location, reduce the scope of it, rearrange the track and structure elements, and rename the simplified version simply: "Helper". Helper would then have only small depot/crew shanty, a northbound trailing point connection that fans out into two spur tracks: One for the small engine house, the other to the turntable/coal. The turntable track also contained a hidden turning/reversing loop for the non-functional turntables of MSTS. (By the way, I actually think this little "Helper" location is probably redundant, likely the helpers would be in place leaving Silverton, for there's stiff grades to even GET to the little "Helper" location, but I'll try it for now.)
Anyway, as I was mucking about rearranging the track, I discovered a red pole (switch node) that would not disappear when the track piece was deleted. Hm, that ain't good. Time to back out without saving and try again.
That I did... only to discover that now the route would not load in either RE or AE!!
Then the sickening reality hit me: My last backup zip was made upon the bridges/cribbing arriving AT Capitol City... nearly two days ago. I had two days of work that WOULD be lost if I have to revert to a back up!
Panic hit... then that sick feeling in my stomach.
Okay, think son, think. You've been here before. Worst case scenario is a manual rebuild. However, that's a last gasp path. For now, how should I proceed trying to salvage two days of intense tedium?
First thing was to try an automated tdb rebuild. I began by removing the tdb, rdb, tit, and rit files from the route, as well as delete the bk files for same.
The files removed, as I expected, the route would now open in RE. This at least meant a manual rebuild is on the table if needed, and doing so would get me back in business, but those, too, are VERY time consuming and tedious, and it is WAY too easy to miss a tiny piece of track and thus have a blue pole issue because of an inactivated track shape. A missed track piece can deal you fits as you go about running a train on the route only to discover you missed an itty biddy .025m piece of track! (You discover as your train tumbles down the side of a cliff! LOL!)
So, with the necessary files removed, it was time to attempt an automated tdb rebuild. That I did. As the camera whipped about, a window popped up about a track piece with an interactive object attached and did I want to delete and proceed or ignore and proceed? Crapadap. I forgot about my 6m-9m track pieces off to the side of the track with a siding object thereon with the name of the place! Anyway, I clicked no and the camera resumed whizzing about here and there, only to suddenly freeze with the dreaded "vector" issue warning. Crapadap number 2.
Jotting down the lat/lon information, I again went back into RE sans needed tdb/etc files, and hit the lat/lon figures RE had provided. It placed me directly over a 150r 1d piece. With no track data base in place, the track had no wires above (which indicates track continuity). SO, with no tdb, in place, I was able to select the offending piece, and delete it, which obviously left a gap. I then saved and exited.
With that, I tried another automated tdb rebuild, and this time the wonderful little window popped up with "All Tiles Visited". Well, THAT is encouraging!
Much to my delight, the route opened in both AE and RE. Once in RE, it was time to do a flyover of ALL track to check for any "Rouge Blue Poles" On my way again, the window again popped up: "Track piece has missing Track Object attached. Delete: Yes or no? Save to make final". This time, I told RE to delete the offending track object, saving after each deleting. This was repeated each time the camera started to enter another tile, I continued to delete and save until there were NO track objects left. First flyover accomplished.
Now it was time to go back into RE, and replace that 150r 1d track piece so the main line would again be contiguous. I went to the lat/lon location and reinstalled a 150r 1d piece that to replace the one I had removed. (The piece that was removed that allowed the tdb to rebuild.) As expected, once I installed the 150r 1d piece, RE saved without issue and the overhead tdb wire showed continuity. That done, I saved and exited.
FWIW, almost all of my very complex routes have one or two "pressure points" that will prevent a successful automated tdb rebuild. I've learned to jot down the lat/lon of the piece, as well as a description of the track piece, AND gradient factor. Such a "pressure point" track piece (or pieces) MUST be removed before using the automated tdb feature and replaced once a rebuild is successfully completed.
So, the above track piece reinstalled without incident, it was now time to reopen the route in RE, and starting at Silverton, do a flyover over the entire route checking ALL tracks for "Rouge Blue Poles" that CAN be introduced in a complex route. (There are several "gotcha's" that can produce these "Rogue Blue Pole's", but IMHO, connected reversing/turning loops are the worst offenders in MSTS.)
Anyway, I was just about done with the flyover when, Crapadap No 3: There sat a "Rouge Blue Pole" on the branch line to Fall Creek. "Rouge Blue Poles", or RBP's, are sometimes created when trying to do an automated tdb and it indicates a pressure point, but one that wasn't violent enough to cause RE to gag. Anyway, I noted the piece and location, then went back and once again removed the tdb and associated files, hopped back over to the location, and removed that piece of track, saved, then exited, then hopped over to the OTHER pressure point (the 150r 1d piece) and removed IT, then saved and exited RE.
It as now time for ANOTHER automated rebuild. This time, no pop up warnings/nothing, only the "All Tiles Visited" ending that is typically good, but doesn't mean things are well just yet!
With that, I again reopened RE, went over and replaced the two pressure point track pieces, saved, exited, then reopened, and beginning at Silverton, did another flyover. This time, there were NO RPB's or any such issues.
WHEW! I've finally got this thing healthy again!
LESSONS RELEARNED:
* Make backups OFTEN. In this case, I KNOW what I did that created the problem: I was editing over at a location containing a turning/reversing loop that was CONNECTED and thus active. In the process, with my clicking and putzing, I created an issue for RE and the tdb. What I SHOULD have done, is once I reached my goal in bridge/cribbing placement and forestation, I should have RIGHT THEN created a back up zip and THEN started tampering with track again. Plus, before starting to edit at the turning/reversing loop location, I wouldn't have had any issue tampering with track IF I had DISCONNECTED the turning/reverse loop BEFORE starting to click, move, delete, mix/match track pieces etc.
* Be SURE to keep notes of where "pressure point" track pieces reside on your route, and should you cobble up the track data base in the future and a rebuild is necessary, those "pressure point" pieces MUST be removed before using the automated tdb feature. I keep this and more information on a text file named "ID". ("ID" stands for "Identification".) Therein are notations on the DEMEX dmz files I've used, terrain offsets, "Pressure Point" location data, progress notes, etc, etc. ALL of my later routes now have ID.txt files within their route folder.
* IF your route has reversing/turning loops, DISCONNECT them by removing a piece from the loop BEFORE you do an automated tdb rebuild. Those can deal the rebuild process a curve it gags at. (What I do is keep them disconnected on the working copy, and only connect them for a save that's to be zipped for sharing, that way they're active on the shared route, I then disconnect them on the working copy if more track work is anticipated.)
SO, there you have it: I spent an agonizing evening fixing what I had inadvertently screwed up... BUT in so doing, I saved two days of intensely tedious work!
All fer now!
Andre
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