[Csantucci]

I am preparing a test bed to test the EOT code that I have written.
As EOT I mean the device at the end of the train that can transmit to the lead locomotive the brake pipe pressure in the last car, and that (if it works two-way) may vent the brake pipe to contribute to an emergency braking (either by specific command to the EOT or by a driver or TCS initiated emergency braking.

For the spec definition I again had as reference the ES44DC manual.

The EOT enable sequence for a two-way EOT is the following one:
- train driver started comm test (lead locomotive to EOT) (EOT passes from Disarmed to Armed State)
- EOT local test; its positive result passes the EOT to (Two-way) Arm Now State
- train driver arm command passes the EOT to Two-Way Armed state.

cvf controls added are as following:
- ORTS_EOT_BRAKE_PIPE : displays the value of the brake pipe pressure at last wagon. The display is always enabled (even if the EOT is disarmed), because this display could be available also with other ways; however it is possible to mask the display using a texture driven by the EOT state.
- ORTS_EOT_STATE_DISPLAY : may have values from 0 to 5, corresponding to following states
Disarmed,
CommTestOn,
Armed,
LocalTestOn,
ArmNow,
ArmedTwoWay
- ORTS_EOT_ID : the EOT ID is generated as a 5-digit random number and can be displayed in the cab using this control; entering the ID by the train driver is not supported, as the .cvf files don't support as of now digital data entry
- ORTS_EOT_COMM_TEST : driver command that starts the communication test between locomotive and EOT
- ORTS_EOT_ARM_TWO_WAY : driver command passes the EOT from ArmNow to ArmedTwoWay
- ORTS_EOT_DISARM : passes the EOT to disarmed state
- ORTS_EOT_EMERGENCY_BRAKE (on-off): lets the EOT venting the brake pipe from the last train car.

As default Steam locomotives don't have EOTs; Electric locomotives have one-way EOTs (no practical effect as of now); Diesel locomotives have two-way EOTs.
The default can be overridden with parameter ORTSEOTEnabled within the engine() section of the .eng file, which can assume following values:
No
OneWay
TwoWay

EOTs are initialized at the Disarmed state (which is the same as not having the EOT).
EOTs of AI trains (electric or diesel-led) are initialized at one-way armed state.
EOTs are assigned to the train. So, when the train composition is modified, the existing EOT is "deleted" and a new one, if any, is defined.

At the moment I have defined only the possibility to enter EOT commands by mouse; I will probably add also the keyboard commands, but finding a suitable keyboard command set is becoming frustrating, as ther are not many key combinations free, a (too) big quantity should be reserved to debugging purposes, and many are reserved to steam locomotives.

Further specs of the feature are here http://www.elvastowe...post__p__281773

ATM the feature will be available only in ORNYMG, because there are too many files where the changes are adjacent to the DP code. When the PR about DP cab display and commands will be merged in the official testing release, also this feature will be proposed for the Unstable release.
The DP cab display and commands PR has just been approved, so that this feature will be proposed also for the Unstable release.

[ebnertra000]

It sounds promising so far. Will this also include an EOTD object placed on the last car?

[ErickC]

I still have one that I'm more than happy to donate.

[Csantucci]

Erick,
thank you for your kind offer.
I see two problems in automatically adding and removing a physical EOT to/from the end of a train:
1) the EOT should be automatically positioned in a location which is compatible with all types of cars. Is this possible?
2) maybe having the EOTs appearing/disappearing when composing a new train is not so nice to see.

What do you think about these points?

I have also three general questions:
1) can American passenger trains too have two-way EOTs?
2) is the EOT connected to the brake pipe after the rear angle cock of last car?
3) what does the string "Marker ON" (referred to EOT) within the main display page mean?

[cjakeman]

Csantucci, on 15 January 2022 - 01:57 PM, said:

ATM the feature will be available only in ORNYMG, because there are too many files where the changes are adjacent to the DP code. When the PR about DP cab display and commands will be merged in the official testing release, also this feature will be proposed for the Unstable release.

The PR for Distributed Power Cab Disaply and Controls has now been approved and merged.

[Csantucci]

cjakeman, on 16 January 2022 - 01:57 AM, said:

The PR for Distributed Power Cab Disaply and Controls has now been approved and merged.

Thank you. I have modified my above sentence.

[railguy]

To answer Carlo's Question #2 above, the EOT (FRED) is connected to the air hose ("glad hand") of the rear car, so it would be "after" the angle cock. Obviously, in prototypical operation, the EOT must be removed when switching cars when coupling to the rear car. Having the EOT as a "wagon" on the MSTS/OR consist is a problem. What might be better would be to call an EOT a "device" rather than a "wagon" and allow it to be added or removed at anytime using the F9 window. The EOT could still have its own shape, etc., but would not be considered as a wagon in the consist. Maybe set up an option in the F9 window where the player could click on a wagon (or locomotive) in the consist and select "Add/Remove EOT at rear" or "Add/Remove EOT at front" of the selected wagon or locomotive.

As an aside, most US train consists do not use an EOT when there is a DPU coupled to the rear of the train. I have seen some photos of Canadian trains with an EOT attached to the rear of the rear DPU--not sure why.

[Paul B]

Hi;

The EOT would be a great feature. railguy's suggestion of having the ability to select a car (maybe via the F9 window) and place/remove the EOT is a great idea. Could this even allow for some less high-tech end of train devices such as tail lamps, marker boards or red flags used in some countries.

