Siding split in half during crane placement

[drivertime61]

In the process of maneuvering a crane loader into a tight position onto one track of a two-track siding on NEC, I somehow managed to split the track I was targeting into two separate pieces, with bumpers now showing at both ends of both pieces.

I suspect I did something wrong in placing the crane’s track marker, possibly moving the crane object to one track while its track marker was still stuck on the other track – not sure. Unfortunately, I failed to notice this until after I saved.

Do I have to go into the World Editor to correct this? I have read what little there is in the Creator Manual about Linear Track Objects, which I assume is what laying track is all about, but I haven’t ventured into the World Editor yet, laid track, welded it or whatever else you do with it.

Is that where I have to go to correct this problem? If yes, any tips or cautions you can offer, so I don’t mess things up further? Also any other suggestions to restore the siding?

At least this happened in my cloned "NEC–Freight Operations route." The original NEC is intact.

Thanks again guys,
Al

Crane Track Error 2 for posting.jpg

Crane Track Error for posting.jpg

Crane Error 3b for posting.jpg

[XDriver]

You accidentally moved the track. Try using the join connect tool to get it back. All you did was clicked on it and moved it enough to knock it loose so to speak.

[Bananarama]

I agree - it looks like it was only moved. Once you use the join tool, however, you'll need to weld the other end.

[OldProf]

I'm puzzled as to why this thread is in Scenario creation. Cranes (strictly inoperative, since they're "interactive") can be placed in the scenario editor, but tracks cannot be split -- can they?

[drivertime61]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

Based on your advice I went into the World Editor (for the first time). I tried merely joining and welding the split-in-half siding. Each time I tried this it caused more problems further back towards the switch and out to the main, creating even more of those middle-of-the-track bumpers. Frustrated, I decided to go all the way and I deleted the entire split siding. I then laid a new one-piece siding track, gave it a siding marker and tested it with an engine. All being OK, I constructed Recycle City's stack loader.

By the way, after I laid the new siding track, at no time would the Weld function work nor was it needed. Apparently the sim was still recognizing the original siding that had been in place when I ruined it??

Many thanks for your help and helping me learn still more about the Editors.

Al

[OldProf]

I still fail to see how placing a loading crane in the scenario editor could possibly "break" a piece of track.

[artimrj]

He may have accidently grabbed a piece of track instead of the unloader's gizmo and slightly moved it. I have done that a lot of times, but I use the undo button before going any further.

[OldProf]

He may have accidently grabbed a piece of track instead of the unloader's gizmo and slightly moved it. I have done that a lot of times, but I use the undo button before going any further.

In the scenario editor?

[artimrj]

Oh, I did not realize he was in the scenario editor.

[OldProf]

Oh, I did not realize he was in the scenario editor.

Since his OP contains this statement, "Do I have to go into the World Editor to correct this? I have read what little there is in the Creator Manual about Linear Track Objects, which I assume is what laying track is all about, but I haven’t ventured into the World Editor yet, laid track, welded it or whatever else you do with it", I thought it pretty obvious he was placing the crane in the scenario editor. Of course, I could be . . . nah!

[drivertime61]

Hey guys please - now I'm confused - and I'm the neophyte who made the doggone mistake!

OK, confusion apparently at least partly due to my posting this in the Scenario Creation thread, since I was in fact working on a scenario - adding stack loaders to it. I assumed the mods would have moved the post if it had been placed inappropriately, as they do a spot on job on this website! (Been loitering on UKTS too much I guess).

BUT, I was of course working in the Route Editor to place the stack loader. I think this is what I did: I had placed the crane on one of two siding tracks. I took a look and decided it would be better on the other track. I moved the crane object to the other track, but I failed to move its track marker; the marker remained on the first track in its original position before I moved the crane. I failed to notice this and saved. You can see the end result above. The track was split at roughly the position where the crane's track marker would have been "reaching across" from its position on the first track over to where the crane now sat. Anyway, that's my story but I won't stick to it if my explanation turns out wrong.

Continuing this saga, I then had to go into the World Editor to repair - actually replace entirely - the broken siding track, and restore its siding marker. Apparently I done good, as you can also see above.

Hope that helps explain the situation better. Now if I can only get this pesky coal loader to actually load coal............... I'll be baaahhhhk.

Al

[artimrj]

To load coal, make sure in the scenario you have the operation of loading ticked off.There are 2 little rows of check boxes in the middle of the screen where you add operations. One of them is load/unload. To load I bleieve, is with a chek mark in it and to unload is no check mark. But I always get it confused, so trial and error.

And later on if you go to unload cras somewhere else. The check box is also the same for unloading. Make sure it is checked properly. Also cars have to already be loaded at the start of scenario to be unloaded or empty to be loaded.

[drivertime61]

Thanks for the reply Bob.

Before I read your post, I went back in and tried a different loader. The first one - the one that didn't work for me - is the APO1_Fuel Point_Coal Tower. The second one does work. It's the "Freight-Coal Loading" object.

If you check the picture, it has miraculous properties: it can load two different kinds of coal from the same chute! Obviously this is caused by the two different hoppers. I suppose there could be some basis in fact here though. The NS hoppers I think were built for Norfolk Southern Coal District. Not sure what route the CSX hoppers were meant for. Two different regions - two different types of coal. Or am I giving DTG too much credit?

So I have operating coal loaders now. But would you still please explain exactly where I will find those check boxes for the operation of loading? I've looked through the Route and Scenario editors as well as the object's properties and nada. Also, should the APO1_Fuel Point_Coal Tower work too or is it not interactive?

After thinking more about this whole thread, I suppose it should have gone into Route Design instead of here. If that's true, I appreciate your leniency in dealing with us rookies.

Al

[drivertime61]

A quick note to XDriver and Hack.

I re-visited your Join and Weld advice when I discovered another piece of broken track with mid-track bumpers galore in another yard. Rather than delete the entire track and re-lay it as I did earlier in this thread, this time I experimented with the Join and Weld functions alone. It worked flawlessly. Apparently I was not doing the Join steps in the proper order the first time.

Just wanted to thank you both for your expert assistance.

Al

[artimrj]

Here are the items I was referring to.