Try this Max, Dewie is all over that board like a rash.

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Thanks, Pete.  I searched for the date in Geoff's post, but I could only find two entries.  Anyway, we have the link now so that's good.  I can see where John was coming from with the extra Contact.  I think I must have put it in the wrong block.  I'll go back and read it again.

Having read the whole thread in the TC forum and re-read John's post several times, I'm keen to have another go.

Just so everyone is clear, 

I'm going to start with the loco in Block 2 and drive it to Block 4, where two boxcars are waiting; and couple it on.  (So far I haven't been able to do this much).

Then I'm going to open the couplers between the boxcars and pull the one closest to the loco out into Block 12, uncouple and run around it.

Then I'm going to push it into Block 10, uncouple and drive the loco to it's next task.

If/When I've achieved this, I should have the tools to expand the plan, creating havoc on a grander scale.  

Aye Max on step at a time, just get the loco in the block with the boxcars without clashing buffers, Capt Pugwash is ashore today i think

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

Hi Geoff.  When I go to that date I can only see two threads, neither of them is the one you mentioned.  Are you able to put up a link, please?

Sorry, I had gone to bed!! but the link Pete has posted is the one I meant. Good luck with the new schedule.

Thanks.  Now, before I get going.  Do I make it a Train Set and assign the Train Set to Block 2?

Nope.  That's not going to work because TC just thinks Block 4 is occupied.  I can't assign the two boxcars to Block 4 because I can only assign one or the other, not both of them.

:hmm

Maybe I should make the two boxcars into a Train Set and assign it to Block 4?  Let's see . . .

Well.  I slavishly followed John's tutorial.  Step by step.  Checked it and checked it again.  TC still can't see the loco entering Block 4.

At least the wheels are getting a good polish.    Lewis is on tonight.

This is what Herr Freiwald has said. The bold highlights are mine.

Herr Freiwald:

If the Virtual Contact (or any other additionally contact) is turned on and if this Virtual Contact is used as a stop marker for this schedule, then the software will not only recognize, when the entering train has to stop; it will also join both parts to a new train set and will indicate this on the computer screen accordingly.

It is important, that a contact (whether real or virtual) in this block is triggered by the entering train and that a stop marker is triggered there, too.


From John Dew:

Finally I did it…………..many thanks for your patience. It was the first time I had used virtual contacts and I was attempting to perform the stop and end schedule as an operation within the virtual contact rather than have a stop marker in the JB that was triggered by the virtual contact.

                                                    —————————————————

The first highlight makes it clear that the VC must be linked to a stop marker.

the second highlight makes it clear that the virtual contact is treated in the same way as a real contact.  That means that the virtual contact is part of the block, in other words a second contact section within the block. Within the manual and elsewhere H. Freiwald often refers to the pink rectangles as contact indicators.  We seem to reserve that term for the red dots that we often place outside the block, and I think this is leading to some confusion of terms.

The last shows that John did that and it worked.

For what it's worth, I set up this arrangement last year on my layout, with a real contact indicator and a virtual CI both in the same block and had the train stopping as required at the stop marker within the virtual section when the block was already occupied.

If you look at the discussion thread, page 54 post 1077 you will see my description. Post 1078 is John's response.

Max, at this stage, is it not making things too complicated using two boxcars?  Until we have collectively solved the problem of getting the loco into the occupied block 4, joining it to the car(s) and stopping it in a controlled way I think it would be easier all round to deal with just one car in the block.

Absolutely.  One boxcar just gave the same result.  I must admit I was being a bit over confident.  But I'm pretty sure I followed the instructions to the letter.

When John gets back from sailing, I'll send him my Track Plan so he can check every last detail.  It's usually me doing something wrong.  :shock:

If you look at the post I quoted, discussion thread page 54 post 1078, you will see that John is planning to update the tutorial on this subject. Until it is updated, following the instructions in the existing tutorial is not going to work.  Meanwhile we could have a look at where the modified boxcar file is stopping?

Sorry, Brian.  I got diverted.  :oops:

Here's the new Track Plan:-

 

Supplementary question/s:-

Extra files appear in the folder, branded .bak  .yrs  and .yrw.  Does anyone know the function of these files?

.yrr is the main layout file

.bak is a backup of the layout file

.yrs is the status file - storing the status of all turnouts, loco positions, signal states, etc when the application was last closed

.yrw is the window file - keeping a memory of how you had the screen laid out when you last closed the application


Incidentally, I believe that the reason opening zipped files we share appear to have info missing, is because we are only zipping up the .yrr file. If we included the .yrs and .yrw files as well, I think we would see things exactly as they were with the originator.

Crikey - you guys have been busy over the past few days - 

Max - As I'm looking to do something similar  would you please get it all sorted by the weekend

Thanks, Geoff.  So I'd better not delete them. 

Right-o Dave.  You didn't mean this weekend, did you?  :shock:

[user=422]Geoff R[/user] wrote:

Incidentally, I believe that the reason opening zipped files we share appear to have info missing, is because we are only zipping up the .yrr file. If we included the .yrs and .yrw files as well, I think we would see things exactly as they were with the originator.

When I zipped the Track Plan, I got a dialogue box telling me that the others were being included.  Are you suggesting that we individually zip the others and attach them?

Max, when I unzipped your Boxcar attached file, all I got was Boxcars.yrr

That's right.  That's why I was asking how to add the others in if it doesn't zip them like it says.