I just started to set up JMRI Operations and have run into a problem. I am not using to run trains but only create a manifest. I have been able to create a route and assemble a train. I am work on my second route and train. Here is the problem.
Train leaves Wolfcreek mine with four loaded ORE cars.
Arrives at Chama Interchange where there are 4 empty ORE cars on the siding.
Here is where the problem starts. Theses empty cars are supposed to be retunded to Wolfcreek Mine.
I am getting a messege that it can not put the loaded cars on the siding because there are cars there and not enough room. It needs to pull the cars off the siding and then put the new cars in.
I’ve never ran a layout using computer programs, JMRI, and such, so you either unplug the technical stuff and do it the way a real railroad would do it, OR the way your JMRI says, couple to the empties with the train of loaded cars, pull the empties out, park them on the main, and then shove the full cars into the siding.
And if your computer and JMRI don’t like that, tell it to shut up and be quiet.
It’s YOUR choice, YOUR railroad, not JMRI’s
Is this like the talking HAL, in the movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey ?
Thats what I do now with my own manifest. What is neat about JMRI is when you finish a session it will now remember where all the cars are and reshuffle the deck with different cars.
OK, well, what ever you like doing. I’m just a one man show, with a one man layout, no other operators, so I’ve never had a problem of remembering where cars are, as I can see them, and I’ve always “shuffled” my own deck as to what cars I need for the next switching ops.
You aren’t doing anything wrong. That’s the “normal” way Ops works.
But you want it to be more aggressive, pulling those cars first, then dropping the empties. So what you need to do is go into your build options and select “aggressive”. That should get it to work the way you want.
Yes you can do it on a per train basis, but you have to set the global setting to aggressive, then “use normal mode when building” in the specific train options
So, what happens if you try to “disobey” JMRI, and do what you want, or need to do, does it shut the power down? display a huge flashing “ERROR” message?
I do use JMRI for decoders, never tried the operations thing.
The JMRI Operations program allows you to create computer generated train Manifests for your railroad. A train Manifest details the work that a crew will perform during an operations session. The Manifest provides a list of car pick up and set outs and shows where the cars are located and where they should be eventually positioned on the railroad. The program allows you to enter a roster of cars and locomotives, define locations (stations) on the railroad, and routes for trains to travel. The car roster includes information about the car, including road, number, type of car, color, length, weight, load, date built, and owner. Trains are assigned routes that define locations or stations where cars can be picked up or set out. Features include the ability to control what car types, roads, and car loads a location or industry can service, the available track space for a location, and the maximum length the train can be between any two locations in the train’s route.
Locations can have spurs, yards, staging and classification/interchange tracks. Spurs are used to service industries, and can optionally have schedules assigned to them which allows for very fine control over car movement and loads. Trains can be configured to require a caboose or car with Flashing Rear End Device (FRED). The program generates Manifests for each train and switch lists for any location. A switch list for a location shows the work for all of the trains that will
It is pretty obvious where the EOT device belongs, but I don’t think anyone yet has made an HO scale (or smaller) portable one(that works, anyway) - they are built in to the car, like the Ring one, or the Bachmann car that comes with one preinstalled. So slightly unprototypical, you have to put a specific car facing a specific way at the end of the train. If using a dummy one that just sits ont he coupler like a real one, I suppose there’s no reason for the program to notify you of this, you know to stick it on the last car at the end of the train.
Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, but it’s not what was quoted - It says “Trains can be configured to require a caboose or car with Flashing Rear End Device (FRED).” (Emphasis added)
So when you build a train that requires one, Ops will add it. But whether the train requires one or not is entirely up to you. As I mentioned, there are lots of preferences you can set to customize Ops to your need/desires.
For example, on my layout trains require a caboose. But I have two different roads (one is a run-through layover) as well as transfer cabeese. So Ops not only picks a caboose, it picks the “right” caboose for each train.
Could I do that manually, or with car cards, or whatever? Of course! But a couple extra keystrokes when I set up Ops, and now it does it for me.
JMRI produces the railroad equivalent of what we used to call a “work order”, which is the equivalent of a switch list for a local or industry job.
It won’t produce a prototypical train list and it won’t produce a prototypical yard switch list (but then there was only 1 model railroad program that I know of that did that and its developer has passed, so its unsupported freeware).
Having said that, if you want computer generated lists to switch your industries, its the best system I have seen or tried. And its free.
Thanks guys, I could see where a switch list would be something different for my small ops., something to try.
Especially for the food plant, “Grandma Ginger’s” Foods". There are hoppers for the mill ops, including incoming grain, and out going processed flour to other plants, sweetners, oil, and tomato paste, etc., in tank cars, and reefers for incoming gaylords of frozen fruits and vegies, and outbound package products.
The trans load area can get busy as well.
The plastic injection plant and the pulp wood landing are pretty straight forward.
I guess the only thing is, JMRI is on my laptop, up in my office, with the PR4 and test track for decoder work, and not connected to the layout.
You seem to be well versed on JMRI. So I have another question?
Before JMRI one of my trains had a simple run as other trains were running ops. My layout is 10’ x 16 ’ so one train must be simple.
It started at with TWO loaded log cars at Mill Creek Lumber.
Went to Balwin Sawmill where there are TWO empty log cars.
It said to pull the two empties from Balwin and replace with the loaded car. This is correct.
But in the other example above it would not let me do that at the interchange with the ore cars. Setting is still on NORMAL. Does it have anythng to do with it is called an INTERCHANGE instead of a SPUR?
In the lumber example it is doing one other strange thing. It is supposed to return to Millcreek lumber with the empty cars. The Manafest routes the train for an additional PU and when it returns To Mill Creek it puts One of the empties at MILL CREEK LUMER ( Which is correct ) but spots the other empty at the Millcreek Spur next store. Will this correct itself on it’s next run?
I have Ops configured for my layout, and I’ve used several of the preferences/options to get to that point. But there’s a lot of it I haven’t used or experimented with, so I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an expert.
That said, to answer your first question, yes, interchanges are treated differently than spurs. That’s why Ops has different types of track designations. Each one has it’s own use case, set of rules, etc. They’re all described in the Help.
For your second question (Mill Creek vs Millcreek), I suspect it’s because you’ve allowed off-spot cars in the same town. Or possibly you made the Milcreek Spur an alternate track for Mill Creek Lumber? Whether or not it “corrects itself” depends on why it p
Makes sence. Tomorrow I will change the inerchange to a Spur. and see if that works. I think it will as the other Spurs are swaping cars. I will also remove Lumber car from the other Spur. If you would keep checking this tread I would appreciare it as I am sure I will have other question but I have not got the time to look all the time.
I would suggest that you read the Ops help sections describing the different track types and what the purpose/ability/restrictions are for each type.
A much better option would be for you to join the jmriusers list on groups.io and post your Ops questions there. Folks with way more experience with and knowledge of Ops than I have, including the developer who writes the code, hang out there and can give you authoritative answers.