[Rogue]

Hi,

I want to bring up the following topic conc. the "Steuerwagen" in OR (I don't know the english translation for this kind of waggon).

A Steuerwagen is coupled at the end of a passenger train so that the driver can operate the train from there without a switch of the engine.
The Steuerwagen has no own motor, only a console so that the engine on the other side of the train can be operated.



In the MSTS these Steuerwagen have an engine-file so that they can be operated by the player.
Some publishers as German Railroads or Halycon included two engine-files for each Steuerwagen: a diesel- and an electric version.
For each version, there must be a fitting engine in the train.
If that's the case, it works fine in OR.

However, if I have a Diesel-Steuerwagen and an electric engine in the train, it doesn't work in OR...but it works somehow in MSTS.
At least with Steuerwagen-models which are made by ProTrain.

Is there a possibility to find out how it works and implement this in OR as well ?
I attached the eng-file from the Steuerwagen in question.
I don't know if the "trick" lies within the entries in the eng-file or in MSTS itself.

All the Best

 PT-FU-RE160-STW-S.eng (29.07K)
Number of downloads: 178

[markus_GE]

I will do a check on that behavior with some Austrian cab-cars (that´s the term B) ) of which I only have - well, two versions ;) - ENG and WAG, though IDK now what engine type the ENG is set up as ...

Cheers, Markus

[markus_GE]

Quick follow-up: The concerned ENG is set up as electric. I´m. however, still suffering from a Windows update gone wrong yesterday and will have to re-install .NET framework in order to (hopefully) bring ORTS back to life. It seems to have been uninstalled (at least, I and ORTS seem to be unable to find it) in the course of the update, and when something went wrong... well, you get it. B)

Cheers, Markus

[markus_GE]

Luckily, the installer finished with .NET right when I clicked "Post" for the above reply, and I could now do my tests.

Having the cab-car set up as an un-powered electric loco worked fine with an electric loco shoving.

Having the cab-car shoved by a diesel engine also worked.

I have no cab-car set up as a diesel and trying to convert my electric one to diesel only crashed ORTS (I must have overlooked something in the ENG file), so I can´t test a "diesel" cab car with an electric loco.


Anyway, my thoughts after the test I did are the following: In order to move an electric loco, it´s pantographs must first be lifted (or better, at least one). This works without problems with the consist I used in the first test - the shoving loco lifts is panto as expected.

In the second test there is no panto to be brought in contact with the catenary, so I tried to move the train with panto lifted (worked) and with it down (worked too). The outcomes are no surprise with a diesel engine pushing, so everything fine here too.

I imagine, however, that with a "diesel" cab-car and an electric engine, it is not possible to lift the electric´s pantograph, which thus has no power to move the train. The problem seem to me, that in MSTS all keyboard inputs are defined "globally", IE they seem not to be bound to the type of engine you are currently operating (where your 1 view is). In ORTS, however, this seems to be the case - you seem to have 3 separately defined keyboard sets that seem to be activated according to the type of engine your 1 view is in. Thus, when you´re in a diesel engine (the cab-car) you have no way of lifting the panto of the electric, other than first changing to the loco´s cab.

Can anybody who knows the code confirm what I wrote about keyboard inputs tied to loco types in ORTS? If it´s right, there probably is no more doubt about the rest, logically.

And Rogue, could you please try switching to the loco, lifting the panto, and switching to the cab-car again? (Ctrl + E to switch cabs, if you haven´t changed it to something else than the default).

Cheers, Markus

[Rogue]

Hi Markus,

thanks for looking after this (and for the translation :-)).

You are right: as you can see from my attached picture, all the data displayed in the upper left corner are refering to a diesel-engine so I'm unable to lift the pantograph.

Going into the loco to lift it seems a good idea. I'll try that this evening and give you an update.

All the Best
Boris

[Rogue]

Hi Markus,

your idea worked fine.
Thanks for the enlightment ! :-)

All the Best
Boris

[markus_GE]

You´re welcome :)

Anyway, I wouldn´t consider this as done yet. You say, a diesel cab-car works with an electric loco in MSTS, right? If so, I guess also ORTS should be capable of doing that. As you said, it is, with some detours along the way. Now my question to the team, is this a bug or not? (Having to switch to the electric loco to raise the panto).

Cheers, Markus

[Rogue]

Yes, that's correct.
The MSTS allows that combination.
I'm not quite sure but I remember that the loco's panto (at least the one I tried) was already raised when the game started.
Maybe that is the trick to avoid the cabview-change.

[disc]

in english this is called as "control car"

[roeter]

disc, on 05 August 2014 - 12:01 PM, said:

in english this is called as "control car"

US-English, that is.
In UK-English, it is called a 'driving trailer'.

Regards,
Rob Roeterdink