Railworks Modern Grade Crossing Signals - Version 2

Route Developers Pack

Authored by Jerry Conaway

Updated 2010-1028

Index:
- Introduction
- Before You Install
- Known Issues
- RPK Installation
- Change Log
- How Automatic Grade Crossing Warning Devices Work
- Limitations
- Signal Types
- Placement in the World Editor
- Advanced - Adjusting setting through the script
- Credits

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This Asset represents a modern at-grade crossing warning device. This type of signal and it’s variants are used by railroads throughout North America.

The prototype for this asset is located at Talley siding near Oostanaula, Georgia, on Norfolk Southern’s Atlanta North District. It is a newer type signal and has been in use for about three years.

Before You Install...

Before you test this packaged asset, there are a few things you need to know:

- This is a final version of this asset. It has gone through extensive testing. However, this release is attached to the script recently released by RSC. There still may be problems to be worked out. The author of this package cannot guarantee that it will work as expected, if it even works at all. The author takes no responsibility should the asset hose your Railworks installation or even your entire computer.

- Even though it is considered to be a final product, this asset is still a work in progress. Future updates my change the look and function of the asset.

- LICENSING: As of April 2, 2011, the author of this asset will allow the following uses by the End User:
- Modification of the signal shape file (GeoPcDx), texture files (TgPcDx), and .bin files in order to suit the needs of the End User and/or the Railworks community.
- Upload and distribution of the MODIFIED asset to sites that feature Railworks content or to personal websites that feature said content. The asset must still be offered free of charge, and credit must be given in the README files for the modified asset to the original author. Do not upload the original, unmodified assets, as I like to keep track of their downloads from SMMDigital.net
- Use as an attached asset, in modified or unmodified form, on freeware Railworks routes, meaning routes that are produced by an individual or individuals for distribution without monetary gain.
- Use as an attached asset, in modified or unmodified form, on payware Railworks routes, meaning routes that are produced by an individual or individuals for distribution for monetary gain. If you do use this on a payware route, please consider dropping a few coins in the SMMDigital tip jar!

The above Licensing Agreement supercedes all agreements contained within READMEs or Manuals that have been previously distributed. It is extended to the unique assets that were made for the NSAND route, but not to the route itself (i.e. you can use, change, and distribute the assets with the SMM prefix, but you cannot change or redistribute the actual route).

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Known Issues

- Gate lights only work while the gate is moving down or up. Once locked in position over the crossing, the flashing sequence stops. This is due to script calls, and not the animations.

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Installation

NOTE: If you have previously tested these signals, it might be a wise idea to uninstall the previous Beta before installing this one.

- Find the folder where the SMM_XingV2.zip is located. After running a virus scan on the file, unzip the contents of the file to the folder of your choice.

- Open the Railworks Packager and click on the “Install” button. Navigate to the folder where the unzipped SMM_LevelCrossingsV2.rwp is located. Choose the .rwp and click on the install button again. Follow the prompts.

- After you open Railworks and the World Editor, make sure that "SMMDigital", "RailNetwork", and "Scenery" is checked under the Object Filter.

- You will find these Assets under the "Modern Signals" category.

Follow the same procedure to install the TrafficSignals.RWP. These will install in the Assets\SMMDigital\Scenery\Structures folder, but will still show in the Modern Signals category.

The street lights are contained in the TrafficSignals.RWP and install to Assets\SMMDigital\Scenery\buildings folder, and will show up in the Commercial Industrial Buildings category.

Change Log

Final Version 2.0 – 2010-1027
- Changed from AndiS to RSC script to enable car stopping.
- Level crossings are no longer connected to the signal network and do not affect train movements.
- Lights are not animated, but are now static objects that are rendered on and off by the signal script.
- Changed asset designations to expedite placement in the World Editor.
- Placed all signal assets in one package.
- Included new Cantilever design, as well as Traffic Lights 1-4, and street lights.

Update 1.8 – 2010-0717
- Fix .bin file for SMM_XingBaseb that was missing animations, causing signal to malfunction.
- Turned volume of bell up and increased attenuation range.

Update 1.7 – 2010-0717
- Replaced conduit from lower junction to gate motor box.
- Removed all third-party textures and replaced with photo-realistic textures taken by asset author.
- Rereleased main package with updates and manual.

Update 1.6 – 2010-0708
- Replaced the rear lens housings to better reflect the prototype.
- Replaced engraved names with generic names to avoid copyright conflicts.

Release 1.5 Beta – 2010-0702

Beta Version 1.4
- Reduced poly counts by removing unseen faces from all models.

Beta Version 1.3
- Added animated glows to inside of signal hoods. Unclear whether this feature will be in final release.
- Added "short" mast crossing signal

Beta Version 1.2
- Added snow textures.
- Corrected script to add digital bell to signal.

Beta Version 1.1
- Added shapes for custom crossings.

Beta Version 1.0
- 15' gated crossing only.

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How Automatic Grade Warning Devices work

On prototype railroads, crossing signals are linked to trackside control equipment which is physically linked to the tracks through wire or cable. The control sensors detect changes in the flow of electric current in the rails. As a train enters a block or zone that is protected by the crossing signals, the control equipment detects a disruption in the flow of current and activates the signals. Today's crossing control equipment is sophisticated enough that it can detect speed, distance, and whether or not the train is moving. However, the equipment is still prone to failure, as evidenced by the number of failure warnings given by dispatch to train crews on a daily basis.

