Corridor Farnham St-Jean

Would someone like to try the Spring#1 activity and report back?
I don't want to spoil the fun.
Not a serious problem but something I have not seen before.
Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,
We probably would, mate, but what route are you referring to?

Cheers,
Ged

The route is
Corridor Farnham St-Jean, on my computer in the folder Farnham_ST-Jean
though when you open it it comes up as Montreal Main & Atlantic on the opening screen.
On Trainsim.com it is listed as MMA Corridor Farnham - Montreal
The download file there is mmafst21.zip
I hope that identifies it.
Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,
Thanks, mate - it's one I've not heard of!!

Anyway, thanks for the file name - I've just downloaded it!

... and run it in MSTS and in Open Rails (stable v1.5.1) on Autopilot at 3x normal speed. I didn't see anything worth mentioning - it's a bit boring - except that the player consist is a Class 50 and Mk1 coaches!

Whatever you saw ...
First things first - are you running it with MSTS or Open Rails?
If it's the latter, do you have access to an MSTS installation and have you run installme.bat?

Cheers,
Ged

Very odd.
I am running in Open Rails.
And the consist was a CPR diesel and a rake of CP carriages.
Perhaps I was wrong in identifying the route on the Trainsim website.
This is from the description on the website which is the same as the text file in the route:
MMA Corridor Farnham – Montreal
Fix the problem with the shape symmetry;
This is a portion of The Route Montréal (Québec, Canada) to Bangor (Maine, USA). Operated before by the Canadian Pacific railway Co. and now by Montreal Maine and Atlantic railway. This route include the section between Montreal to Brookport via St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Farnham. Now this route have more then 100 mile long. This route give us a good idea of the country in south of Québec. Look for a spectacular view of the Downtown Montreal by night.
From the See4rvicew file:
Train_Config ( "CP modern passenger 9 cars" )
Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,
Yes, that's the same route as I downloaded/installed.
All the Services use default consists.
Did you download a different version of the #spring1 activity? Or, maybe, you modified it?
Maybe you're even using a different version of the route? I couldn't find any others on trainsim.com - file ID 69127, uploaded 26 Apr 2007.

That's the real puzzle - WHAT are you running??

Cheers,
Ged

A real puzzle. I can find no evidence that I downloaded activities later, nor can I find any on Trainsim.
So I have collected the necessary files and you can download them from Dropbox at
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0w5eybx5yilsffqf0jn6m/Activity-and-stock.zip?rlkey=0cnuejv3rtioo49i09fq4q28c&dl=0
What this may not include is the traffic. Traffic#1 - the only one in the route - calls up Train_Config 2d937oil. This consist is made up of two Dash9 and a rake of 37 US2ChemiCar.
Jonathan

Oh well thats me confused, I also get a Class 50, and a 25 mph speed limit.

Hi Jonathan,
It appears that you have a later version of the activity.
My service file has Serial ( 1 ) whereas yours has Serial ( 2 ) and, similarly, for the activity file, mine is ( 3 ), yours is ( 5 ).

The Serial is changed when MSTS AE is used to create a new version of an activity - it might also apply with TSRE5, but I don't know as I don't use it!

So, you've either amended the activity yourself or, probably more likely, you downloaded a later version of the route.  Maybe it was originally in the trainsim.com library and subsequently removed for some reason?

Please check the dates of the Farnham_ST-Jean.tdb and Farnham_ST-Jean.trk files.  Mine are 13 Jan 2007 and 22 Jan 2007 respectively.

Cheers,
Ged

The same dates as yours.
I'll have to get out my backup disc and see if I can find an activity file. I always archive everything I download.
But not today as I have other things which need doing. Life getting in the way again.
You should be able to replicate the activity with the files I put in Dropbox.
Jonathan

Ah Jonathan,I take it you are referring to the last car doing somersaults, I had the same fault once before on the "Albula Line",and Ged sorted it out But I can't remember how ... but here's the post.

Hi Roger,
I couldn't find it on elvastower on my first search, but did find this on trainsim.com, which is in response to a member posting that some wagons were somersaulting!

I posted this explanation on ElvasTower when someone over there had the same problem.

I know exactly what's going and and was able to fix it on my end. It has to do with how the hierarchy nodes are named in the shape files. For some reason the trailer's main node was given a WHEELS name instead of MAIN as is standard. OR sees the WHEELS name and thinks they are supposed to be animated, that's what causes the rotation. I went through the shapes individually and manually re-named the hierarchy node in question from WHEELS# to MAIN and the problem was solved on my end.

Hi,
@Roger : Yes, I remember that! The explanation was in my post.

