Converting switches & signals Options

[Old Geaser]

Well I must be doing something wrong. Every time I start making a new act, I click the Convert switches to manual and Convert signals to permissive.

I get the pop up saying something about switches have been changed. Same for signals. I seem to have no problem with some acts, but on the longer one where I do a little traveling, I cannot throw some switches, or get by the light.

Is there something else I have to do ? I am on one now on the revised East Metro, that has pu and so at CL LL Coal plant and I cannot get off the main at either end of the coal plant. Must be doing something wrong. Thanks

Bert

[nbeveridge]

Well I must be doing something wrong. Every time I start making a new act, I click the Convert switches to manual and Convert signals to permissive.

I get the pop up saying something about switches have been changed. Same for signals. I seem to have no problem with some acts, but on the longer one where I do a little traveling, I cannot throw some switches, or get by the light.

Is there something else I have to do ? I am on one now on the revised East Metro, that has pu and so at CL LL Coal plant and I cannot get off the main at either end of the coal plant. Must be doing something wrong. Thanks

Bert

These problems show up on some routes, and not on others.

You are not necessarily doing anything wrong. Occasionally we run into a track switch that won't convert, or a signal that seemingly won't convert. If you can send Steve the specifics about the location, then maybe he will be able to figure out why the track switch is not coverting. We found several on the Stevens Pass route that would not convert no matter what. As for the signal, in time past when I hit one of these signals it usually had to do with how the signal itself was set up, and carefully moving the player train forward or backward, closer or farther, seemed to release the signal to clear. Also, sometimes I had to "save game" and restart for the signal to clear. None of this is your fault -- it is all related to the MSTS signaling mess.

If we cannot get this fixed, then perhaps I can create a specific path to get around this problem.

I am not sure when Steve will be able to help. Another of his daughters is getting married (last weekend? or this weekend?) plus his company is in the middle of a buyout/merger.

[sgdavis]

These problems show up on some routes, and not on others.

You are not necessarily doing anything wrong. Occasionally we run into a track switch that won't convert, or a signal that seemingly won't convert. If you can send Steve the specifics about the location, then maybe he will be able to figure out why the track switch is not coverting. We found several on the Stevens Pass route that would not convert no matter what. As for the signal, in time past when I hit one of these signals it usually had to do with how the signal itself was set up, and carefully moving the player train forward or backward, closer or farther, seemed to release the signal to clear. Also, sometimes I had to "save game" and restart for the signal to clear. None of this is your fault -- it is all related to the MSTS signaling mess.

If we cannot get this fixed, then perhaps I can create a specific path to get around this problem.

I am not sure when Steve will be able to help. Another of his daughters is getting married (last weekend? or this weekend?) plus his company is in the middle of a buyout/merger.

Thank you Norm for covering for me! My daughter's wedding was Saturday and it was beautiful, and the buyout closes this Thursday. So I will be more attentive to these forums very soon!

The problem here is the software changes certain flags in the TDB so that signals which once displayed 'STOP' now display 'STOP AND PROCEED' and switches which were flagged as dispatcher controlled (automatic) are now flagged as manual. However for some routes, based on the way that route author set up his/her track objects and the track database, certain signals and switches simply don't convert when these flags are changed. At this point I have not figured out any way to get around this, and the best approach if you need a path into an area that you can't get to by converting signals to permissive or switches to manual is to create or edit the path in the Activity Editor or ask the template designer to do it if that template seems to require work at a spur that can't be reached. (So sorry, back on you Norm on this one!)

Thanks,

Steve

[jrmeindl]

Thank you Norm for covering for me! My daughter's wedding was Saturday and it was beautiful, and the buyout closes this Thursday. So I will be more attentive to these forums very soon!

The problem here is the software changes certain flags in the TDB so that signals which once displayed 'STOP' now display 'STOP AND PROCEED' and switches which were flagged as dispatcher controlled (automatic) are now flagged as manual. However for some routes, based on the way that route author set up his/her track objects and the track database, certain signals and switches simply don't convert when these flags are changed. At this point I have not figured out any way to get around this, and the best approach if you need a path into an area that you can't get to by converting signals to permissive or switches to manual is to create or edit the path in the Activity Editor or ask the template designer to do it if that template seems to require work at a spur that can't be reached. (So sorry, back on you Norm on this one!)

Thanks,

Steve

I have run into some issues with signals as well a few times. In some cases, I really feel some issues are caused by the locations of all the trains, player and AI, at the given time when you decide to switch the signals. Make sure you always change them before you pass an absolute signal. Otherwise it won't let you pass if you change the signals after the fact. Such is the case on the Bob Wirth's Seligman Sub where there are multiple signals close together. One thing I haven't tried yet is to run without AI traffic. For switches, I have run into many with the frozen point syndrome, where they do switch, but visually they don't.

Jim