Sweet Switcheroo

[sniper297]

Free roam scenario you have two ways to move from one engine to another, CTRL plus and minus similar to MSTS BIN, or when the engines aren't coupled to each other hit the #8 key and physically move as if you're walking from one engine to another, and click directly on the engine you want to climb into. Little weirdness sometimes unless I'm doing it wrong, for example occasionally couplers won't engage and you have to go to a different engine to get it to work. Again, possibly I'm doing something the wrong way, still learning this newfangled thing.

Consist for this scenario started as three separate services, made them into an MU by coupling together in the game rather than pre-assembling in the editor, and picked up the train later.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/cabviews/3mu1.jpg

Coming into Port Ogden, with the MSTS version I usually pulled the cars out of this facing point spur and pushed them up to Johansburg since there's no runaround track (British "passing loop") in Port Ogden. Does this new "train jumping" thingamy have more possibilities than BIN? Let's see;

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/cabviews/3mu2.jpg

Uncouple the lead engine PO&N 0297, run it past the switch, hit #8 for the free wander view and wander back to UP 3313.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/cabviews/3mu3.jpg

Uncouple UP 3313 and PO&N 1305 from the train, run up into the facing point spur and drag the tankers out;

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/cabviews/3mu4.jpg

Throw the switch for the main, run them up behind 0297 and uncouple;

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/cabviews/3mu5.jpg

After running the two helper engines back into the spur, line the switch for the main again, jump in 0297 and back up to the tankers;

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/cabviews/3mu6.jpg

Shove them back beyond the switch. At this point I could leave PO&N 0297 and back UP 3313 and PO&N 1305 up to couple ahead of PO&N 0297, leaving UP 3313 as the lead unit, but let's make this more complicated by pretending this is one of them deals with leased equipment where a home road engine has to be on the lead to trip the crossing gates and signals (even tho the current PO&N has neither!).

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/cabviews/3mu7.jpg

MU and train reassembled with the new cars behind, no runaround track needed when you can operate multiple engines independently! :cool:

[sniper297]

Well, as the sun came up, started getting really foggy, 'scuse me while I kick the sky. :D (For those who missed my previous incoherent babblings, I made the PO&N with the European version, bought the US version when it came out, merged them together. Current version of PO&N won't work with the US version unless you get the additional content from the York Newcastle route.)

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss11.jpg

See what more trouble I can cause here, got the options set to "ignore coupler types", so I can park the train here and use the little German switcher to assemble some more cars.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss12.jpg

See if the intermodal cranes still work, spacing was set for European flats.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss13.jpg

For some reason you gotta hit the T key a bunch of times, like the game wants to make sure you really really mean it.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss14.jpg

This one don't doublestack, and loads every car instead of every other car due to the longer US cars. Have to hunt around, think there IS a US intermodal crane that does doublestack.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss15.jpg

Same coal loader but it's fixed for the US version, doesn't pour a constant stream of coal onto the tracks. Spaced these out for the HAA hoppers, also not in the US version.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss16.jpg

After loading the coal hoppers, uncouple and move the switcher out of the way, hit the 8 key and go get the train.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss17.jpg

Think this switcher is diesel hydraulic rather than diesel electric, whatever it is it has a combined power and brake handle, changing back to the SD40 requires some concentration since mashing the D key won't stop that one!

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/sniper297/ss18.jpg

Stop in Churchtown to see if the unloaders still work, looks like they hacked the shape file to lower them a little, but the coal still dumps.

Well, next step is to get a clearance check train with some high cube doublestacks, got a feeling I'm gonna have to replace all the tunnels in addition to raising the bridges. :eek:

[els1223]

That route looks pretty cool....Wish I had something like that to run on :)....Very nice

[sniper297]

You can download it here;

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/showthread.php?t=264108

But you need to buy the missing European route (forgot which one it was again) to make PO&N work. :( Last I heard the "extra" routes for sale aren't available yet, reason I currently have all five is because I had the European version and bought the US version then merged them. Future versions will probably use content from all five "default" routes (three common routes plus the US default Cajon Pass and whatever that European default is), and I won't even get kickbacks from the extra sales. :mad:

[NorfolkSouthern_37]

you are having way too much fun.

[UlteriorModem]

Well, as the sun came up, started getting really foggy, 'scuse me while I kick the sky. :D

Its "kiss the sky" :D

This contains one of the most misheard lyrics ever, with "Scuse me while I kiss the sky" interpreted as "Scuse me while I kiss this guy." Hendrix added to the confusion by sometimes singing it that way and pointing to one of his band members.

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2553

Bit of topic but hey Im a Hendrix fan :p

[sniper297]

Hee-hee, well aware of the lyrics, if the sky was a Purple Haze I might be tempted to kiss it, but that dark gray is just asking to be kicked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFSaqFzSO8


"you are having way too much fun."

Oughtta be illegal, hey? :D Killing time waiting for the patch so I can see if there are any more surprises coming before I start over again, trying to decide if it's worth it to hack this Roe versus Wade poster child to make it compatible (non British definition of "compatible") with the US version of railsim in the meantime. :rolleyes: