SAR Scenarios Tutorial V1

 The Tutorial Scenario 

Tutorial Updated April 24th, 2024.

The scenario used in this tutorial is  Gladstone-Peterborough Depot Fuel which has the consist already fully assembled with its locomotive (T 258) on the Gladstone  Goods Loop . This tutorial will follow the scenario until the consist arrives at Jamestown and delivers a coal load to the  Coal Stage .

The task in this tutorial scenario is to drive the coal and fuel oil train out of Gladstone yard and onto the Port Pirie to Broken Hill main line. Continue through Caltowie yard and into Jamestown yard.

 Gladstone to Caltowie 

Notes: There is a minor location, Yangya, between Gladstone and Caltowie. It has no visible signals and its track switches are set for the main line through to Caltowie

 A   Using Manual Control 

You can manually drive the train through to Caltowie without using the AI Driver Commands. This requires that all the switches along the path are correctly set. You can do this using the information on the Gladstone  page (link will open in this window).

Part of this page is shown left with only those switches relevant to this tutorial scenario. The red dots indicate the yard Start and Exit positions for the train path. Also shown left below is the Switch Set data, taken from the same page, for the path Gladstone  Goods Loop  to  Broken Hill . The switch directions, L or R are the directions when facing the junction fork i.e. the L and R that determine which direction a train will take when passing over the junction. Switch  20  does not need to be set as the consist is beyond the switch.

Set the switches as shown to create a path for your train from the  Goods Loop  to the  Broken Hill  main line.

You can use the Driver Speed Dial or the keyboard controls ( W ,  S ,  X ) to drive the train out of Gladstone Yard to Caltowie. Alternatively, for those with advanced steam loco driving skills, you can take control of the throttle, brake and various other lever and control wheel devices in the loco cab.

	All locations have a Caution track sign placed just in front of the yard entry point and clear of all signals to provide a stopping guide for manual driving, especially for those locations without visible signals
	At Caltowie the Caution track sign is just in front of the Caltowie Home Dn semaphore signal at the entrance to the yard

Check Train Heading If you are using the manual driving controls (either the keyboard or on-screen controls) then it is a good idea to check the train heading (its forward direction) first by clicking the Train Heading Button in the lower right of the screen. This will reverse the current direction setting (shown by the red and green direction arrows directly above the consist) and reveal the new heading (the green arrow). A second click will reset it, if needed.

 Signals 

When driving manually you will have to obey all signals, unless given specific instructions for shunting operations.

All signals in the layout are Lower Quadrant Sempahore signals. They use a moving arm or arm indicator that drops down at an angle of about 45º from the horizontal to indicate Proceed. The arm stays horizontal to indicate Stop.

Single Arm Semaphores Traffic Semaphore on a mast showing  STOP  Traffic Semaphore on a mast showing  PROCEED  Shunting Disc Semaphore showing  STOP  Shunting Disc Semaphore showing  PROCEED

 B   AI Control 

One advantage of using the AI to do all the driving is that it will set all the track junction switches to your destination for you

You can drive by adding AI Driver Commands directly into the Driver Command Bar on the bottom right of the screen. A large number of track marks and some industies have been added to provide destinations for these commands.

The approach to every location in the route has  Track Marks added to allow you to let the AI do most of the driving work.

Apart from the standard commands (Drive To, Load, Unload, Couple, Wait For, etc), additional commands have been added to the session. Specifically:-

• Instant Load Command - to instantly load all wagons (except locos and tenders) with the first item in their product queues
• InstantLoadLocos - to instantly load all locos (or their tenders) with water and either coal or bunker c oil
• InstantUnload - to instantly unload all wagons (except locos and tenders)
• Set Max Speed To - to set the maximum train speed (in mph) when approaching loading/unloading points. This can also be used to cancel a previously set Max Speed.

An Approach Track Mark is placed a short distance ahead of the yard approach signal, visible and invisible, at all locations in the route. Alongside each is a Caution track sign.

Check Train Heading If you are using the AI then it is still a good idea to check the train heading (its forward direction) before issuing a Drive To command. Clicking the Train Heading Button in the lower right of the screen will reveal and revese the current train heading - click it again if needed to restore it. The AI does have a "habit" of taking off in the direction of the train heading when its destination is in the opposite direction.

WARNING: If you are using a combination of AI and Manual driving, especially with shunting operations in yards, be aware that the AI system will reset the switches to their original positions after the completion of a Drive To or similar command. Following an AI driving command with Manual shunting operations can lead to derailments if you do not first check the positions of switches that you will be moving over.

The Track Marks are shown on the Caltowie  page (link will open in this window).

Load/Unload Commands AI Load and Unload commands can be a "hit and miss" affair. Some users have reported situations where an AI controlled train will sail through an industry stop and either ignore the Load/Unload command and proceed to the next command in the queue, or it will keep the Load/Unload in its queue and "wander off" looking for a place to load or unload. One suggested solution to this problem is shown in the image below. Insert Wait for <time delay> commands on each side of the Load and Unload commands. The duration of the <time delay> will depend on factors such as the train speed approaching the load/unload point. 20 seconds seems to work well.

 Caltowie to Jamestown 

Caltowie does not have a coal stage or a fuel oil store in need of a refill so the consist will not be stopping here. A through path is the best option.

 A   Manual Control 

To manually drive the train through Caltowie to Jamestown you will have to set all the switches yourself using the information on the Caltowie  page (link will open in this window).

