Feature Freight Hauler - Feedback Thread

For XSX, the Freight Hauler Tooltip does not work when set to "Scheduler." It does not show the status of the three nearest wagons when you press and hold the View button on the controller, or press T on a keyboard. It only shows the Freight Hauler Progress box, the same as if the tooltip was just set to off.

In addition, the camera movement is completely frozen when displaying the progress box. However, the camera rotation does still work in this situation. I will note that with the freight hauler tooltip set to on, the three closest wagons do correctly show up. Unfortunately the only mode that works is with the tooltip set to on, so the player must have the wagon displays on constantly or else must change the setting constantly.

Edit: the tooltip apparently does work as expected in scheduler mode on PC, so this may be a console- or Xbox-only problem.

 

PC: I found the tooltips on the wagons to be a bit too sticky in the UI, they would stick around whilst I was in the cab and when I went to photo mode. They weren't in the photo at least, but a bit distracting.

The mode definitely has great potential, but I think being able to tune your experience will be important. Tonight, I would have fancied doing say 11-12 wagons around a yard, on another day I might be more than happy to go from Neville Hill upto the quarry. I think being able to tune the desired length of session (and the number of wagons as a low/medium/high preference) would be great (1 hour is often plenty of me after work).

Definitely looking forward to seeing if this can be activated on routes like Crewe-Preston and MML!

 

My initial thoughts after 90 minutes on FTR, Series X...

I cycled reset about two dozen times to see how many cars I would get. The low was 29 cars and the high was 48. I would say the average was about 40. Even 29 cars is a lot when considering the amount of area covered by this route, and how big Hialeah Yard is. Number one, there definitely needs to be a slider to set the number of cars, and why not have a value of 1 to 50? It would also be great to be able to set the general areas where these cars will (or won't) appear, but first things first, we need a slider and we need it now.

Although I did encounter some loaded cars, most were empty. Even then, only the hoppers appeared to have loads. The boxcar, reefer, tank and center beam always appeared to be empty. Perhaps as I play more I will encounter more loaded vehicles, but it is something that should be looked at.

The AP acts in strange ways in this mode. You only get awarded AP if you have a route set; if no route is set no points are awarded. If a route is set, you get points for reaching your objective, but then if/when you set a new objective, your AP goes back to zero. So you can't earn AP in Freight Hauler, unless making a delivery counts but even after 90 minutes I am not close to that.

My recommendation is to use automatic switching for Freight Hauler combined with setting a path, even when moving around in yards because having all the switches set for you makes this much more doable. Also if in Europe I would strongly consider automatic coupling, which of course is not necessary for America.

I see a lot of promise for Freight Hauler but it has definite kinks to work out plus is not really manageable in its current state where you are guaranteed to be there for hours and hours. Some more customization would go a long way. I could even see a route that is primarily just for Freight Hauler and has lots of different cars with different liveries and all that. More feedback to come as I progress with this.

 

First attempt at using Freight Hauler, all was going fine at first and the mode definitely has promise. However during some movements I got the bug within Free Roam tools where you set a path, it creates a path through the signals and they correctly go green, but it doesn't create an objective marker to go with them. I moved through the signals anyway because they were open, but with there being no objective marker to read as having been reached/completed, the path couldn't 'close' afterwards.

This meant the wagons became stuck in a headshunt, the signal would never clear, and because the path was still present I was blocked from spawning in another loco to reach the wagons, and also could not route a loco from elsewhere into the headshunt due to, again, the old path still being present and the signal still remaining red. This is more of a Free Roam bug than a Freight Hauler bug perhaps (a bug which has existed since day one of Free Roam I might add...) but I mention it here because in my case it caused Freight Hauler to effectively become softlocked and impossible to complete.

 

PC
Firstly the scheduler tooltips option seems to be broken. The only way I could check the destinations was by opening the map

Secondly when I tried it out at Nürnberg RBF I spawned in a DB 193 and coupled up to the 13 wagons waiting for me, but when I released the brakes all of a sudden the middle of the train just exploded and derailed. Something similair also happened on the preview stream of Würzburg-Nürnberg so it might be the same problem.

 

PC: Had a few gos on the Airedale and Wharfdale route now and have not quite been able to complete a full "go" at this mode. The final attempt was my own doing going through a red...

The save game situation doesn't seem great with this mode - once the game has been saved it seems to forget its a freight hauler mode and now just acts like free roam. During the initial run, I also somehow managed to lose the "Ctrl+T" widget after changing loco, which I feel like I have to do in order to not have the issue of the path sticking to the loco+wagons when I uncouple.

It definitely feels like it has potential but theres a few bugs that I think would prevent me from trying it much more. The risk of it feeling like wasted effort after an hour (due to a bug) seems a little high at the moment.

One absolutely great thing about it is the licence it gives you to make your own formation and journey - I've never driven the 37/7 so much until this mode came along!

