Hi,
Rocrail isn't the easiest concept to get along with, but I am reading through the wiki and guides.

I managed to get a loco to runs through a route, but no more, and I don't know why.

As soon as I tell is to go, it puts the name of the loco in the destination block and turns the background yellow. Yellow means block is reserved it says. I've reset the blocks, and all locos, tried restarting, but it insists the block is reserved.

Get this in the trace:

20200204.144103.000 r4201a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0121 Setting state for "MY1121" from LC_INITDEST to LC_CHECKROUTE.
20200204.144104.101 r9999a MY1121 ORoute 0926 blockid [bk43] in route [NEWsdrfgd] is --from--
20200204.144104.101 r9999a MY1121 OBlock 3526 depart loco [MY1121] from block [bk43]
20200204.144104.101 r4202a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0142 setting signals...(useCurBlock4Signals=0)
20200204.144104.101 r4204a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0189 curBlock [bk43]
20200204.144104.101 r4204a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0195 next1Block [bk7]
20200204.144104.101 r4204a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0201 next1Route [NEWsdrfgd]
20200204.144104.101 r9999a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0231 no second next block available: YELLOW
20200204.144104.101 r9999a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0122 check signal pair: route=NEWsdrfgd block=bk43 fromTo=true signalpair=false sgpair=2
20200204.144104.101 r9999a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0376 set signals in block [bk7]
20200204.144104.101 r9999a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0122 check signal pair: route=NEWsdrfgd block=bk7 fromTo=true signalpair=true sgpair=2
20200204.144104.102 r4201a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0116 Setting state for "MY1121" from LC_CHECKROUTE to LC_PRE2GO.
20200204.144104.202 r4201a CFC17700 OLcDrive 0051 Setting state for [MY1121] from LC_PRE2GO to LC_GO.

Any help appreciated.

Hi,

14:58:41 loco [MY1121] is in block [bk43] and should travel to [bk7]

And

MY1121 5 bk43 <0% >auto bk7

And then nothing. Lights are on on the loco and the block sensor can see it's there.

But I have tried lots of different things. Sometimes it says <wait, sometimes <auto... Either way, nothing ever happens.

Thanks

Hi,

Yes, manual works from Rocrail and the CS3.

I just tried a manual run, and it went to the destination block, and when it hit "In", it stopped and changed the lights over.
I then dragged it back to the the original block, and it changed lights and started going in the wrong direction, but that's just a matter of swapping direction, I assume.
Problem is, after that, I couldn't get it to move again. It's like it thinks it's gone somewhere else, and I can't get it to understand it's still in the same block.

I ran out of time, will look at it again after work.

Thanks

It would be great if we could develop a rocrail FAQ that is specific to Marklin users and includes links to resources such as the Rocrail forum, english section.

Great to hear of others experiences using it on this thread. Thanks all.

Mark Five.

Ok, I will try. But this is what put me off last time I looked at it:

"Update the Rocrail installation. This is essential :!: Rocrail Update"

1) They don't use proper version numbers, they use some nightly build number system that doesn't add up
2) I use Debian and it's installed as a package and I would rather leave it that way

Thanks

I'd be happy to include the Rocrail file format extension(s) so you can attach it to a post...

Hi,

I spent too much time on this yesterday with work etc, will do some testing over the weekend.

Can't remember the manual test, I didn't use drag-n-drop, maybe it was a different test were it stopped and changed lights.

It's must be something simple causing this, I have read the step-by-step start-up guide several times, but it's not very good at explaining.

I still don't understand the '<', '>' & '-' signs in the loco status window. Nor really what the difference between 'auto' and 'wait' is and these things don't seem to be in the Rocrail wiki.

At one point the trace window did tell me the block didn't accept trains in the direction I was coming from, so that was helpful, but I haven't had that since. I'm sure it's just a direction problem somewhere, but it's odd how I can sometimes go from block 1 to 2, and it seems to kinda want to go from 2 to 1 after that, but nothing else, and I can't get it to accept picking up the loco and manually placing it.

At the moment I only have one route set-up, between adjacent blocks '7' and '43' and back. I believe I have set the entry direction correctly.

I will post up some screenshots later in the week or over the weekend.

Thanks.

P.S. Found this, will have a read: https://wiki.rocrail.net/doku.php?id=loc-tab-en

Why can you not run the train back down the track?

I suspect the reason it won't run after you manually move it using "the hand of god" it looses track of where the loco is and thinks it is still at its destination. Now there is something it knows is at the source point it shows the track as occupied, but it doesn't know it is the same loco.

