Unit Trains (Sort of), Generating Single Car Type Trains Options

[nbeveridge]

I have been working with Moe Smith to figure out how to generate trains with a single car type, such as all grain cars, all tank cars, all autoracks, etc. Straight from our e-mail, here is what we found -->


Moe,

I have figured out two ways to generate “unit” trains, neither of which is perfect.

If you want to start with cars in the train, here is what you would do. (1) Set up “source” and a “destination” tracks in the SWLTDB specifying the car type you want to use in this unit train. (2) Open AG and set up an activity as follows: (a) Set Maximum total cars to handle to 99. ( Set maximum cars to pick up at any single industry siding to 0 (actually AG will use 1 as the minimum). © Set maximum cars to set out at any single industry siding to 99. (d) Be sure that the box is checked for sequential pickups/setouts. (e) Set maximum cars in starting player train to 99. (f) Do not pick any source tracks. (g) Pick one work track, that being your intended destination track. (h) Do not pick any destination tracks. (3) Save this activity set up. (4) Generate an activity. (5) Review the activity, and if it is what you want, use it as is. (6) Otherwise, go back to step 4.

If you are okay with starting with no cars in the train, here is what you would do. (1) Set up “source” and a “destination” tracks in the SWLTDB specifying the car type you want to use in this unit train. (2) Open AG and set up an activity as follows: (a) Set Maximum total cars to handle to 99. ( Set maximum cars to pick up at any single industry siding to 99. © Set maximum cars to set out at any single industry siding to 0. (d) Be sure that the box is checked for sequential pickups/setouts, and also the box to force all industry tracks selected for pick up, to pick up all cars on track. (e) Set maximum cars in starting player train to 0. (f) Do not pick any source tracks. (g) Pick one work track, that being your intended source track. (h) Pick one destination track. (3) Save this activity set up. (4) Generate an activity. (5) Review the activity, and if it is what you want, use it as is. (6) Otherwise, go back to step 4.

Both methods have drawbacks. In the first, where you start with a train, you probably will get a one car pick up at your intended destination. See my comment on 2 b under the first method. Sometimes AG does not do a pick up. But I also did not get very long trains with this method. Out of about forty generations, I got only two trains longer than ten cars. One is attached.

In the second, the drawback is that you must assemble your train before departing. No pick up will occur, however, and this one also tends to generate longer trains with fewer iterations. I think that this is due to being able to force the train to pick up all cars (2 e). See attached.

I worked this out on the Frisco Ft. Smith route with the new template. I set the FS Yard 4 track to want and ship only T cars. I set the Monett 1 West track to want and ship only T cars. FS Yard 4 can hold 39. Monett 1 West can hold 33. Longer tracks will generate longer trains, of course.

I did not try to do this with multiple tracks at either the starting point or the ending point. But it should work the same, just with more tracks to deal with one place or the other or both.



Norman E. Beveridge, Jr., PE


Hi Norman;

Thanks for looking onto this problem of "unit" trains. I too did some more experimental runs and I think I can run with the cars I wish.

Across the system I left the yard tracks that I marked as "I" instead of "A" and car types as grain only. In Newton, if I use the yard track as the source, I get all kinds of different rolling stock so instead of using the yard track as the source, I used the grain track which was further East than the yard. I told the program to do pickups only and chose 6 or 7 towns as pickups. I ended in La Junta using any yard track as destination. As you can see by the attachment, every thing is good. I tried 2 or 3 runs and the result was the same, just grain cars. I have not yet tried an eastbound with oil cars only but hopefully the same results will occur. I think I have to pick a track before any yard to make this all work.

I don't know if you want to tell the members our findings or not ut I am sure there are others that want to do the same as me, namely running one type of car trains.

Cheers

Moe Smith



I won't say that this works to generate a true unit train, but maybe it will satisfy many users.