Milwaukee Road Switching Challenge in Great Falls

[GreatNortherner]

Hi,

Over the past two weeks I've been slowly working on a scenario for the Butte Division route, a slow but action packed one hour switching challenge on the Milwaukee Road in Great Falls. All in all, you'll only need to move three cuts of cars in about an hour. That, however, is a bit more complicated than it sounds, some of the cuts are split in two, or need to be seperated, and of course all the time you must not forget about the caboose, which always should be at the end of your train. And how do you run around a seventeen car long consist on a siding that only holds ten cars?

This scenario has been built using only the marshall instruction, so you have great flexibility in getting the switching done. All that matters is that the correct cars end up on the correct tracks, how you get there is pretty much up to you.

As this is the first scenario released for the still rather new Butte Division route, I'd like to do some public beta testing.

There are two versions of the same scenario. One is made up of only freeware and default equipment, the other one makes use of two payware sets. Both have the absolutely identical work order, the only difference is really with the rolling stock that was used.

Important: most likely you will only be able to complete these scenarios when you disable the "exit on SPAD" functionality. You must run past a red signal at the big grain mill, and TAB might not work here. (This one is a bit strange, as the 'bad' signal is permissive!)

OK, enough said. Here are the downloads:
EDIT: New and bugfixed download, Feb. 12: http://www.mediafire.com/?958lxb0lrbf3abg

Equipment List:
- GreatNortherner-MILW_PS1_Boxcar_8Pack
- MadMike1024-BN_Heritage_PS1_40ft_Boxcar_Set
- MadMike1024-Assorted_50Ft_Boxcar_Set
- GreatNortherner-MILW_PS2_Closed_Hopper_4Pack
- GreatNortherner-Yard_Filler_Freight_Car
- GreatNortherner-CBQ_Closed_Hopper_6-Pack
- GreatNortherner-GN_Closed_Hopper_8-Pack
- SH71-GN_F7_AB
- (RW2) GreatNortherner-MILW_Wide_Vision_Caboose
- (RW2) GreatNortherner-GN_Caboose
- http://golden-age-rails.com/freightcarp ... llgon.html

Additional Equipment needed only for the freeware version
- (RW2) GreatNortherner-CP_24ft_Ore_Hopper
- MadMike1024-BN_CBQ_GP7_Set

Additional Equipment needed only for the payware version
- RSC GP9 Pack
- http://golden-age-rails.com/milwpack.html

Have fun!

Cheers,
Michael

PS: Some pictures
+++ spoiler alert +++ spoiler alert +++ spoiler alert +++ spoiler alert +++ spoiler alert +++ spoiler alert +++

[Griphos]

Ooohhhh!!!! Great! I've been waiting for a shunting scenario for this great route. Thanks. I'll give them a tryout right away.

[hughes407]

Michael,

I'm having a problem getting SBHH messages when pushing some of the covered hoppers over facing point switches. It isn't all of them but I seem to consistently fail when leading with a CBQ hopper. It has happened at two different switches at Montana Grain. I can run the engine or other hoppers over the same switches without any problem.

Don

[Redferne]

Great! I'll be testing the payware version.

[GreatNortherner]

Michael,

I'm having a problem getting SBHH messages when pushing some of the covered hoppers over facing point switches. It isn't all of them but I seem to consistently fail when leading with a CBQ hopper. It has happened at two different switches at Montana Grain. I can run the engine or other hoppers over the same switches without any problem.

Don

Hi,

Thanks for the heads up about this issue, I didn't notice it before, but I'll try to replicate the situation that leads to the crash. Did that happen in the freeware or payware version?
I wonder what on earth could be causing this. I don't know if I ever pushed one of the CBQ hoppers over a facing point switch but as fas as I know these cars are identical to all the other PS-2 cars I built, so if the MILW cars work, why shouldn't the CBQ ones? Anyway, I'll do some tests and see what happens.

Thanks,
Michael

[hughes407]

Michael,

I am using the payware version.

Don

[railbard]

According to the READ ME from the BN_CBQ GP7 download, I also need a file called DRB_SAL-GP7-TS2012. While the README says it is on RA, I cannot find it, though I find all of the other GP7s, nothing by David Brindley.

Any idea where that file might be?

It's for the freeware version (don't have $12 right now to buy the payware MILW pack from Golden Age).

Thanks!

Kevin

[Griphos]

I'm testing the freeware version at the moment, and I didn't have to add that file. I swapped out the GP7s for my GP9s, though, so perhaps that's the reason. If you have some other switcher you want to use, like the SW1500 or Dick's freeware SW1200 or R3, you can skip the GP7 as well.

Michael, I've had a couple of issues, and will make out a report and email it to you.

[Hawk]

According to the READ ME from the BN_CBQ GP7 download, I also need a file called DRB_SAL-GP7-TS2012. While the README says it is on RA, I cannot find it, though I find all of the other GP7s, nothing by David Brindley.

Is this what you're looking for?

http://railworksamerica.com/FileLibrary ... 24-SAL_GP7

Here's the original by David Brindley.

http://railworksamerica.com/FileLibrary ... AL_EMD_GP7

The original was done by David and re-painted by MadMike1024 to update it to TS-2012 standards. The one you need is Mike's version. The first link in this post.

[railbard]

Both methods suggested worked. I dl'ed the SAL GP7 and it worked great, then for the experience of swapping out an engine I did that with RW_Tools.

Woohoo! I'm a RailWork'in fool!

[DonR]

RW Tools says I'm missing:

Kuju\RailSimulatorUS\railvehicles\freight\caboose\milw-ms1\wagon\caboose.bin
Kuju\RailSimulatorUS\railvehicles\freight\covered_hopper\gn-ms\wagon\covered_hopper5.bin
Kuju\RailSimulatorUS\railvehicles\passenger\chaircar\gn\coach\chair_car_gn.bin

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Don

[TDHenderson]

Michael,

I'm having a problem getting SBHH messages when pushing some of the covered hoppers over facing point switches. It isn't all of them but I seem to consistently fail when leading with a CBQ hopper. It has happened at two different switches at Montana Grain. I can run the engine or other hoppers over the same switches without any problem.

Don

I have the same issue as Don with the freeware scenario. Happened three times in a row after reloading from a save. I'm going to clone the scenario and replace those CB&Q hoppers and see if it happens again.

Trevor

[GreatNortherner]

Thanks for all your replies so far! I may need some more time to get this all sorted out -- sorry for uploading such a mess! I really thought the scenario was going to be in a much better state. Is it something I'm doing wrong or has it become more difficult to create somewhat fail-safe scenarios?

Cheers,
Michael

EDIT: Don,
Kuju\RailSimulatorUS\railvehicles\freight\caboose\milw-ms1\wagon\caboose.bin
Kuju\RailSimulatorUS\railvehicles\freight\covered_hopper\gn-ms\wagon\covered_hopper5.bin
Kuju\RailSimulatorUS\railvehicles\passenger\chaircar\gn\coach\chair_car_gn.bin

Are repaints of the default Caboose (Milwaukee) and centerflow hoppers (GN), available here in the RW2 section of the file library,
and the coach is part of the GN F7 repaint pack (now in the TS2012 section).

Cheers,
Michael

[Griphos]

Not a problem. What I saw of the route looked really fantastic.

[hughes407]

I did replace all the hoppers with the Kuju defaults and I was able to service the Montana Grain facility without a problem. When moving west on the main towards the interchange tracks (pushing the MILW caboose), I had a SBHH crash 0.7 mile short of the depot about two telephone poles before the curve. This has happened three out of three times. Guess I'll switch out the caboose and see what happens.

Don