@Jonathan : It's nothing to do with the activity itself, but the service 'Spring#1' which specifies the consist to be used.
I didn't download your pack because it seemed that, somehow, we had the same download!  However, I've now downloaded it and seen the problem.

I've fixed the somersaulting, but due to the way the shape has been built, the wheels don't revolve - I'm not able to fix that, Sorry !!

The modified shape file can be downloaded here :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p0KvYmxpj3QfcvH4NTfDLq9HUVpc2iSs/view?usp=sharing

Copy the unpacked .s file into the cp_fluted_hwt folder, allowing it to overwrite the original file.

Cheers,
Ged

Many thanks to both of you.
Glad trains don't do that too often in the UK.
Jonathan

neanderthal wrote:Ah Jonathan,I take it you are referring to the last car doing somersaults, I had the same fault once before on the "Albula Line",and Ged sorted it out But I can't remember how ... but here's the post...

I know exactly what's going and and was able to fix it on my end. It has to do with how the hierarchy nodes are named in the shape files. For some reason the trailer's main node was given a WHEELS name instead of MAIN as is standard. OR sees the WHEELS name and thinks they are supposed to be animated, that's what causes the rotation. I went through the shapes individually and manually re-named the hierarchy node in question from WHEELS# to MAIN and the problem was solved on my end.

The comment about somersaulting wagons caught my attention. I recently used TSRE to create a consist of a CPR Royal Hudson coupled to a number of passenger coaches. These models were all created probably somewhere around 2005.

I loaded this consist into the Shuswap route produced by Maple Leaf Tracks probably 20 years ago. I then ran the train via Open Rails.

While I was struggling to get the steam locomotive to move, the passenger coaches started piling up on each other as if the locomotive was moving in reverse (except it was stationary). Eventually the train moved forward with all the coaches somersaulting continuously.

It sounds like Ged's solution may work. Although I've not yet done so, this may be a good opportunity for me to learn how to modify data in rollingstock files.

Hi Dunelm,
It's not a full solution - as I mentioned, the wheels don't revolve!  This is because they're not separately specified in the shape file.
To check if your coaches have similar shape files, open the shape in Shape Viewer then select the View tab followed by 'Hierarchy'.  That will show the parts of the shape - the top part should be called 'Main' and beneath that should be a couple of 'Bogiex' entries, each containing two or three separate 'Wheelsnn' entries, representing 2 or 3 axles.  If the top of the hierarchy is 'Wheelsnn', Open Rails takes it as a wheel and automatically revolves it, with the rate depending on the speed of the train.  This didn't occur in MSTS!

Cheers,
Ged

Hi Ged,
Thank you for the detailed information about how to try to address the issue..  
I've found an Open Rails shapeviewer that handles both DDS and ACE  files at trainsim: 85028. If that doesn't work, I also saw an MSTS shape viewer file.
Bruce

Sadly I didn't understand any of that, and didn't know how to open the file, so took the Cowards way out... Dropped off the last Coach. LOL

I must admit that once I had stopped laughing that is what I did.
A pity the route itself is not very inspiring.
But I must have a go at curing the carriage of its bad habits.
Jonathan
PS Still not sure where I got that version of the activity.

Hi Jonathan,
Just copy the modified (I can't say 'corrected'!!) shape file from the link I posted into the cp_fluted_hwt folder, allowing it to overwrite the original.
Obviously, I don't wish to stop you from doing the modification yourself, if you wish to. All you need is Shape File Manager but note that, as supplied, it uses FFEDITc_unicode.exe from the default MSTS UTILS folder to uncompress/compress the shape file.

Cheers,
Ged

Hello Ged, but how do you copy the Shape file ? I don't appear to be able to just copy it ?

Hi Roger,
You copy a shape file just like any other!
1. Right-click it,
2. Select 'Copy'.  
3. Choose the location/folder where you want the copy placed
4. Right-click on a blank area of the screen
5. Select 'Paste'.
If you want to place it in the same folder as the original, do 1, 2, 4 and 5. In this case, the file name will have ' - Copy' appended to it, before the extension (ie .s).

.... but, may I ask why you want to copy the shape file? Is it for security?

Cheers,
Ged

Nah I've messed up there, I don't want to copy it, I meant open it, I don't have any of the options given in the link,I think I used the word copy because I had just read your post to Jonathan.  But don't worry about it,it's not a Route I'm likely to keep and That's quite normal for me ! Roger.

Hi Roger,
Just for information, the shape file is compressed so before you can open it to read it, it has to be uncompressed. Shape File Manager (SFM) will allow you to uncompress it and then gives the option to use WordPad to open it. Amendments can then be made and when done, the modified file is saved and SFM used to re-compress it.

Cheers,
Ged