My first changing cab experience

[maiatcat]

I just changed cabs for the first time and it was strange. I was pulling some cars with 2 GG1s and I had placed a GG1 in front me down the track. The idea was to leave the rear (tuscan red)GG1 contected to the passenger train, connect the front GG1(brunswick Green) to the GG1(NJC livery) down the line, jump into the NJC GG1, shunt the green GG1 off on a siding, back the NJC gg1 up and link it to the tuscan GG1 still connected to the train, and go merrily on my way. What happened was that, as we know, GG1s have two cabs:front and rear. I was transferred into the rear cab of the NJC GG1 in front of me. What was foward for my Green gg1 was reverse for my NJC gg1 and vice vewrsa. Am I doing something wrong? I would like to have had the NJC gg1's forward throttle be in sync with my Green GG1 and vice versa for the reverse throttle. Is this possible or did the sim behave as it was supposed to?

[baldwin]

Looking at your post, you have followed the cab changing procedure correctly. The problem is with the engine you are changing to. The way the cab is facing on engines with one cab view will depend on the way it is facing in the consist. The way the throttles work is controlled by the engine you are in at the time.

Beer is not a matter of life and death. It is much more serious than that.
mervyn.

[OTTODAD]

When changing to cabs in other locos in a consist and you are not looking out of the desired cab window then you may have to press the #1 key once more !

Usually the case with locos which were "Reversed" and not Flip ( ) at the rear of consists !

O t t o

[julioeddie]

Can i change cabs on powerful diesel engines??.. i tried changin from the cab of a up SD70M to a UP GP60 and i couldnt...a blank message box appeared. I tried with two alcos from A&M and it worked.

[OTTODAD]

Hi Julio !

You should be able to change to any loco's cab in a consist, whether or not you have created a rear cab *_rv.cvf file for it, providing you have selected it in the F9 monitor and pressed the #1 key, the throttle is at Idle and the train brakes have been applied.

O t t o

[julioeddie]

It just wont work x(

[OTTODAD]

Hi Julio !

Can you run us through what you do to switch cabs, one step and one key press at the time and report what the response is !

O t t o

[julioeddie]

1. I create a consist (3 ac4400cw's 50 cars)
2. I start the activity
3. I press F9 and choose the trailin unit.
3. I press number 1 key.

and a blank message box comes out x( .

It worked with two A&M alcos with no problems at all but..i cant switch cabs on big diesels.

[oakwaysd60]

Make sure you train brakes are fully applied, and you are not moving.

[OTTODAD]

1. I create a consist (3 ac4400cw's 50 cars)
2. I start the activity
3. I press F9 and choose the trailing unit.
4. I press number 1 key.

The 3 AC4400CWs are at the front of the 50 cars ?
The trailing unit is a drivable loco ?
You click on it in F9 so that it gets a yellow frame ?
The throttle is at Idle and the train brakes are applied ?
Try pressing the #1 key in the top row over the Tab and Q keys, I am having problems with the numbers keypad #1 key !

O t t o

[julioeddie]

sorry guys..i forgot something very important, i was tryin to change to an AI helper unit x( ..i think i got it.! thank you for your time. :-)

[tpilot]

Maia,

Otto's advice will only work if you have a reverse cab view defined for the GG1 engines.

Since I think they are symmetrical, you should be able to create one pretty easily (I assume GG1's were dual stand). If they weren't and you want accuracy, you need to create a RH view to look back down the long hood and operate the controls by feel.

There is an RCV maker utility in the file library that will help.

[OTTODAD]

Hi Marshall !

I think that you can change to any drivable loco's cab in a consist, but will see it's front view only.

To look out of it's rear cab window, whether the loco actually has a rear cab or not, a *_rv.cvf file is required.

O t t o

[tpilot]

Maia,

I just re-read your post. The way bin works is forward is in the direction that you are looking. This is correct for dual-stand or dual cab locos like the GG1, but not usually correct for something like a low short hood engine operated long hood forward.

The first thing you might want to try is changing the engine's direction in the consist using conbuilder or CBLite (or changing the way it is placed on the tracks). This would be done by placing "Flip ( )" in front of the callout for the engine in either the activity file or the consist. That should get you facing the right direction. After that, you might define a .rcv for the engine, so you can press 1 again and drive it either North or South with forward being the direction you are travelling.

Otto,

>I think that you can change to any drivable loco's cab in a
>consist, but will see it's front view only.

Yes, but if there is a Flip ( ) statement in the consist (or if the front of the loco is facing South and you couple to the loco on it's South side (your train is heading north), then its front view might actually be rearward relative to the rest of your train.

With the magic of Bin, Front and Rear take on a bit of a different character, because in a case like the GG1 or the euro locos, either cab can be used to drive it, so "front" only affects which direction your view starts in.

>To look out of it's rear cab window, whether the loco actually
>has a rear cab or not, a *_rv.cvf file is required.

Typically, but not necessarily. There are many locos in the FL that use the RH view of the normal cabview as the view looking out the rear cab window. I actually think this is preferable for a non dual-stand engine, as you now correctly have "Forward" (in the direction of the long hood) as "Reverse" (the position the reverser needs to go in). The disadvantage is you lose any animated controls and instruments.

[OTTODAD]

Hi Marshall !

With the magic of Bin, Front and Rear take on a bit of a different character, because in a case like the GG1 or the euro locos, either cab can be used to drive it, so "front" only affects which direction your view starts in.

Using a rear cab *_rv.cvf file with a DASH-9, which in reality has none, you will nevertheless look out of it's imaginary rear cab by pressing #1 and drive it in any direction, using it's controls ! ;-)

There are many locos in the FL that use the RH view of the normal cabview as the view looking out the rear cab window.

That was my workaround too before MSTSBin rear cabs, giving that view the cabfront.ace to look at, but the controls in it did of course not animate !

O t t o

[tpilot]

>Using a rear cab *_rv.cvf file with a DASH-9, which in
>reality has none, you will nevertheless look out of it's
>imaginary rear cab by pressing #1 and drive it in any
>direction, using it's controls ! ;-)

Yes, indeed you will. However, I believe Maia probably has the opposite problem - A GG1 which SHOULD have dual cabs but has no *_rv.cvf defined. In this case, BIN will put you in the cab that corresponds to the "Front" of the engine, since there is no rear cab for you to switch to.

[OTTODAD]

However, I believe Maia probably has the opposite problem - A GG1 which SHOULD have dual cabs but has no *_rv.cvf defined.

Yes, it was, Marshall !

I got side-tracked talking to Julio ! ;-)

O t t o