Manual Switch Indicator

[livercup]

I was fiddling about and managed to make a working manual switch indicator and lever. It needs a bit of tweaking and a lot of texturing. Texturing is something I am going to have to learn. This is from a Pennsylvania Railroad Diagram. Would anybody like to have it when it's finished?
Tom

[RavenX]

Any new assests to RS would be always welcome. Helps to Scenic a Route. Thank you for your contribution.

"Little by Little a Great Sim comes to Life."

Regards

RavenX

[jamesc25313]

Looks better than my little whistle post.

[livercup]

Thanks Guys,
The whistle post looks great to me! I am going to build a PRR whistle post next I think.
The beauty of the manual switch indicator, for me, is that I can visually tell which way a manual switch is aligned as I approach it.
Working on the textures now.
Tom

[OTTODAD]

Hi Tom !

That part of the arm pointing towards the rails is not too close to rolling stock passing it ?

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rsa/switch-lever.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

I move my scenarios switch stands further away from the rails, don't want to risk my yardmen getting hurt, ;) but the default position is the one shown above.

Sure would help being able to see better which way a switch is set in yards when doing a lot of switching / shunting ! ;)

Can it be used to replace existing in scenarios ones by replacing the original assets one with your's and will doing that apply to all routes and their scenarios using them ?

O t t o

[tomkat41]

Thanks Guys,
The whistle post looks great to me! I am going to build a PRR whistle post next I think.
The beauty of the manual switch indicator, for me, is that I can visually tell which way a manual switch is aligned as I approach it.
Working on the textures now.
Tom

Hi Tom,

Anyway you can put a wooden CrossBuck on your list to do? The switch indicator
looks really good.

[livercup]

Hi Tom !

That part of the arm pointing towards the rails is not too close to rolling stock passing it ?

Can it be used to replace existing in scenarios ones by replacing the original assets one with your's and will doing that apply to all routes and their scenarios using them ?

O t t o

Hi Otto!
Yes, it is a little too close I think, but I am tweaking that as well as a couple of other things.
The manual switch stand is referenced from the track rules blueprint. So, technically you should be able to replace the default switch stand with another by hacking the track rules file. This of course would replace the switch stand in every route using that track rule. I have not tried that yet but will so later. Remember to back up your files! ;)
I was actually going to ask you to test this in scenarios since I haven't looked deeply at the scenario editor yet. I'll email you the files if you like.


Hi Tom,

Anyway you can put a wooden CrossBuck on your list to do? The switch indicator
looks really good.

tomkat41,
Thanks! Wooden crossbucks are on my list. I'll get to them sometime soon I hope.

Tom

[OTTODAD]

I was actually going to ask you to test this in scenarios since I haven't looked deeply at the scenario editor yet. I'll email you the files if you like.

Yes, I would love to test your switch stands and don't worry about me messing up my RS.
http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=4053&stc=1&d=1211820398

Using computers and programming for the past 30 years, I am a bit paranoiac after having lost months of programming work in the early days ! ;)

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=4052&stc=1&d=1211820068

I wonder whether the offset positioning of these switches stands can be altered globally in some files to move them away from the rails ?

Take care, O t t o.

[tomkat41]

tomkat41,
Thanks! Wooden crossbucks are on my list. I'll get to them sometime soon I hope.

Tom

Thanks Tom, Take your time.

[t1metraveller]

Switch stand distance is easy to change globally. The distance from the track is found in the track blueprint.

Look for the section--
<ManualJunctionEntity>

Then look for the line--
<SidewaysOffset d:type="sFloat32" d:alt_encoding="00000000D7232540" d:precision="string">1.5700</SidewaysOffset>

Change the 1.5700 value to something greater. Of course this means either hacking the track blueprint or having to include a new track blueprint for the switch stand.

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/3610/switchdistancecg7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hope this helps.

Bill

[tomkat41]

Switch stand distance is easy to change globally. The distance from the track is found in the track blueprint.

Look for the section--
<ManualJunctionEntity>

Then look for the line--
<SidewaysOffset d:type="sFloat32" d:alt_encoding="00000000D7232540" d:precision="string">1.5700</SidewaysOffset>

Change the 1.5700 value to something greater. Of course this means either hacking the track blueprint or having to include a new track blueprint for the switch stand.

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/3610/switchdistancecg7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hope this helps.

Bill

Hi Bill,
You can click on them and pull them away from the track can't you or do they go back in
place again when you save? I seen where Jim Ward took those and put them in a building.

[OTTODAD]

Change the 1.5700 value to something greater. Of course this means either hacking the track blueprint or having to include a new track blueprint for the switch stand.

This has to be done for every track type TrackRules.bin and only takes effect with newly placed Manual switches.

I changed it to 2.5000 and that puts it at the edge of the gravel trackbed.

I can not see a way to reposition them in existing scenarios and unless the new switches bases are longer, moving their levers further away from the rails so that they can be used to simply replace the existing ones wherever they are situated, then I can not see them being useful, unless you do not mind rolling stock driving through their outstretched arms ! ;)

O t t o

[t1metraveller]

Hi Bill,
You can click on them and pull them away from the track can't you or do they go back in
place again when you save? I seen where Jim Ward took those and put them in a building.

Hi Tom,

Yes, individually you can move them about and set them where you want. The few I've moved seem to stick where you put them after a save.

Otto,

Yes, you would have to change every track blueprint which references the particular switch stand you want to move. And of course it only works for initial placement of switches.

Bill

[OTTODAD]

Yes, you would have to change every track blueprint which references the particular switch stand you want to move. And of course it only works for initial placement of switches.

I am crying ! :( :( :(

O t t o

[livercup]

I am changing the axis of orientation and extending the ties the switch stand sets upon. Will let you know what happens. Otto, I will send you the files as soon as I have done this.
Tom

[t1metraveller]

I am crying ! :( :( :(

O t t o

What I mean to say is "track rule", not track blueprint. Sorry.

Bill

[OTTODAD]

Thanks, guys !

Had a look into all the *.bin files of an existing scenario and apart from manual being mentioned in some, showing "Position & Altitude" values, there is no mention of switch stands as such.

Replacing existing ones it seems is therefore not possible and even if it were, there not being a "Search / Find & Replace" in *.bin files I am aware of, would not fancy having to edit multiple files one by one ! :(

Moving the switch stand 2.5000 away from the rails is not an option where they are between two tracks and moving it to the other side is not possible because there are more parallel tracks there.

livercup Tom planning to turn it 90° and then move it to say offset 2.000 in the TrackRules might work ?

Looking forward to testing it ! ;)

Noticed something strange in the small test route I used for testing the settings of the default switch stands, it shows a tile of +000000+000000 and 186 Assets but it's route scenario folder contains no files in it's Network\Track Tiles folder and no other sub-folders exist.

Extended one straight by 2500 metres pointing North, creating tiles up to: +000000+000006 and still no new files in it's scenario folder !

O t t o