 

Some further observations on Series X, Tri-Rail route:

The save game for freight hauler does not seem completely reliable. When I went through an unavoidable derail (more on that in a moment), I had just saved because I thought it would be a SPAD (it was). But my save game reloaded quite a few save states back. As mentioned before, these sessions take a long time, so save game must work in this mode. It should really be looked at as soon as possible, even moreso than the player setting the number of wagons to start. If save game doesn't work with freight hauler, the whole mode will probably fail.

Also on loading a save, even when it does put you back into the correct time and place, the elapsed time always reverts to 0:00. However, the total distance travelled is retained properly. The timer will start again, but if you save and load again, it will return to zero.

I have completed a few deliveries now and you don't get any AP for that. So, at the end of my play session that lasts hours I will be looking at very little AP, since as mentioned it also resets to zero whenever you set a new path. Although AP is not integral to the sim experience, since DTG have made it a part of the game experience, there should be a better system in freight hauler than just bare minimum points for hours of driving.

Finally, the derails! They will let you into some sidings but then you will SPAD if you try to roll back over them the other way, even if you set a path and contact the dispatcher. The easy way to deal with this is to just abandon your consist and spawn a new one beyond the derail, but obviously this is something that needs to be corrected.

 

After extensive play I am sorry to report that, in its present state, freight hauler is too extensively broken to use. All play on Series X, Tri-Rail route.

The number one problem is pathing issues. Of course you need to set a path to get signals on the main line. Sometimes the game will let you do this even though a passenger train already has a path. This results in crossover switches that don't set for your route, and signals that don't clear even though your route is set through them. It's really hard to overcome these obstacles, even using all the tricks like deleting other trains, spawning new vehicles, etc. Plus it really detracts from the gameplay. The easiest solution would be to disable all layers for freight hauler, although that would take some of the fun away. Another solution could be to allow the player to change the states of signals and automatic switches, in freight hauler mode only. Or even if the game could let the player know that a route can't be set because another train has it, so you could wait or try something else. The way it is now, is untenable.

Changing signals would also help with the other major problem, the derails. Although these are more easily dealt with by spawning wagons to "straddle" the derails, they should really all be removed. Many of the sidetracks off the main don't have them in the first place. Who play tested this mode and thought the derails were a good idea and could stay? How did the Tri-Rail route, which was designed to be used with freight hauler, even end up with derails in the first place?

The final issue, which is not an explicit problem but exacerbates everything, is that the number of cars to sort, considering the distance covered, is too high. I started with only 13 cars, and after six hours and driving 106 miles, I had sorted 11 of them before getting stuck at a crossover that wouldn't change with a signal that wouldn't clear, an objective that couldn't be reached, and a path that could not be reset. Game over. For right now, if nothing else is changed, the player should at least be allowed to start with however few cars they want. At least then the playtimes would not be outrageous if an impossible barrier is encountered. Something else that would help is letting the player select the number of delivery zones, so they could be kept to a minimum as well. Currently, even absent other problems, playtimes can become very long even with 10-15 cars.

Immediate recommendations:
1) Disable all layers for freight hauler
2) Remove derails, and the red signals that are associated with the derails on the track map

Next step:
2) Let player select number of wagons

Future:
3) Let player select number of delivery zones
4) Enable player to change signals and automatic switches, or give player better information about pathing, so that passenger layers can be re-enabled

Known bugs:
1) Wagon destination cards do not display in scheduler mode (works on PC but not Xbox)
2) Camera movement freezes when freight hauler progress box is diplayed

Edit 3) Returning to a saved game resets the elapsed time counter in the progress box to zero

 

On a final note for right now, how about letting the player quit freight hauler at any time and seeing their final progress on a status screen, with percentage of cars sorted, time taken, and distance driven? Perhaps there could be a lifetime counter of totals for these, so at least if you bailed the progress you made could count for something. As it is now I don't know what happens when you complete a session, but of course if I complete a timetable service I get a forever record of what my score was and what medal I got, and lifetime total medal counts with the total distance driven on that route. There should be something like that for freight hauler too, although plainly it has to work correctly in the first place for any of that to matter.

 

If you wait for that train to pass you're usually the next train allowed through. As in after you set your path you join the queue, If there isn't a conflicting path you'll be let through immeadietly and if there isn't then you'll have to wait for the path to clear, but the route will then be allowed. I haven't played the Trirail route much so maybe the pathing for the AI is set up way further then it is on Würzburg, but this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

Most of the major problems for pathing are when you have set a route but another train has a route set coming towards you. Waiting for the train to pass would surely work, but there is no way of knowing another train is coming towards you until you get closer to it, and then it is already too late. As you say, the offending train can be quite far away, miles and miles away, and the game doesn't set any signals to make you wait or have any other way to let you know a train is in your path. You would have to search using the track map. The other thing is that with freight hauler in general we are already talking about something that is going to take hours to complete, so if know you have to wait 30 minutes for a train to pass, perhaps you will decide to approach your shunting differently.

The other problem is that, once your path is set, the oncoming train will usually end up at its own red signal, and must be removed. But removal doesn't always clear the signals and automatic switches that the offending train has set for its own path in the first place, and then what can you do? Spawn all kinds of extra stuff to manipulate signals and switches, which then messes with your own paths and objectives.