Because Caltowie is a fairly simple yard, the switch sets are not complex.  Port Pirie to Broken Hill  via  Main  -  1 -R  2 -L  6 -R  7 -L  Port Pirie to Broken Hill  via Station -  1 -L  7 -R Once the switches have been set, use the Driver Speed Dial, the keyboard controls ( W   S   X ) or the advanced on screen controls to drive the train through Caltowie.

 Catchpoints 

Notice that the Switch Track Diagram above shows three switches in red with letters as IDs -  A    B    C .

These special switches are identified on the Caltowie  page as Catchpoints, which are also known as Derails. They are designed to prevent runaway wagons from entering the running lines. Most yards in the route have at least one Catchpoint.

The information above shows that the default position of the Catchpoints, the first direction setting shown as an (L) or an (R), is set to  Catchpoint  which is the derail position.

Notes: If you are manually driving through a yard, then you MUST correctly set each  Catchpoint  on your path yourself otherwise your train will DERAIL

The Catchpoints used in major yards have mechanical indicators. Smaller yards use a simplier version with a static sign. The Catchpoint switch green arrow MUST point to the opposite side of the track from the Catchpoint Rail for the train to safely pass.

 B   AI Control 

After reaching Caltowie you can use the Track Marks placed in the yard to navigate your way through. The track marks are shown on the Caltowie  page (link will open in this window) with a section containing a few that are relevant to this tutorial reproduced below with a secion of the Track Mark details from the same page.

All stations on the route, including the passenger enabled stations, have track marks on both their Up and Down sides. This allows you to use the Drive To Trackmark command to reach any passenger station. The track marks are named using the name of the station (e.g. Caltowie), the word Station and the direction of travel, Up or Dn. So Caltowie has the station track marks Caltowie Station Dn and Caltowie Station Up (not shown above).

Notes: Most stations on the route are NOT passenger enabled which reflects the actual level of passenger traffic that existed at those locations in the 1960s. The Drive To Trackmark command has to be used to bring a train alongside these stations when using the AI

The simplest option is to use the AI  Drive To Trackmark  Driver Command and then select the Track Mark  Jamestown Main Approach Dn  to navigate to Jamestown.

If you prefer to travel through Caltowie via, for example the Station, then use the AI  Drive Via Trackmark  Driver Command, select the required Track Mark (e.g.  Caltowie Station Dn ) followed by  Drive To Trackmark   Jamestown Main Approach Dn 

 Jamestown 

 A   Manual Control 

As at Caltowie, to drive into Jamestown you will have to set all the switches manually. The Jamestown  page (link will open in this window) shows all the switches into Jamestown and their settings.

The Jamestown Switch Set is identified on the Jamestown  page as

Because we will be driving beyond the  Loop  and into the  Loop Yard  the  Optional  switches  7  and  10  will also have to be correctly set.

Use the Driver Speed Dial, the keyboard controls ( W   S   X ) or the advanced on screen controls to drive the train into Jamestown  Loop Yard  and halt once the rear wagon is safely clear of switch junction  10 .

 B   AI Control 

The Jamestown  page (link will open in this window) shows all the Jamestown track marks.

The important Track Marks for this tutorial scenario are identified on the Jamestown  page as

From the open Driver Command Menu select the  Drive To Trackmark  command which will open up a long alphabetical list of track marks. Find and select the track mark  Jamestown Loop Yard Dn .

 Shunting Jamestown Yard 

Jamestown  Loco  Depot will be receiving two CCC wagons loaded with coal. Both wagons have been marshalled at the rear of the consist in front of the Guard Van. This operation could be done entirely using the AI but the process would be more complex than needed so only Manual Driving, or a mixture of manual and AI, will be used.

The task will involve moving the loco to the rear of the consist, uncouplng the two coal wagons (plus the Guard Van) from the train and then shunting them into the  Loco  Depot and Sidings. You will have two options at the Depot:-

Quick Steps: uncouple the loco and tender and run them around the train via the  Main Yard  to couple to the Guard Van at the rear. Junction switches:  18 ,  17 ,  6 ,  7  and  10  uncouple the Guard Van and the the first 2 CCC loaded coal wagons. Shunt them to the  Station . Junction Switches:  10 ,  9  and  8  set access to the  Loco  Depot Sidings. Junction Switch:  8 . If you are using Option  A  (unload at the  Coal & Water Loader ) then check the train heading. Make sure that the  Green Arrow  is above the last coal wagon and is pointing away from the locomotive. issue the AI Driver Commands  Drive To   Jamestown Coal & Water Stage  and  Unload  after unloading has been completed, return the wagons to the  Station . Then follow the steps below for Option  B  to stable the empty coal wagons in one of the  Depot Sidings . If the coal wagons won't unload at the  Coal & Water Stage  then there is a cheat you can use (we won't tell anyone). Issue the Driver Command  InstantUnload  If you are using Option  B  (stable the coal wagons in the  Depot Sidings ) then:- select one of two siding roads to stable the CCC wagons. Either:-  Loco  Siding 1 Junction Switch:  20   Loco  Siding 2 Junction Switches:  20  and  21  shunt the wagons into the selected siding and uncouple the Guard Van from the wagons. Return the loco and Guard Van to the  Station . couple the Guard Van to the rear of the train. Junction Switches:  8 ,  9  and  10  uncouple the loco and run it around to the front of the train via the  Main Yard . Junction Switches:  10 ,  7 ,  6 ,  17  and  18  couple the loco to the front of the train. make sure all junction switches are returned to their original state.