A Busy Day at Union Station, Continued
By John D'Angelo
Programming the Train Movement
I’m going to use some shorthand here to show how the trains are programmed:
- DT = Drive To
- DV = Drive Via
- WF = Wait For
- S = Seconds
- LD =Load
- ELP = Eastbound Local Portal
- EXP = Eastbound Express Portal
- WLP = Westbound Local Portal
- WXP = Westbound Express Portal
- US1 = Union Station Track 1
- US2 = Union Station Track 2
- US3 = Union Station Track 3
- US4 = Union Station Track 4
- A1 = Tower A Track 1
- A2 = Tower A Track 2
- A3 = Tower A Track 3
- A4 = Tower A Track 4
(Use same system for towers B and C)
- GOL = Gotham Tower Outbound Local Track
- GOX = Gotham Tower Outbound Express Track
- GILS = Gotham Tower Inbound Local Track Southbound
- GIXS = Gotham Tower Inbound Express Track Southbound
- GILN = Gotham Tower Inbound Local Track Northbound
- GIXN = Gotham Tower Inbound Express Track Northbound
To get a full day’s action, I only need to program 5 trains, one starting from the station. The other four trains are generated by the portals and then they are duplicated at the time element dictated. When I program any trains, I change the engineer’s name to the type of train being run, for example “Alistair” will be come “Local S.” Remember, all this has been done for the included session. This information is for your use if you wish to program your own trains.
- Local Southbound Passenger (Local S) at Union Station:
- WF 30S, DT GOL, WF 30S, DV A1, DV B1, DV C1, DT GILS, WF 30S, DT US1, LD, DT WLP
- Local GP Southbound Passenger (Local S) from the Eastbound Local Portal (Every 3 minutes):
- DT US4, LD, DT GOL, WF 30S, DV A1, DV B1, DV C1, DT GILS, WF 30S, DT US1, LD, DT WLP
- Local GP Northbound Passenger (Local N) from the Eastbound Local Portal
( Every 3 minutes):
- DT US4, LD, DT GOL, WF 30S, DV C4, DV B4, DV A4, DT GILN, WF 30S, DT US1, LD, DT WLP
- Express F Southbound Passenger (Express S) from the Eastbound Express Portal
(Every 5 minutes):
- DT US3, LD, DT GOX, WF 30S, DV A2, DV B2, DV C2, DT GIXS, WF 30S, DT US2, LD, DT WXP
- Express F Northbound Passenger (Express N) from the Eastbound Express Portal
(Every 5 minutes):
- DT US3, LD, DT GOX, WF 30S, DV C3, DV B3, DV A3, DT GIXN, WF 30S, DT US2, LD, DT WXP
Operating
The session is self-starting. You can choose to go with any train and use the camera view to track your progress or you can act as the dispatcher, working from the tower. This is why I have included the Signal Box with Interior View. Let’s work as a dispatcher:
As the session starts, the view will be from above the GP Local, and the signal box at Union Station can be seen. Click on the Signal Box and you will be assigned to it. Choose interior view and you will be shifted to inside the box with a view of the train waiting at the station. Since the Signal Box is treated as a locomotive, you can pan the view from inside the Signal Box. You can operate from this signal box, which is in the Station Master position, or move to and operate from the other signal box, which is the Gotham Tower. If you enjoy watching the trains at the station, the Station Master position is good. If you enjoy watching the trains passing through the junction, the Gotham Tower position is good for that. In either case, it is from the map view that you monitor the rail traffic. Your job is to monitor the junction and not be concerned about traffic moving around the loop. When the trains come to the “hold points” you will determine if there are potential collision problems and take control of a train, if needed, to hold it until the traffic is clear. Not to worry if a train you should have held up collides with another. Nobody gets hurt and the operation will continue. The area where a “collision” can occur is where the tracks cross each other at the entrances to the wye and in the center of the wye. If you have a Northbound Local and a Southbound Express at Gotham Outgoing Tower, they will cross over each other. If you have any incoming northbound trains at the wye and any northbound trains at Gotham heading outbound, they will cross in the center. Those are the things you will watch out for.
Map view of Gotham Junction using Gotham Tower.
After you get used to operating, you can create new sessions using your own favorite trains, but I would recommend that you keep the original session as a backup. For my own use I will be running 20th Century Limiteds, Broadway Limiteds and any other trains I would like to see run.
Enjoy this route, it can easily be added to any route in modular fashion or used as is. Have a great fall!
John
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Article and screen shots �2007 John D'Angelo. All rights reserved.
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