[railguy]

This a new one for me. I was running a test in Explore Mode with a snow plow train using the SLI CP Plow 401036. It is essentially a 1 KW engine. Two locomotives and a caboose are coupled behind it. OR loads fine and the consist looks fine, however, when I release the brakes and open the throttle, as soon as the train starts to move, ALL of the wheels in the consist disappear and the train will not move. If the "sway" in the sim is set above 0, the consist will just sit there and rock around. I've isolated the issue to the snowplow. Using multiple different locomotives, I get the same result. The issue goes away if I remove the plow from a consist. I also tried running this in both 32 and 64 bit with the same result. I am using ReShade. I've attached the log, but I don't readily see any errors that would shed light on this. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Attached File(s)

•  OpenRailsLog.txt (67.25K)
  Number of downloads: 6

[steamer_ctn]

Do you get the same result with the latest unstable version of OR?

Thanks

[railguy]

Yes, same outcome. Also, ReShade was not used in the latest unstable release test, so I don't think that is the issue. I also tried it on a couple of different routes. Same result.

[steamer_ctn]

Is the snow plow a freeware model?

If so could you please set up a simple consist (perhaps just the snow plow and a single locomotive), and send me the link to where I can download them from, and also the CON file?

Thanks

[railguy]

Snowplow is an SLI payware model.

[steamer_ctn]

railguy, on 24 November 2019 - 01:51 PM, said:

Snowplow is an SLI payware model.

Ok.

Is it possible to send me the ENG file, and I will have a look at it?

Thanks

[steamer_ctn]

Thanks for the ENG file, I have now studied the file and identified a typing error in the file.

The error was with the definition of the RPM values for the diesel engine. They were both set to the same value as follows:

Quote

DieselEngineIdleRPM( 310 )
DieselEngineMaxRPM( 310 )

The clue was in the log file which had the following line in it:

Quote

Information: Maximum Diesel Engine Power set by DieselPowerTab NaN

The NaN indicates that a calculation error was occurring (NaN - not a number).

By changing one of the RPM values so that they are not the same, the problem was solved.

Please confirm that your model now works if you make the change in the ENG file.



For me this reinforces the need to have additional error checking (over and above what is already in OR) to help people identify issues with ENG/WAG files.

I would therefore propose that an extra tick box be included in the Options Menu to "turn on verbose" error checking which would hopefully identify these types of problems, and assist users to find and correct common issues.

Is this a feature that would be of value to users?

[railguy]

Thank you for finding that. The RPM issue brings up something else that I believe is a big deficiency in the OR handling of engine controls--and that was way worse in MSTS. It is this: prime mover RPM should NOT be "married" to horsepower to the rail or tractive effort in a diesel electric locomotive. Why? Because there are times that the prime mover will run at different RPM's unrelated to providing electric power to the traction motors. Here a couple of real world examples:

Head End Power (HEP). A locomotive generating HEP (a GE P42, for example) may have its prime mover running at full RPM to generate electricity for the train when its throttle (which regulates how much power the traction motors demand) is at "idle." I've attached an .inc file that I modified to emulate this, but it basically makes the locomotive a "full time" HEP locomotive.

Elevated idle and Automatic Engine Start Stop (AESS). Let's use a 710 prime mover-equipped EMD locomotive for this example. In those, when the locomotive throttle is set at "idle" the electronic control of the prime mover observes coolant temperature, outside temperature, and other parameters. If one of those parameters goes out of an "acceptable range" (say, the coolant temperature falls too low), the control will increase the prime mover RPM to the equivalent of about Run 2 until all parameters are back within range. With AESS, if other parameters are in an "acceptable" place, AESS may shut down the prime mover altogether to conserve fuel.

I believe that both of these real world features could be emulated in OR, but it requires fully divorcing RPM from the throttle setting. If one thinks about this, the prime mover RPM is only indirectly controlled by the throttle. Opening the throttle to, say, Run 2, controls the amount of electricity needed at that setting, which then dictates the RPM that the prime mover will run, not the other way around. That is the logic OR should use, with the other "independent" controls of prime mover RPM in place for HEP, elevated idle and AESS.

By the way, in my HEP .inc file, I solved the same RPM error in the throttle settings, simply by changing the RPM by 1 RPM increments through the notches.

Again, thanks for fixing the plow issue--I'll be trying it shortly. On the attachment, I changed the file suffix from .inc to .txt, so the site would allow me to attach it.

Attached File(s)

•  3DTS_P42_189 .txt (3.65K)
  Number of downloads: 1

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

Just an FYI - I had EXACTLY the same issue while testing my steam locomotive and some boxcars - I'll see if I can still recreate it with the new version of ORST now that I know it wasn't just me... I think this happened with the 4.4 problem ReShade loaded... I haven't seen it since switching back to 4.3... In fact I recorded a video of it - it looked so absurd...

Regards,
Scott