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Two toned sticky notes as reminders

You are here: Home > Forum > General > General questions, comments, and issues > Two toned sticky notes as reminders

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 25/12/2014 at 22:22 #67031
Steamer
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" said:

PS What other locations in SimSig would one need to apply a collar? If only signals and LCs, it could be argued that by eliminating the rather long "Reminder" button from the Control Panel and substituting RH context menus everywhere a collar might be needed, this Control Panel space could be reallocated to something more useful. Furthermore, the terms "Reminder" and "collar" mean the same thing. Why not dispose of "reminder" and call them all "collars", since this term is not only shorter but describes their function more accurately?
This Wiki page lists items that can be collared. Generally, all controls can be collared, in order to prevent operation for whatever reason. I think the reasoning behind the Reminder button appearing in the clock window is as a substitute for the orange REM button that appears on real IECC screens (and paged simulations). On Reminder V Collar, it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other- I think Reminder is the 'correct' term used these days, as the term collar originates from the devices used to prevent operation of levers in mechanical signalboxes.

"Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q)
Last edited: 25/12/2014 at 22:24 by Steamer
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 25/12/2014 at 22:42 #67032
Forest Pines
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" said:
Furthermore, the terms "Reminder" and "collar" are synonymous. Why not dispose of "reminder" and call them all "collars", since this term is not only shorter but describes their function more accurately?
They both describe the same thing, but they're not synonyms. "Collar" describes their function, and their form in a mechanical or panel box, but "Reminder" describes their purpose. I think the full correct name currently is "reminder appliance".

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 25/12/2014 at 23:49 #67034
Muzer
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Presumably you could collar LC controls when you get a call that things that will take a long time are crossing. This, I believe, does happen at a few CCTV crossings (not many). I don't think in SimSig there are many other uses for collaring LC controls. I do agree with dwanedibley, and I don't myself collar LC controls for the situation that maxand describes — I just try to remember to scan the LC controls when scrolling past, and it usually works.
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 26/12/2014 at 02:03 #67042
maxand
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Thanks for all your feedback.

I've also noticed that as I become more familiar with the sim and the backlog reduces, like Muzer I tend to become better at remembering the state of LCs and automatically look at them as I scan past, so the stickie reminder isn't used as frequently. Nevertheless, I still recommend it in the same category as training wheels on a trike.

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 26/12/2014 at 11:22 #67050
John 23
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On the original topic, I think it's a good idea on a new sim e.g. Paisley on a first run to drop a different coloured blank note adjoining the labels of those locations where you have to phone before setting the road into the e.g. yard. Once you have "frame knowledge" you can drop them.
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 26/12/2014 at 15:55 #67060
Finger
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" said:
Thanks for all your feedback.

I've also noticed that as I become more familiar with the sim and the backlog reduces, like Muzer I tend to become better at remembering the state of LCs and automatically look at them as I scan past, so the stickie reminder isn't used as frequently. Nevertheless, I still recommend it in the same category as training wheels on a trike.

Now this is something I wholeheartedly agree to. Also, I don't know about anybody who'd need training wheels on a trike B) .

Still, if you're becoming better, wouldn't it be best to lose any crutches - of which I'm not sure that they work at all - altogether? Surely after 9 months, you should've learned Exeter sim by heart. If your main problem is forgetting about raising the barriers, you could start playing with TORR off. That way, you have to cancel every single route, so I'm sure you'll remember to raise the barriers while doing it.

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 26/12/2014 at 22:34 #67071
GW43125
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More on the collars, I've seen in a couple of applications where green collars are used to remind signallers of frequent wrong routes, so to think twice about setting them. Red collars are used to indicate where not to set a route for a number of reasons.

For example, when I was at Kings Cross PSB in October, there were green collars on the exit buttons towards Dalston Kingsland at Finsbury Park (To avoid wrong-routing a Moorgate) and Peterborough at Hitchin (To avoid sending a Cambridge you're sending via the flyover to Peterborough) by mistake.

We used a red collar to remind us first of staff on the line (so we blocked it) and then to remind us to caution drivers leaving KX of a faulty signal on the Down Slow (think it was K289).

Would it be possible to add an option to make a distinction between these two types?

Thanks,
Jamie.

Last edited: 26/12/2014 at 22:35 by GW43125
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 26/12/2014 at 22:47 #67072
Muzer
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You could use the "traction isolation" reminder for one of them. Not sure if there are any rules against this in real life, of course.
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 26/12/2014 at 23:48 #67073
Ron_J
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" said:
More on the collars, I've seen in a couple of applications where green collars are used to remind signallers of frequent wrong routes, so to think twice about setting them. Red collars are used to indicate where not to set a route for a number of reasons.

For example, when I was at Kings Cross PSB in October, there were green collars on the exit buttons towards Dalston Kingsland at Finsbury Park (To avoid wrong-routing a Moorgate) and Peterborough at Hitchin (To avoid sending a Cambridge you're sending via the flyover to Peterborough) by mistake.

