Can't get the tenders on my USRA Heavy Mikado to couple.

[Ericmopar]

I bought the Heavy Mikado to use with the RW&A and can place the engine and tenders, but the coupler on the tenders won't couple to anything.
The coupler on the front of the engine is okay and will couple up to anything I've tried so far. The coupler on the tenders just pushes through the coupler on the vehicle a person is trying to couple to.
I've tried multiple installs and redownloading the original zip. I enabled Brit-Kits for the RW&A in the upper right flyout.

[KCJones]

Which tender are you useing?

[Ericmopar]

Which tender are you useing?

I've tried all of them, and all variations of the engine itself.
I learned something new about this problem. I can enable your Mikado and the RW&A rolling stock in Cajon Pass and use them just fine in a Free Roam.
While I was in this Cajon Pass Free Roam, I also tried some Donner Pass cars with success.
Now I'm really stumped...

Note: I've now tried your H Mikado in the Donner Pass Free Roam "Roseville" It's the same results as Cajon. Everything including the RW&A cars couple fine to your USRA tenders.


Scratch that last statement, the problem is now cropping up in Donner and Cajon as well. It was running fine on those routes until I shut the game completely down and restarted it...

[buzz456]

This is pretty mysterious so far. The 8ton tender does not seem to want to couple. The vandi one works fine for me. Here's a picture of what it looks like when it won't connect.

coupler.jpg

That is as close as it will come together. I tried all kinds of speeds until I got a derail.

[Ericmopar]

This is pretty mysterious so far. The 8ton tender does not seem to want to couple. The vandi one works fine for me. Here's a picture of what it looks like when it won't connect. That is as close as it will come together. I tried all kinds of speeds until I got a derail.

Yes and the Oil tenders won't keep the the H Mikado fired. I've tried manual and automatic both. If a coal tender is behind the Mikado it will run fine.
I don't know what the capacity is, just that the Oil Vanderbilt and a oil version of the "squared off one" won't fire the engine.

I looked at the couple bins and the common setting all seem to be set as usual. Could this be a placement issue? Some part of the coupler body to close to the tender itself? Or the uncoupling bar?

I had this crop up in Donner during a test now. See my post above.

[KCJones]

https://dc1.safesync.com/LMFRCjnx/USRA_Tender_ug/USRA_Tender_ug.zip?a=Bsq0nP05HeA

Here is a link to updated USRA tender bin files. Back up your older ones before overwriting with these.
I have tested them all with the Heavy Mikado in the RWA route with RWA box cars and they work OK for me. I have not had time to test them with the other USRA locos. I found I needed to hit the couplers at between 2 and 3 mph. Slower and they don't couple, much faster and they de-rail or at least give a nasty jolt to the crew.
I have edited the coupler position and related figures. I have also edited the mass, water and coal capacity of each tender.

I have not included the files for the Vanderbilt tenders as I am going to release them along with some 12 wheel tenders in a separate pack. I will put two links on my web site to a new USRA tender pack and the extra tender pack. These are both desigend for my USRA locos and will be free.

Dick.

[Ericmopar]

I haven't had a chance to test all of them, but that has got me going with this combo.
Thank you, Dick.

Screenshot_RWA Lakeside_46.51290--90.77705_10-26-55.jpg

Screenshot_RWA Lakeside_46.51618--90.72248_10-17-34.jpg

Backing out of Gogebic.

Screenshot_RWA Lakeside_46.51683--90.93610_11-34-18.jpg

[artimrj]

My 060 in the USRA switcher pack is doing the same to me. Except I was able to hook up to a caboose early on, when I uncoupled it to hook up some reefers, they would not couple. And the caboose would not uncouple from the HUD I had to actually click on the coupler heads.

[Ericmopar]

Yep. Dick's new bins for the 12K tenders that came with my Mike got me going, but then I discovered the "explosive" decouple.

Edited: Do to insanity... New settings work one minute but not the next.

[KCJones]

Hmm! I thought I had cured the problem with the new bin files. Could you publish your results so I can see where I am going wrong.

[Ericmopar]

Hmm! I thought I had cured the problem with the new bin files. Could you publish your results so I can see where I am going wrong.

God... Please kill me...
I'm sorry Dick, but after running a couple of scenarios, It's acting up again. I'm at a loss. One minute the thing is working, the next it won't couple at all, or it couples and then explodes the train when a person tries to uncouple.
That's with the 12K tender with Dog House and Headlight.

I seem to be able to set the rear couplers main pivot point, but not the FrontpivotX or RearpivotX settings.

[KCJones]

It all works here!!!! I am not sure WHAT is going on!!!!!!

Here is a link to an upgraded bin files for the switcher tenders. The tenders are basically the same as the 8K ones but with a lower footplate.
https://dc1.safesync.com/LMFRCjnx/USRA_Tender_ug/USRA_8k_tender_060_080_ug.zip?a=B9SUBkTQan0

Dick

[Ericmopar]

It all works here!!!! I am not sure WHAT is going on!!!!!!

Here is a link to an upgraded bin files for the switcher tenders. The tenders are basically the same as the 8K ones but with a lower footplate.
https://dc1.safesync.com/LMFRCjnx/USRA_Tender_ug/USRA_8k_tender_060_080_ug.zip?a=B9SUBkTQan0

Dick

Try setting up with a H Mikado with 12K Tender with the Doghouse and Headlight, on the RW&A. then see if you can couple and decouple OK.
Then try "saving" the free roam and exiting the game.
Then go back and hit the Resume button in the game's start-up window, and see if it will start acting up.
That's one of the ways I've gotten the problem to consistently crop up.

Are you using the same download the rest of us are? Maybe back up your own install, then do a fresh download and install from your server and try those.

The engines are fine, it's just some of the tenders.
BTW, When the engine is coupled at the front, the coupling and decoupling display in the F4 HUD looks normal, but when the tenders are coupled, the couplers between tender and car/wagon are greyed out in the HUD. I hope that will give you a clue as to what is wrong.

Two questions.
Do these settings control the engagement point on your couplers?

12k DHHL bin shot(2).JPG

Do these settings control how far in or out the textures of the coupler shank and knuckle protrude from the rear of the tender?
I was guessing it might only be the lower one...

12k DHHL bin shot.JPG

[buzz456]

Something strange is happening your way Eric. It all seems to work fine here now. And by the way I can couple at less than 1 mph.

[Ericmopar]

Something strange is happening your way Eric. It all seems to work fine here now. And by the way I can couple at less than 1 mph.

It's not just me Buzz, Bob is having issues too.
Are you using a fresh download of the H Mike and tenders?

@Dick.
I forgot to mention. My first download from the link you sent, gave me a empty Shape Update folder. The second download gave me the Shape Update folder with about 27MB.

Maybe the files are getting corrupted somewhere?

One more thing.
Are you guys all current on the game updates? I'm up to version v42.5b on the loading screen. Maybe a core game update fouled something.