Problems Generating Unit Train Turn, 'Sugarbeet Express' Options

[Frascati]

Hi

I tried to set up an activity for Rich Garbers Ohio route, based about a sugar beet train from Zanesville to Byesville Interchange where it picks up empties and returns to Zanesville.

To do this I designated Track 8 at Zanesville as an industry track supplying loaded sugar beet cars, wanting empties... and interchange track 3 at Byesville as an industry track supplying empties and wanting full cars...

I specified Zanesville Track 6 ( a natural entry into the Zanesville yard ) as an ending location, and specified assemble train. I expected to end the activity on this track when I decoupled engines and caboose...

I generated the following activity... as you see the swap for sugar beet cars worked ( sort of... 4xF7's will take 2 cars there and 2 empties back! ), but most of the activity involves switching random cars in the Zanesville Yard... not appropriate work for these ATSF ladies...

Is there any way I can set this activity up to work the way I'd like?

Cambridge Interchange 3 PICKUP 32865 0 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-2 SBMT DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Cambridge Interchange 3 PICKUP 32865 1 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-2 SBMT DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Cambridge Interchange 3 SETOUT 32857 0 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-1 SBLD FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Cambridge Interchange 3 SETOUT 32857 1 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-1 SBLD FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern

Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 0 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-1 SBLD DEST: Interchange 3
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 1 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-1 SBLD DEST: Interchange 3
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 2 ATSF-USRA-EMPTY HPMT DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 3 ATSF-40ft-flat-E F DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 4 ATSF-40ft-flat-E F DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 5 ATSF-USRA-Coal CL DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 6 ATSF-40ft-flat-E F DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 7 ATSF-USRA-Coal CL DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 8 ORCX40_Chemical_No4 SOLV DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 9 ORCX40_Chemical_No4 SOLV DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 10 CHEM-CH-30-R_e CHM DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 11 ATSF-GON50_s G50S DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 12 ATSF-GON50_s G50S DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 13 ATSF-GON40_sc SCP DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 14 ATSF-GON40_e GMT DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 15 ATSF-USRA-EMPTY CLMT DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 16 ATSF-USRA-EMPTY CLMT DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 8 - Modern PICKUP 32857 17 JRG-CH-30_e CMT DEST: Z RR Yard 6 - Modern

Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 2 ATSF-USRA-EMPTY HPMT FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 3 ATSF-40ft-flat-E F FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 4 ATSF-40ft-flat-E F FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 5 ATSF-USRA-Coal CL FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 6 ATSF-40ft-flat-E F FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 7 ATSF-USRA-Coal CL FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 8 ORCX40_Chemical_No4 SOLV FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 9 ORCX40_Chemical_No4 SOLV FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 10 CHEM-CH-30-R_e CHM FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 11 ATSF-GON50_s G50S FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 12 ATSF-GON50_s G50S FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 13 ATSF-GON40_sc SCP FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 14 ATSF-GON40_e GMT FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 15 ATSF-USRA-EMPTY CLMT FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 16 ATSF-USRA-EMPTY CLMT FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32857 17 JRG-CH-30_e CMT FROM: Z RR Yard 8 - Modern
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32865 0 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-2 SBMT FROM: Interchange 3
Zanesville Z RR Yard 6 - Modern SETOUT 32865 1 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-2 SBMT FROM: Interchange 3

ASSEMBLE TRAIN (at any location) in this order: ------------------
32865 0 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-2 SBMT
32865 1 ATSF_SUGARBEETCAR-2 SBMT

[Frascati]

These were the settings I used...

MAXPICKUPS,25
MAXPU1SIDING,99
MAXSO1SIDING,99
STARTHOUR,10
MAXPLAYERCONSIST,0
FORCEUNIT,True
ENDMODE,Assemble
CROSSPOLLINATE,True
SIMPLEMODE,True
KILLAITFC,False
PLAYERPATH, Zan-Cam Turn [Z C]
TREEVIEW2,Z RR Yard 8 - Modern -- Industry: Holds 18 Cars.
TREEVIEW1,Interchange 3 -- Industry: Holds 19 Cars.
TREEVIEW3,Z RR Yard 6 - Modern -- Yard: Holds 19 Cars.

I'm confused as to why Yard Track 6 is generating work... I had taken pickups (in the following phrase) to mean the assembled train created from the work generated from Treeviews 1 & 2 (which in my case should be nothing but empty sugarbeet cars )

Optional: Check any track or tracks to use as the final destination for your train, where pickups will be set out

[sgdavis]

These were the settings I used...

MAXPICKUPS,25
MAXPU1SIDING,99
MAXSO1SIDING,99
TREEVIEW2,Z RR Yard 8 - Modern -- Industry: Holds 18 Cars.
TREEVIEW1,Interchange 3 -- Industry: Holds 19 Cars.
TREEVIEW3,Z RR Yard 6 - Modern -- Yard: Holds 19 Cars.

I'm confused as to why Yard Track 6 is generating work... I had taken pickups (in the following phrase) to mean the assembled train created from the work generated from Treeviews 1 & 2 (which in my case should be nothing but empty sugarbeet cars )

Optional: Check any track or tracks to use as the final destination for your train, where pickups will be set out

You are basically correct, however if Activity Generator doesn't come up with enough pickups from the industry tracks selected for work (usually because of randomization), then it will pull pickups from the yard track to the extent that there is room on the destination track, in order to generate a train long enough to meet the player's requested train length.

This shouldn't happen with a "Turn" however, where you start and finish in the same region. It should only happen if the "Allow pickups from source tracks in one region to be set out in that same region" box is checked. It appears you DID check the box, that's what "CROSSPOLLINATE,True" means in the .ags file. If you didn't have that box checked and you still got pickups from a yard track in a given region, to be set out in that same region, then let me know, I may have a bug I hadn't discovered.

In most cases (for through trains that aren't turns) this behavior is desirable: Let's say you start in a yard, then work industries along the way, finally setting out the cars you picked up along the way at the "destination" track to end your run. Which is what you're wanting to do. But let's say you want a 50 car train and with the sidings selected or the randomization you only get, say, 20 cars. In that case Activity Generator will generate additional cars, either in the initial player train or the chosen source track (treeview2 above) to fill out the train. This is prototypical in most cases: you would pick up an assortment of cars in a yard, work along the way, then set out the rest of your cars at the end of the run (at your final destination) -- like a transfer job.

I could add a flag that will require only cars picked up at actual industry tracks to be set out at the destination track in a future update if you also want to prevent initial yard pickups from being set out further down the line when you AREN'T running a turn. In a way I dislike adding more options because that makes the program more confusing for users.

I purposely didn't make this the standard mode of operation because of the folks who like to run long through trains or trains with very little switching: for these folks you can select enough source tracks or player train length or combination of the two, so as to build, say, a 75 car train. Then work maybe 2 industry tracks each with 5 car capacity (or just set the maximum setouts to and pickups from industry tracks to 5). What will happen is the user will get a long train (exact length somewhere between 1 and 75 cars with the middle numbers having the highest probability, due to the randomization factor), let's say 60 cars. Then maybe set out 2 of those and pick up 3 of those. But the rest of the cars will start from the source tracks and initial player trains, and IF THERE IS ENOUGH CAPACITY IN THE SELECTED DESTINATION TRACKS, be set out in the destination tracks. Like a through train with a couple of pickups and setouts enroute, of which there are plenty of modern-day prototypical examples.

Let me know if unchecking this box helps. Also did the update I posted solve your other issue?

Thanks,

Steve