Train 1-720 Incident Kurth - Koln Eifeltor

[pblanksb]

Running Rheingold 1996 timetable, at 0206hrs train 1-720 stops on track 104 between Hurth and Koln-Eifeltor and shows as 'Incident' in the Train Overview. Train 42609 was passing in the opposite direction at the time so my first thought was that 42609 conveyed an out-of-gauge load and 720 may have struck it. After 30 minutes 720 still had not rung in, so I called the train and got the "Nothing wrong, just operating my train" response.

I started a new sim and held 720 in Kurth station track 004 until train 42609 had passed clear onto track 001 so the two trains were not passing each other on adjacent lines. When 720 departed it stopped on track 104 again, and showed incident. I restarted the sim again and the same thing happened.

Is there a bug here?

I have saved the sim if that would be of help.

Regards,

Phil.

[Helmut]

Hi Phil,

no there is no bug. Only the engine driver's answer should not be "Nothing wrong, ..." but "you have sent me to the wrong direction..."

Train 720 is an IC and has to go to KK (Köln Hbf) via tracks 102, 904 and 902. Track 104 leads to KKE (Köln Eifeltor) which is a large container terminal.

So you have to decide: passenger trains - destination KK, cargo trains - destination KKE.

On the correct way train 720 will not stop.

Regards

Helmut

[pblanksb]

Thanks Helmut, I don't know how I didn't see I'd signalled 720 towards the wrong route. I'll get him going in the right direction.

In real life the driver should stop and query the route before taking the wrong route. It happens like that in the British 'Simsig' simulations, yet in Signalsoft sims the train takes the wrong route and then the driver rings to complain. Very frustrating as it is too late to do anything about the routing error by then.

Regards,

Phil.

[Helmut]

Hi Phil,

yes, you're right. Only in Cologne (Köln Hbf) the driver calls already when standing in front of the signal showing the wrong direction. But in that sim he sometimes complains without reason.

Have a good night

Helmut

[signalsoftRC]

Rule one is: don't set a route into the wrong direction! :-)

rule two is more complicated... IF the signaller does it wrong, as he is a human and WILL make errors.What happens then?

1. the driver has a special direction indicator. In Germany there is a single letter shown with the first letter geographical next larger location. (in most situations)

If the driver sees the "wrong letter" for his direction he will stop and ask. (This is also the case in Cologne, hence you set the route with the 7xx,6xx,5xx type of routing buttons, just to light up the correct letter at the platform...)

2. the driver can recognize the direction by the signal aspect. Where he would normally expect full speed in a junction, he then gets a slow aspect. He'll stop and ask.

3. The driver doesn't get a letter or a different aspect.... he has no clue by the aspect where he is going.. so he assumes that the signaller does a proper job and goes... until he discovers that he's gone wrong... stops and asks...

we do all these three things in our sims. And they're spread out over the sims...

Please, don't assume that "how it's doing in England they do it everywhere also"... as there are many differences over the systems....

A nice difference in the Netherlands is: if the driver sees he's going the wrong way, he MUST continue until the signal AFTER the junction. He then will be instructed to switch cab and return to continue his route.

This because: most of the times you can't stop BEFORE the junction and you would hold up all other traffic.... Signalling a train in the wrong direction in the netherlands is therefore extremely rare. (also it 99% automatic route setting).

In Germany it happens many more times. Even with the automatic route setting. Once even over 50-60 km... it was a later signaller that discovered the train was heading the wrong way... Even the driver hadn't noticed. All humans... all at work. And it's not a safety issue... fortunately.

[JulianG]

train 1-720 stops on track 104 between Hurth and Koln-Eifeltor and shows as 'Incident' in the Train Overview ... After 30 minutes 720 still had not rung in, so I called the train and got the "Nothing wrong, just operating my train" response.

...

Only the engine driver's answer should not be "Nothing wrong, ..." but "you have sent me to the wrong direction..."

Train 720 is an IC and has to go to KK (Köln Hbf) via tracks 102, 904 and 902. Track 104 leads to KKE (Köln Eifeltor) which is a large container terminal.

I have experienced the same error in KKAS and expained it here: http://www.signalsoft.info/forum/index.php?showtopic=2143

Apparently, there seems to be something wrong in the simulation, as misguided trains will just stop doing nothing instead of calling the dispatcher, as it's done in other simulations.

Julian