Hi Steve:

I note that you are reviewing your code for Activity Generator to see if pop up messages from the templates could be carried over to the generated activities.

I wonder, if at the same time you could review the code to see if it is possible to allow some source tracks to have designated types of cars on them. Most of the yard tracks would be designated as A by the template developer, but he would have the option of designating certain yard tracks for certain types of cars. For example, Hobart Yard in the Freeware Cajon Pass has 3 tracks designated as intermodal tracks. These could call for TOFC cars while the rest of the yard would call for A cars. Currently, we either have to use these 3 tracks as Work Tracks or just put dbl stacks on them as eye candy and not use them at all or ignore the fact that they are supposed to be intermodal tracks..

This would offer the further advantage that you could use any industry (say a coal mine) that you might want for a source track and have the proper cars there for that type of industry. Of course, you would also use yard tracks as source tracks to give a good mix of cars unless you only wanted to move coal.

I know that you have objected to this in the past, but I thought I would give it another try. I think it would allow us to generate even more realistic scenarios.

Thanks

Don Klaebel

Don,
I have some coal fired generating plants on some of the templates I have done coal loads in emptys out. On the cars required for that track I use a CL code for full cars and a CLMT for the empty cars and better than 99% of the time all the set outs are full coal cars and all the pick ups are empty. I also made shure that all the seed cars for that industry match just to be safe. You could re-class the yard track to recieve only and only ship the type of car you want to see and what you want should work.

Peter

Peter,

What you are saying works quite well for industry tracks, but what Don is trying to achieve is to have specific yard tracks be restricted to certain car types when they are used as a source track. Right now, in AG4, if you use ANY track as a source track it reverts to car type "A" (for any or all types) regardless of how you set up that track. Don's idea is to have certain yard tracks be forced to a car type even if used as a source or destination track. Steve and I have discussed this idea at length on several occasions, and we have always concluded that it is better to drive all source and destination tracks to car type "A". Looking only at Don's scenario in his post above, it would seem an easy change to make, but there are many considerations for other scenarios. I am not saying that Steve cannot modify the program to do this in a way which will satisfy all users, but only that all options and needs (and consequences!) must be considered. Steve has done some very ingenious things with the software, and achieved some great results, usually with simple programming. So, regarding Don's suggestion, I wouldn't put it past him to do it again!

Norman,
Can you not re-clasify the yard track into an industry track and achieve the same end results?
Peter

Peter,

Not if that track is used as a source or destination track. Any track may be selected as a source or destination track, and doing so overrides any other specification for that track, except track length.