Without going too far off topic this amounts to having the ability to switch on or off or swap a [freightanim?] shape at run time. This opens up quite a few other possibilities beyond just EOT markers. Destination signs, head codes, marker flags, train numbers in number boards etc etc.

-Paul

[ebnertra000]

Since, in most parts of the World, placement of End-of-train markers is fairly standard, it should be feasible to have an object representing the device on the end of the last (or first) car. I would imagine an object designed at the proper height- and widthwise placement being placed at the end of the car, based on the car's length data. Of course, it must know if the last car's been flipped.

The process should not necessarily be automatic, so they don't constantly appear and disappear during switching movements. I figure an F9 option for cars/engines on each end of a train would suffice.

It's also worth noting that not every end-of-train marker will send data to the lead unit, since markers (at least here in N. America) can vary from fancy two-way-telemetry devices, down to a red flag. I'm not sure about the rest of the World, but I'm sure it varies within rail networks, there, too

[roeter]

ebnertra000, on 16 January 2022 - 07:06 AM, said:

I'm not sure about the rest of the World, but I'm sure it varies within rail networks, there, too

Generally, in the European Union countries, present situation is :

• Freight trains : general markers, placed on or near buffers. Can be either one or two.
  
• Loco-hauled passenger trains : virtually all now have build-in tail lights which can be switched on from within the car.
  
• EMU/DMU : all have build-in tail lights controlled from the cab.

None of these have any sort of interaction.

Basically, such devices have been around for a long time with some variations over time.

Regards,
Rob Roeterdink

[ATW]

This indeed is a needed key an the suggestions are good. I always deal with EOT good an bad an arming them are easy but some can transmit with a delay of communication both arming an transmitting BP readings.

But my suggestion to make it simple for existing EOT an new to come is add a simple Parameter to ENG/WAG EOTD lines that ORTS can read in a con or lose consists to tell a difference in the F9 window what type of wag/eng. Suggestion is

1. Why not code something that allows users to physically jump the qualified EOT or marker to a position in the F9 as if it was your consist editor when parameter permits. Parameter type suggestion is so we may reduce having cheaters switching an jumping cars to new position without switching lol.

2. Have the EOTD visible or invisible option with a simple click like as if it was activating deactivating an animation.

Reason why I think ENG an WAG capabilities for EOTD is because some newer EOT devices help apply the trainline BP when air is set so air doesn't always travel in a domino effect way starting from controlling headend just like DPU's can do if enabled by the engineer so EOT as ENG file instead of typical WAG. But we have not gotten into that section yet for DPU yet helping with air applications an releases.

[railguy]

The big issue with the EOT in MSTS/OR is that it is a "wagon" with its own couplers and bounding boxes. Recently, I was running an activity with an older consist and every time that I would make a brake application, I was getting a wheel kid warning on one "wagon." Yep, the EOT. However the EOT issue is finally addressed in OR, the EOT should not be treated as a wagon by the sim!

[Csantucci]

I'm now sharing here the state-of-the-art. I have developed a first version of the EOT operation and of the in-cab interactions.
After this I'll try to find a solution on how to manage the visual presence (and absence) of the EOT at the end of the train.
I have again used the excellent Borislav's SVTX GE ES44AC cabs as starting point. I have added in a rough way what was needed to perform the tests, so the shown layout is not at all an officially publishable solution. I'm showing the operation with the help of a bunch of screenshots (click to enlarge).

At game start, the EOT is not linked to the loco; therefore the "Rear" field doesn't show the brake pipe pressure at the last car; "Marker" is set to "Off" and "EM" to "Disabled". It is supposed that the number of the EOT has been already entered (as already said, this number changes at every train run, but is saved on saves and restores).

After pressign button F2 below the soft button "EOT"...

the EOT setup screen page appears. As can be seen, the Connection Test field shows "Failed" and the EOT status field is "Disarmed".

After pressing button F5 below soft button "Comm Test"....

following screen page appears. In the F5 HUD now a line shows that the Communications Test is running (I'm supposing it requires 5 seconds).


After these 5 seconds the Connection Test field shows "Passed" and the EOT status shows "One Way". in the "Rear" field the brake pipe pressure at the last car appears.
The F5 shows "LocalTestOn": a crew member is on earth near the EOT and tests it. I have inserted a timeout of 25 seconds here. It is likely to be smaller than in reality, but I don't like have the player waiting minutes here.


After the 25 seconds the EOT status shows "Arm Now". The EOT is ready to be armed two-way.

After pressing button F7 below soft button "Arm Two-Way...

following screen page appears. The EOT status shows now "Armed"
If we pressed now button F6 below soft button "Disarm" we would return to the start of the EOT setup.

We instead press button F8 below soft button "Exit" and return so to the main screen page.

Now the marker shows the "On" state and the EM field shows "Enabled".


Now the EOT is fully functional and we may e.g. command it to perform an emergency brake by opening the brake pipe at the last car. The cab doesn't show the lever to perform it, so in order to test I added a switch at the left of the cab (the one with the orange rectangle below). If I click on it you can see on the F5 window that the BP pressure drops practially istantaneously (this is what the OR physics shows when opening the rear angle coc of last car).

If I now click on the switch again...

the pressure slowly rises again.


As per specification, the EOT contributes to the emergency braking also when the train brake lever is moved up to the Emergency position


... and also when the Emergency brake pushbutton is pressed

[Borislav]

This is absolutely amazing! You are making huge progress here!

[ATW]

No kidding this is great progress! I might even video the operation an setup of the real one tonight.