Manchester Piccadilly - 25/06/2020 update & heritage timetables

There is a work-round that I am using myself for the moment. That's to use/ keep the previous copy of file ManchesterPiccadilly.sim and make it "read only" so the loader doesn't update it. This action would - of course - be at your own risk and may have effects on your SimSig installation for which neither I or the SimSig team could be held responsible.

Peter Just a thought, have you tried the disable ARS option, I haven't had much time to try out other peoples TT's with getting other things ready for Geoff for last nights release.

Splodges 2020 appears to be ok after a night of work, and in the next couple of weeks I should have a 2019 available after the big chain on the 4th July.

Jan in post 128050 said:

whatlep in post 128016 said:

There is a work-round that I am using myself for the moment. That's to use/ keep the previous copy of file ManchesterPiccadilly.sim and make it "read only" so the loader doesn't update it. This action would - of course - be at your own risk and may have effects on your SimSig installation for which neither I or the SimSig team could be held responsible.

It's an undocumented feature, but you can keep duplicate copies of sim files by adding a semicolon and then whatever text you wish between the original file name and the file extension. I.e. something along the lines of ManchesterPiccadilly;old_version.sim.

Jan - thank you VERY much for this. Solves the problem completely. I now have two entries for Piccadilly in my list of simulations reflecting two simulation files: the new default V2.0 that is ARS fitted and the pre-ARS V1.4 of Piccadilly. Both work fine and go through the licence check, so SimSig can't be defrauded. More to the point, all the 1960s-1990s timetables still work with V1.4.

I hope it's OK with the SimSig team for me to include the old V1.4 SimSig file as an attachment to this post. Anyone needing the old version simply has to copy this to their SimSig simulations directory and verify the simulation filename in the right hand window when selecting a sim from the loader list.

Meld in post 128041 said:

Peter Just a thought, have you tried the disable ARS option, I haven't had much time to try out other peoples TT's with getting other things ready for Geoff for last nights release.

Splodges 2020 appears to be ok after a night of work, and in the next couple of weeks I should have a 2019 available after the big chain on the 4th July.

Thanks, but sadly that doesn't help as the new ARS version of Piccadilly is missing some routes that were previously correctly coded. Until those routes are added, features such as loco-changes on freights and a couple of moves in/out of terminals simply don't work.

In addition, the ARS version of Piccadilly requires many more locations to be hard-coded into timetables than the working timetables of the 1960s-1990s used. It's a real problem to me, not merely for the coding which is unnecessary tedium and testing, but also that putting in a myriad of ARS locations never referenced in the WTTs radically reduces the accuracy/ reality of the simulation.

There's a basic mismatch between ARS' philosophy and the era I prefer to simulate. ARS requires high levels of timetabling rigour due to its reliance on computerised data as the primary means of control. In earlier times, a signalman/woman was given input and output locations, some guidance on expected running lines that would make the timetable work if all trains were on time, but was then left to get on with the job using their professional skills. Much more interesting IMHO!

Small heads-up. If you read this chain and wonder where the note has gone that contains the pre-ARS sim file, it's been deleted by a Moderator. As no Mod has emailed me, nor commented on the original post, I can only assume that someone took exception to the old, pre-ARS sim file being included as an attachment.

If that's the case, sorry to both the Mods (though no offence was intended), but also to the numerous users of the heritage timetables who now can't enjoy Piccadilly for the foreseeable future. That's until both Piccadilly V2.0 has missing routes added and I have the time to revise the timetables to include the extra (artifical) timing and route information mandatory for ARS in Piccadilly.

If you are one of the heritage timetable users and wish to contact me directly, please feel free to do so.

Sorry, that was me the intention was just to remove the attachment and add a note to say so but neither Karl nor I could see an attachment removal option in the moderator's tools and then I forgot about. If Geoff knows how to do that then I'm sure the post can be reinstated.

Peter