Hi, I couldn't find all the files you asked for but:

http://www.morsing.cc/Trains/plan.xml
http://www.morsing.cc/Trains/occ.xml
http://www.morsing.cc/Trains/rocrail.ini

Another problem that has now started is that the sensors in RocRail are no longer activated. They work fine on the CS3, just nothing happens on RocRail.

Yesterday, by magic, the train actually went from bk7 to bk43, except it didn't stop because Rocrail no longer sees the sensors. But after that, I couldn't get it to move again.

Can someone explain how all the + - < > need to be set on the loco from, to block and speed, combined with the < > in the blocks for the train to move? I'm sure the only problem here is my lack of understanding, and reading the Rocrail Wiki still hasn't made me come to any epiphany.

Also, what 'mode' do I set it to? I keep flicking between auto modes, to try to activate it. Maybe the problem some of the time is it's in half-automatic mode rather than fully automatic? How do I set it to fully automatic?

Thanks

Hi Juhan

XML File downloading:
I order to retrieve Morsing's files, when I click on the file it opens a new tab with html view of the file. So I selected the content and recreated the file (copy-paste into an xml editor and save the file. Doing this apparently may have truncated the file. Is there a way to attach an xml file to a message in this forum?
Thank you for your help
Jean

Hi Morsing (again)

I suggest to start from a working demo plan as it can be downloaded from here https://wiki.rocrail.net/doku.php?id=download-int at about mid page.
Before this you need to save your work by copying all 5 files to a back-up durectory (plan.xml, rocrail.ini, rocview.ini, locofile.xml, occ.xml)
Then load it in your rocrail working directory while Rocrail is not started and then start Rocrail.

Recommended practice:
- each block must have a sensor on each side at least (usually ENTER sensor and IN sensor)
- make a simple layout representing your layout (typically a loop of track or more.
- all tracks are by default bi-directional. If you wish Rocrail not to consider both directions, insert a special track in the way between 2 block (track plan/edit panel then right click were you want to insert the direction track and select Add Item Track/Direction.
- possibly add branch lines (ending with a buffer and a block (with one or 2 sensors). The block in this branch line must tick "terminal station" (or at least "allow change direction") in its properties.
Rocrail will do for you all the final checking and create the routes. Check to Step by step tutorial here https://wiki.rocrail.net/doku.ph...bystep-en#the_track-plan
Rocrail can analyse your project or clean it using file/router/routing. Attention it wil erase all routes and create new and clean ones. It will also program all track symbols so that when a route is selected, all symbols used by that route will turn yellow. So periodically save your work by saving the 5 files mentioned.

If the plan is not healthy (i.e.: not suitable for operation, it will indicated in the lower left corner of the screen what the problems are.
In your case with the plan I have received it says:

13:14:40 Plan is NOT healthy. See previous ERROR lines.
13:14:40 ERROR: plan position[15-3-0] object[tk] id[tk13] overlaps object[bk] id[bk2]
13:14:40 ERROR: plan position[14-3-0] object[tk] id[tk3] overlaps object[bk] id[bk2]
13:14:40 ERROR: plan position[13-3-0] object[tk] id[tk2] overlaps object[bk] id[bk2]

Where all positions indicate the x (horizontal), y (vertical), z (layer) of the problematic entry. Example plan position[15-3-0] shows that item in the 15 th row and 3rd line is problematic.

My advice is to start from a simple and healthy plan, save all files, make a limited number of changes, test for health, simulate the operation (by activating sensors and starting trains, or use the drag and drop. once tested OK then save all files and make new changes.

cheers
Jean

Hi,

It's just that my whole station is screwed down, so it's not that easy just starting over. I have only set-up one bi-directional route between two adjacent blocks, one being a end bit, maybe I need to define it as a dead end?

My version of RocRail does not have File -> Router -> Routing, I have seen that mentioned on the Wiki as well.

Henrik

P.S. Our garage roof blew off yesterday and the rain drenched the inside. My train setup is in there, so spent the day rescuing what we could. Might have to cut out new baseboards if they warp :-(

Hi Henrik
Sorry for your garage roof. I hope the damage will be minor
In the meantime you will be able to play with Rocrail using simulation
Cheers
Jean

I can only count myself lucky that I was actually in the garage when it happened. If not, there would have been severe damage to a lot of things. Swift operation with help from my wife saw most things only damp rather than wet.

So, just tried Virtual running, and it works a treat. Back and forth to the little loco's heart's content. Only thing I need to do is swap placing at each end, I don't even have to click the sensors..

And running the train has always worked in manual mode, no problem there.

It was slightly odd when the sensors suddenly wasn't working in Rocrail, my the train wouldn't run even before that.

To correct some of the plan errors reported, what do the location numbers mean? " Track symbol in 35-15 overlaps with another one"?

