Help with ShipIt! ?

[The Beer Baron]

Morning Crew,

     I had a look around and couldn't really find an appropriate place to post this (Hint to Administrative Team: Model and Prototype Paperwork Section), but I was hoping at least one of you might know what the hell I'm doing wrong.

     I have a session generation issue that I haven't been able to figure out despite my best efforts. Here is the situation: I have a single "general freight" that runs from A to Z doing set-outs and lifts in both directions, just as I want it to do. I've run "Start Fresh" and "Session Generation" four or five times just fine with this single train. The issue occurs when I add the first of two "coal trains".  The first coal train is supposed to run from Point A to Point B, switch the mine, and return to Point A. Then a second (unit coal) train is to take the loads from A to Z and return to A with an empty unit train. Point A is my main storage and classification yard, and Point Z is the interchange to the rest of the planet. Points B through Y are intermediate towns with various sidings and industries.


     Here's the part I can't figure out. Upon "start fresh" (new car positions), the first session generated has my general freight doing its proper work, and the coal local takes its dozen empties to the mine, returning to Point A without any loads. The second, a unit coal train, moves from A to Z and back to A with no cars in either direction. It's at this point the next "Generate Session" will no longer complete successfully.


     I've checked Orphan Industries, Routes, Train Types (Shipper/Consignee/AAR Code), and Schedules and everything looks alright. Does anyone have any ideas before whats left of my hair falls out?

[mcjaco]

Used to have the same problem on a club layout.  We never figured it out.

Hope someone  can shed some light.

[The Beer Baron]

Oh bloody hell.. 

I fixed it.

After staring at the problem for the last 3 days, the answer finally came to me. The "Pickup/Setout Direction" for the yard at Point A was set to "southbound only" instead of "any direction" - which I can only guess was causing the first batch of empty hoppers to fill the mine tracks to capacity, but not allowing them back to the yard at Point A for furtherance to Point Z.

I have since run two sessions with all three trains operating as I intended.

[GimpLizard]

Computers are the Devil's workkshop. 

[The Beer Baron]

Computers are the Devil's workkshop. 

If only this little two-bedroom had room for a workshop..

[John]

I tried ShipIt once, and it seemed like too much work .. I am playing with the JMRI Ops program, very similar .. but will probably stick with car cards for a while yet