The crossing signals for Railworks are much simpler in detection. Through their script, they detect train distance via a link placed on the tracks at the crossing. The link activates the main signal at a trains predetermined distance from the crossing. The link also triggers the gate if applicable, and also senses when to turn the gate off after the train has passed.

Limitations.

This signal is intended as a simple replacement for the default US Grade Crossing signals that are supplied with Railworks. They cannot and will not emulate every real-world situation.

Also, this signal is loosely based upon a specific prototype. There are thousands of grade crossings in North America, and each is configured differently to fit the situation at the site. Do not e-mail and ask me to "fix" the signal because it doesn't operate like crossing signals that you are familiar with. It does what it does according to it's real-life counterpart.

The flashers on the signal gates only work during the opening and closing phases of the signal operation. During the closed and locked phase, the lights are on but frozen. This is due to changes in the way the signal lights are controlled in the signal script. This may be changed in future updates.

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Signal Types

The following names will show up in your World Editor view under the “Modern Signals” category:

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Using Level Crossings - Placement in the World Editor

There are several signal groups to choose from. The standard level crossing consists of two signal masts and lights (available in 12' and 14' height), along with a 15' or 25' gate. Other variations come without gates, in cantilever form, and with electronic or analog bell.

1. In the World Editor object selector, click on the filter box. In the pull-out filter to the left, select SMM Digital and make sure the "Rail Network" tab is checked.

2. Select an SMM signal object from the object panel and move the cursor onto the WE screen.

3. You will now see a red ball attached to your cursor, along with attached crossing assets. Move the ball to a spot on or near the tracks and left click ONCE. Placment of the ball is not critical, as it is only a place marker and does not affect signal operation.

4. After clicking, you will see a box with two arrows sticking out of it. Place it on the tracks, as close to the center of the crossing as possible, and left-click.

5. Another box with arrows will appear. If you have multiple tracks, keep placing and clicking these on the tracks until you have all you need. After you have placed the last track link, RIGHT CLICK ONCE. This will put you into Road-Link mode.

6. Place the road link on the road near the tracks where you want the cars to stop. Left click, then place another link on the road on the far side of the crossing by using SHIFT-CLICK. When you are finished, Right-click in order to leave link placement mode.

7. Click on the signal assets, drag, and position them in the desired areas. Gates should be carefully placed on the motorbox asset, with the weight on the side closest to the tracks.

8. Press F2 to save your settings in the World Editor. The level crossing is now ready for operation.

TIP: You can place multiple level crossing assets on the same crossing in order to create custom configurations. An example of this would be a cantilever signal and separate gate on one side of the crossing, and a single buck and gate on the other side. just make sure you place all of the links on top of one another to enable flash syncing.

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Advanced - Adjusting settings through the script.

One good thing about the script that RSC provides for it's level crossings is that it is easily configurable. Options that can be changed are signal activation distance, flasher duration, gate animation time, and sound attatchment.

In order to change settings in the LUA script, you will need to use a plain text editor. Wordpad or Notepad will do, but I prefer to use Notepad++. It can read and edit a variety of files, including xml (pre-bin files).

In order to open the script file, you will need to navigate to Railworks/Assets/SMMDigital/RailNetwork/LevelCrossings. You will see two LUA script files - smm_uslc and smm_uslc2. The first script is for crossings that have digital bells, and second is for crossings with analog bells. Choose one of the LUA files and open it with your text editor.

The first setting we will deal with is located on line 17, and it changes the duration that the signal lamps flash. Default is 1 second.

The settings for the signal activation distance are on lines 19-25. You can change activation distance (800), gate closing distance (675), duration close after train pass (50), etc. Keep in mind when changing distance settings that the numbers are in meters. A meter is about 3.3 feet, so a 800 meter activation distance is going to equal 2560 ft. At 60 mph, your train would take 30 seconds to reach the crossing after the signal activates.

Of course, if your track speeds are much slower, say for a shortline or branch service, you would want to decrease the activation time so that your car drivers wouldn't have to wait a minute or more before the train arrives. Obversely, if you are running a 120mph passenger train, 15 seconds is to short of a warning time, so you would want to increase the activation distance.

The last setting that we will deal with is for gate and gate motor sound activation (Lines 226-228, 242-243, 260-261, and 284-285). These are simple on-off commands (0 for off, 1 for on). There is really no need to mess with these unless you just want to turn them completely off. NOTE: gate motor sounds are not available for the SMM signals.

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Conclusion

Well, nothing more can I teach you about this asset. You are ready (or not) to begin replacing those ugly default Railworks signals with more realistic ones.

If you have comments or suggestions concerning this project, please contact me at betatesting@smmdigital.net. I will not answer postings or private messages left through Train-Sim.com, UKTrainsim, or YouTube. Due to the volume of mail, and the fact that I do have a life outside of simming, I will not be able to answer every piece of mail that I receive.

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Credits

What started out as a one-man project turned into a group effort to bring this asset to the masses. I would like to extend thanks to the following individuals for their contributions:

Technical Assistance:

Joseph Hoevet (“Jovet”)

Signal specifications.

Rick Grout (“Ricksan”)

Scripting Assistance

Tom Boswell (“tomkat41”)

Script procurement and adaptation, sound.

Alex Riley (“Trainguy76”)

Script procurement and adaptation.

Beta Testers

I’ll keep those identities secret for future testing purposes!

Traffic light lens textures from Next-Lighting.com