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Automatic switches throw mid-train

Unread postPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 11:22 am
by Terry
I have run into this problem any number of times in designing and testing scenarios and I wonder if anyone has seen it or has a cure.

Here's the situation:

Long(ish) player train (20 cars or so) crosses over an automatic switch. All is fine until the last few cars of the train - then the switch throws and causes one of the trailing cars to go a different way. The end result is a derailed train and a message "train derailerd due to switch set against train" (or something like that). Usually the only solution is to find another place to cross over the tracks. I don't see this with manual switches, and it seems to be a timing thing. In at least one case I can "beat" the switch by speeding up and getting all the cars over the switch before it changes.

There's no apparent way to pre-set the direction of an automatic switch, and inserting a waypoint or "go via" instruction doesn't change anything.

Re: Automatic switches throw mid-train

Unread postPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 1:21 am
by Unlimited
That happened to me once on the Barstow route. I was able to fix it. Although, it may or may not work for everyone.

For me, I was going and another AI train was come from the back before the signaled track that I was at. Then half way through my train, the track switched. My guess it was switching by itself because for the AI train. I just delayed the train by 10 minutes and the track didn't switch against me.

Re: Automatic switches throw mid-train

Unread postPosted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:07 pm
by Terry
I don't have any other AI trains in the same area any time near the time the switches get a mind of their own. In some cases if I get across the switch quickly I'm fine, but it appears to be a timing issue.

Re: Automatic switches throw mid-train

Unread postPosted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:48 pm
by ChuckF
[quote="Terry"]I have run into this problem any number of times in designing and testing scenarios and I wonder if anyone has seen it or has a cure.

Here's the situation:

Long(ish) player train (20 cars or so) crosses over an automatic switch. All is fine until the last few cars of the train - then the switch throws and causes one of the trailing cars to go a different way. The end result is a derailed train and a message "train derailerd due to switch set against train" (or something like that). Usually the only solution is to find another place to cross over the tracks. I don't see this with manual switches, and it seems to be a timing thing. In at least one case I can "beat" the switch by speeding up and getting all the cars over the switch before it changes.

There's no apparent way to pre-set the direction of an automatic switch, and inserting a waypoint or "go via" instruction doesn't change anything.[/

Hi! I had this happen with the CSX Mainline which uses automatic switches and I was trying to make a Standard Scenario with AI traffic. I had to delete this and make the scenario as FreeRoam. I posted this elsewhere and didn't get a reply, so I have no idea as to what is causing the problem. Cheers; Chuck F.