By the numbers

[SMMDigital]

I've got a scenario that starts out with about 100 cars. 50 or of these cars have to be shunted around to various areas in during the scenario. The problem is that i've got duplicate car numbers, some of the numbers duplicated more than once. Seems easy enough to change the unique numbers using RW Tools then re-selecting those cars in the Scenario editor. Question is though is what causes the number duplication problem and how do I prevent it in the future?

[thecanadianrail]

there is no way with the autonumbering, the car just selects a random number out of a list that is assigned to it.

[Kali]

Make the list bigger :) it's running out of numbers & reusing some. It is in a dcsv file referenced in the wagon blueprint.

[PapaXpress]

This is an issue I think about when I repaint. Take my latest SSW 40' Hi-Cube. There were only 14 ever made of this particular model (even model railroaders consider this wagon very rare and warn not to use it often), however I provided new and weathered versions of the repaint. So I made it possible that you can reuse numbers if you use both sets, but I left it up to the user to determine how they want to use the repaint.

[Mark]

never doen a freight scenario so I dunno if it will be the same, but doing passenger activities you can edit the number for each consist unit by double clicking on the car and a box appears at the right hand side, hover over it and it gives a box with numbers in it, make the numbers you want to your hearts content.

And remember I said I have never done a freight scenario so I dunno if this works, but it's a suggestion anyway

[OldProf]

never doen a freight scenario so I dunno if it will be the same, but doing passenger activities you can edit the number for each consist unit by double clicking on the car and a box appears at the right hand side, hover over it and it gives a box with numbers in it, make the numbers you want to your hearts content.

And remember I said I have never done a freight scenario so I dunno if this works, but it's a suggestion anyway

Yes, this method also works with freight cars -- and with engines of all types, for that matter. Duplicate car numbers only cause difficulties when one or more of the cars in question is involved in an instruction to a player or AI train, in which case duplicate numbers can cause instructions to fail because the mythical "dispatcher" doesn't know which car is being referred to by the instruction, even though it involves a specific track marker location. Duplicate numbers are especially risky within a single consist or cut of cars. I'm reporting all of this from experience as a scenario writer.

Tom Pallen

[Kali]

Duplicate numbers will also stop doors opening at stations on passenger vehicles, so perhaps might also fail loading/unloading freight instructions.

[Chacal]

Question is though is what causes the number duplication problem and how do I prevent it in the future?

What is the history? Is it a default scenario, a DLC, or one you made yourself? What changes have you done to it?
It is a pain to fix manually, so I think the best solution, as suggested by Kali, to adjust the dcsv file referenced in the wagon blueprint before you create the consist.

[OldProf]

What is the history? Is it a default scenario, a DLC, or one you made yourself? What changes have you done to it?
It is a pain to fix manually, so I think the best solution, as suggested by Kali, to adjust the dcsv file referenced in the wagon blueprint before you create the consist.

Which pain is greater, using the timetable editor to find duplicate numbers and change them or editing the dscv file, probably depends on individual taste; I've used both methods at various times and fine the former easier, since the dscv file is pretty complicated in my opinion.

Maybe Mike Simpson could add a dscv editor to RW_Tools? One, that is, that would allow a user to provide a list of additional numbers and do all the rest itself. Might be a piece of cake for our favorite mighty-minded Aussie! ["Hint, hint, know what I mean?"]