AG and the MILW EF-5 electric boxcab set (E45), problems in creating a proper consist with AG Options

[dgionet]

Hello Steve,

While working on the current RMD_East template, I have encountered problems in creating consists with the player train as the EF-5 electric boxcab set. This is one encounter that I have experienced as well with the RMD-4 route template but never got any further. This time I have decided to tackle into the issue, which may become a challenge to find a solution in creating a proper consist. Allow me to explain.

As many of you know the MILW EF-5 electric Boxcab set is consisted of a combination of ENG and WAG files as shown here in the typical composition of the EF-5 boxcar set:

WAG-ENG-WAG-WAG-ENG-WAG-ENG-WAG-ENG-WAG
(that is 6 WAG and 4 ENG files)

Here’s a picture of what the typical set looks like in MSTS



Comes the time to create a SLG-generated consist which I want to add a caboose as seen in the image here. In the window, you actually see the four engines that are part of the set but not the WAG files.



The result when creating the consist with the caboose is the following in MSTS with the WAG files absent.




I have decided to try to create another SLG-generated consist without using the “Change Engines” feature, that is without any caboose.

The result can be seen here



It seems that AG have duplicated the first WAG component of the Boxcab set, as seen here in the consist editor but the other WAG components were unaffected, only the first part.



At this point, we can solve the remaining by eliminating the first component manually and adding in the same operation the missing caboose as seen here



Once done the result is finally achieved with the Boxcab set properly set and with the caboose present in this final image of the set in MSTS.



At this point I can start now my SLG-generated activity.

This is the problem with only the EF-5 set, not with the Little Joe engines.

Thanks Steve in looking into the issue and hope you may find a solution to one of the problems or both.

[sgdavis]

Hello Steve,

While working on the current RMD_East template, I have encountered problems in creating consists with the player train as the EF-5 electric boxcab set. This is one encounter that I have experienced as well with the RMD-4 route template but never got any further. This time I have decided to tackle into the issue, which may become a challenge to find a solution in creating a proper consist. Allow me to explain.

As many of you know the MILW EF-5 electric Boxcab set is consisted of a combination of ENG and WAG files as shown here in the typical composition of the EF-5 boxcar set:

WAG-ENG-WAG-WAG-ENG-WAG-ENG-WAG-ENG-WAG
(that is 6 WAG and 4 ENG files)

Here’s a picture of what the typical set looks like in MSTS



Comes the time to create a SLG-generated consist which I want to add a caboose as seen in the image here. In the window, you actually see the four engines that are part of the set but not the WAG files.



The result when creating the consist with the caboose is the following in MSTS with the WAG files absent.




I have decided to try to create another SLG-generated consist without using the “Change Engines” feature, that is without any caboose.

The result can be seen here



It seems that AG have duplicated the first WAG component of the Boxcab set, as seen here in the consist editor but the other WAG components were unaffected, only the first part.



At this point, we can solve the remaining by eliminating the first component manually and adding in the same operation the missing caboose as seen here



Once done the result is finally achieved with the Boxcab set properly set and with the caboose present in this final image of the set in MSTS.



At this point I can start now my SLG-generated activity.

This is the problem with only the EF-5 set, not with the Little Joe engines.

Thanks Steve in looking into the issue and hope you may find a solution to one of the problems or both.

This is caused by the fact that Activity Generator and Activity Master assume that all locomotive files are of type .eng. So it ignores the .wag files. When I wrote the program I never thought that there might be .wag files in a locomotive consist. I am not sure if it can be fixed, there are a number of algorithms in the software that work differently depending on whether a piece of rolling stock is a wagon or a locomotive file.

Sorry,

Steve

[dgionet]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for looking into the issue. If it cannot be resolved for the time being, users can still rely in the suggestions in the upcoming template's readme file in which I gave details to overcome the problem or read the topic above. It takes a little more effort but it is worth resolving in this way for those who like to use the EF-5 as the player train. Otherwise, they can replace the EF-5 by the Little Joe consists included in the package. The Little Joe engines didn't encounter any problems of this kind in creating SLG consists