As mentioned before, I don't have a routing tool in the file menu. Also, there is no-where I can find to set a block as an end station?

Thanks

A simple way to have the loco change direction when entering a dead end is to create a function (going into TABLES/ACTIONS) with a name like LOCOSWAP. TYPE: locomotive; COMMAND: swap; ID: left blank
Next is to insert in blocks of deadends an ACTION LOCOSWAP with STATE: in and TIMER: 2000

The result is: any loco entering any block (during the "in" phase) where this ACTION is will change direction after 2 seconds (TIMER=2000)
Cheers
Jean

Hi,

My version does not have the routing menu and it does not have the terminal station setting either.

I looked at upgrading but the only downloads available are from 2010, I can't see that being any newer than mine.

https://launchpad.net/rocrail/+download

Thanks

Thanks, but as soon as I click on Linux, it goes to that weird place from 2010.

I will upgrade RocView though, if that will help, but RocView and RocRail will probably just be even more out of sync, version-wise.

Thanks

P.S. Aha! Upgrading RocView made both "Router" and "Terminal Station" appear!

P.P.S. The entries in the Router menu do nothing, and Terminal Station is greyed out.

Hi,

Garage roof covered up, had a friend come round yesterday to play with this RocRail things.

I now know what the problem is, it's what I suspected all along:

*** I do not understand how it works! ***

And reading the Wiki doesn't really seem to help either.

Once again, randomly, 1-in-20 times, we got the loco to run through the route, only half the times it tried running in the wrong direction.

So, what the problem is here is the "Swap placing" and "Swap block enter side".

So:

1) Does the little block arrow always have to point in the loco's exit direction out of the block?
2) Once the enter side it correct, how can you tell if the "placing" is correct? Nothing seems to indicate the placing, or is it one of the symbols in the loco list? If so, how should it be set?
3) Why can't RocRail figure out when it needs to change direction? "Allow change direction" is set in the block, why do I have to do it by manual control?


Thanks

Thanks, but... I haven't. Look at the server window at the bottom left. I selected block 43, which it seemed to accept, so no idea why it put block 9 on the loco.

Is there anything else wrong?

Ah! Thanks a lot, that could be the cause of a lot of my problems! Don't know why the documentation doesn't mention this...

The only problem is why it didn't go to 9 in the first place, but that might be another directional issue.

Is there a way to see the destination queue for a loco?

Just to re-iterate what Peter is saying:

The arrow in the block is the direction the train is facing and must travel (irrespective of whether the loco itself is set to move forward/reverse, that is called swap placing - dont use it unless you want the train in reverse)
If the arrow is pointing in the wrong direction, simply right click on the loco and select 'swap block enter side' - assuming the loco is correctly placed on the track.

To set a destination, you right click on the loco and choose 'set destination'. The block chosen must have a valid route from where it currently is.
Then, once you start auto mode it will set that block as its destination.
Otherwise if you start auto mode normally it will randomly choose a destination based on routes available and other things you can set (such as train type, block length etc)

Also handy, if you set a loco destination and change your mind but the train is still in its original block, you right click and select 'soft reset loco auto mode'



It's documented, though it can be hard to understand or hard to find.

https://wiki.rocrail.net/doku.php?id=direction-en

Hi,

To keep a long story short, I upgraded RocRail as well, finally, fixed some problems, and the "router" now works! Excellent.

I'm getting to grips with the directional thing, although still not quite sure about block enter side / logical swap / train direction. Sometimes I have to set the block arrow to point away from where I want to go, and it then swaps it when I start going. Odd.

I still have some problems though, some sort of permission issue.

I can merrily got back and forth between bk43 / bk7 / bk9 in the diagram posted further up, but if I try to go to bk8 or bk9, nothing happens. It's very frustrating that it logs so much info, but not why it won't go. Log say "Go", but nothing moves.

In the interest of teaching a man to fish, how can I troubleshoot why a train just doesn't move? It sets all the points correctly, and it doesn't complain if I drive it there half-automatically, but it won't go to or *from* bk8 or bk9 automatically.

Thanks

Thanks but, as above, I'd rather learn how to fix it than someone fix it for me.

Sorry, the second bk9 should have been bk37.

The routes are definitely there, the routes are what sets the points, which works. Also, half-automatic running works and even in automatic it says it's all ready to go, it just doesn't go...

I'll poke around some more.

P.S. It's probably just a directional problem (again), reading through this: https://forum.rocrail.ne...7315b65d7664c2f98907cb8e

I drag the train to another block, Rocrail sets all the points correctly, but I have to set the throttle either in Rocrail or using the big red knob...