We used a red collar to remind us first of staff on the line (so we blocked it) and then to remind us to caution drivers leaving KX of a faulty signal on the Down Slow (think it was K289).

Would it be possible to add an option to make a distinction between these two types?
The standards governing real life VDU signalling workstations currently only permit cyan or magenta reminders (for general and traction reminders respectively).

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 27/12/2014 at 02:33 #67078
maxand
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Quote:
Also, I don't know about anybody who'd need training wheels on a trike

I was suffering from a surfeit of Christmas cheer when I typed that. I meant a bike. :blush:

I'm all in favour of Ron_J's suggestion of more colours in collars and find it hard to understand why other colours are permitted on panels but not on VDUs.

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 27/12/2014 at 06:13 #67080
BarryM
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" said:
Quote:
Also, I don't know about anybody who'd need training wheels on a trike

I was suffering from a surfeit of Christmas cheer when I typed that. I meant a bike. :blush:

I'm all in favour of Ron_J's suggestion of more colours in collars and find it hard to understand why other colours are permitted on panels but not on VDUs.
You can create your own physical collars on panels. but you cannot alter software on VDU's!

Barry

Barry, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 27/12/2014 at 10:48 #67084
GW43125
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" said:
" said:
Quote:
Also, I don't know about anybody who'd need training wheels on a trike

I was suffering from a surfeit of Christmas cheer when I typed that. I meant a bike. :blush:

I'm all in favour of Ron_J's suggestion of more colours in collars and find it hard to understand why other colours are permitted on panels but not on VDUs.
You can create your own physical collars on panels. but you cannot alter software on VDU's!

Barry
Just another reason why we shouldn't move to IECCs!

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 27/12/2014 at 10:52 #67085
Steamer
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" said:
Quote:
Also, I don't know about anybody who'd need training wheels on a trike

I was suffering from a surfeit of Christmas cheer when I typed that. I meant a bike. :blush:

I'm all in favour of Ron_J's suggestion of more colours in collars and find it hard to understand why other colours are permitted on panels but not on VDUs.
At a guess: if you used red, green or yellow you could potentially 'swamp' the aspect the signal is showing, which is a bad idea. Not a problem on panels where the button and the aspect display are two separate items.

I'd recommend learning how to best use what you have available, instead of inventing another procedure to go through before setting a route.

"Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q)
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 27/12/2014 at 11:04 #67086
Ron_J
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" said:
I'm all in favour of Ron_J's suggestion of more colours in collars and find it hard to understand why other colours are permitted on panels but not on VDUs.

Er... I didn't make any suggestion of the sort. I just pointed out that the two colours you get in SimSig are 100% accurate to the real thing.

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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 27/12/2014 at 11:07 #67087
Ron_J
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Oh and in non VDU boxes reminders appliances are coloured red for general reminders and yellow for traction reminders. Any other colour scheme is the result of local initiative and is probably not approved by HQ. One panel box I worked at had a reminder appliance painted green for use on a wrong route button and we were made to remove it as soon as it was spotted by management.
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 27/12/2014 at 13:25 #67091
GW43125
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At Kings Cross PSB, there's a note from management telling them to use green collars!
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Two toned sticky notes as reminders 28/12/2014 at 05:05 #67138
maxand
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Steamer wrote in post #63:
Quote:
At a guess: if you used red, green or yellow you could potentially 'swamp' the aspect the signal is showing, which is a bad idea. Not a problem on panels where the button and the aspect display are two separate items. I'd recommend learning how to best use what you have available, instead of inventing another procedure to go through before setting a route.
True. I should have qualified my earlier suggestion by limiting it to collars on LCs rather than signals. (This topic is about methods of reminding signallers that barriers have been let down.) Earlier we discussed collars on approach signals rather than sticky notes, then Muzer I think pointed out that one can collar an LC button. If one does this, there is no risk of swamping the signal aspect no matter what colour (yellow in the example below) is chosen for the collar, since it only brackets the button.



Nevertheless, a collar still acts as a collar, not a reminder in the generally accepted sense, i.e., applying it prevents a particular course of action. However, out of all the suggestions made so far, a yellow collar on a LC button seems the most sensible for gamers:

1) It does not apply to approach signals or obscure their aspect;
2) Its distinctive yellow colour and shape cannot be confused with collars on signals;
3) If applied to a manual signal with Auto-raise, its effect would be the same as disabling the Auto function, and more visible too. Obviously there is no need to collar a manual signal with Auto-raise if one wishes to use the Auto function.
4) It does not need creation of fancy sticky notes.

The only nuisance is that collaring a LC button can only be done by clicking Reminder on the Control Panel. There is neither hotkey nor context menu equivalent. May I suggest one or both be added to the Features Wish List?

The other argument for not collaring LC buttons simply to indicate barrier status is the very pertinent real life one as posted by dwaynedibley in post #44. One does not wish to inculcate bad or dangerous habits, even in a game!

Last edited: 28/12/2014 at 05:09 by maxand
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