But, if you have found success and are actually able to complete a freight hauler session, I would be very grateful to know what strategies you used and if there was any sort of status screen or what happened!

 

The Live Map is essential in this mode, and in its current version it’s also the weakest link in the chain! I’m having massive problems with route planning on the Xbox. I can only set 3–4 routes before the Live Map stops working properly and won’t set any more routes. The only thing that helps is to save the game and reload the save file. Then only 2–3 route points work again, and the game has to be reloaded once more. I’ve been noticing this problem across several Core versions; it’s just that back then you could live with it. Now, however, you’re completely reliant on a functioning Live Map.

 

Here's a video of the end screen. Personally a bit of an anti-climax, but it's something

 

Wow, thanks for sharing! That sure is... something. I'm curious about the XP earned because for me the counter always resets to zero when I set a new path. Are points accumulating in the background, or is this just a case of no new paths having been set?

In any case, if this is going to be a serious part of them game, an overall/lifetime status screen, including the results for individual routes, would be something I would strongly encourage DTG to strive for.

 

I think they are stored in the background as I only have 65 AP in the video and previously used 2 other trains to move the rest of the cars

 

PS5 Pro
Map: Nürnberg - Würzburg
(I didn't know there was a dedicated thread for this topic, so I originally posted it under the specific map.)

I try the "Freight Hauler" mode ... as I understand it, passenger trains run in this mode, likely following the standard timetable, but freight trains aren't operating. Presumably to avoid potential collisions during shunting maneuvers and the like.

One thing I didn't quite grasp was the option to start in Würzburg, for instance, given that parked wagons only appeared for me at Nürnberg Rbf and Fürth Gbf, no matter how many times I tried, wagons simply didn't show up on the map anywhere else.
So, I took a parked Vectron and drove it solo from Würzburg to Fürth, a nice relaxing hour-long trip.

I also discovered something else, while shunting at Nürnberg Rbf, a message suddenly popped up saying I’d left the playable area (or something similar). I was instantly ejected from the locomotive to the entry point at Nürnberg Rbf, effectively ending the session, as the consist I’d been kicked out of then started moving on its own and ran a stop signal.

It’s certainly an interesting idea, but it’s the sort of thing best suited for long winter evenings; if the game hadn't kicked me out of the locomotive, I might not have felt like I’d wasted two hours and I might have even finished the run after another couple of hours, since I still had to deliver wagons from Furth to Würzburg.

As it happened, it booted me out in the middle section (the switch area) of the Nürnberg Rbf while I was trying I think to get onto track 317... oh well, nothing to be done about it.

 

I haven't encountered the issue you described regarding conflicts with the shunting path settings; on that German map, there was definitely no freight traffic, only passenger trains and no passenger trains appeared in the shunting areas.
But as I mentioned, I didn't finish the whole thing because I supposedly drove out of the playable area, even though I wasn't at the edge of the track network.
So perhaps issues involving collisions with traffic near the Fürth station area might have arisen.
But that’s just speculation at this point.

 

I think it would be a shame to remove other timetable layers as a universal/immediate action. From seeing clips on YouTube, the Miami route does seem to have much more frustrating bugs that the UK route.The timetable layers bring a live-ness/challenge to the UK route where I got caught out at Skipton with passenger trains blocking the platform for the shunt. I've not felt this kind of reality in normal timetable freight runs.

Alex/Communication team (if you read this), you've mentioned taking ideas for roadmap features before. I think it would be good if each of the October/November roadmaps focus on a feature like freight hauler/live weather/enhanced lighting and provides a detailed update on some of the tickets/top priorities in these areas. If it can have some honesty about what is, or is not likely to be fixed due to other priorities then even better!

 

I had two attempts at Freight Hauler mode so far, both on Wurzburg-Nürnberg. Both attempts ended in failure. First attempt I was happily shunting in Nürnberg yard, but after a while I set a path, but didn’t get a blue line on the map and no object marker in game. Therefore I couldn’t complete that objective and I had to quit to main menu. Second attempt, once again shunting in Nürnberg yard. I had hooked up a load of cars that I needed to move. I set a path on the map, but when I was heading there, I was kicked out because I had moved out of the playable area. If my waypoint was out of the playable area, why was I able to put it on the map in the first place? Very onlogical. I’ll try in the uk route next time. Freight hauler seems an interesting concept, but I think it needs a bit more work.

 

The exact same thing happened to me at Nürnberg Rbf.
I was shunting onto track 317, and as I entered the track layout area between the track groups, I was suddenly ejected from the locomotive with a message stating I had left the playable area.
I couldn't get back into the locomotive, it started moving on its own along with the wagons and ran past a "Stop" signal. Nearly two hours of gameplay wasted.
I am too on PS5 Pro

 

Hello Jan. I have not experienced the game not returing to freight hauler mode after a save. However, what I have encountered is that, upon spawning subsequent locos (after you spawn the first one), the freight hauler progress viewer will disappear and be replaced by a general free roam dialogue box. After that, even if you return back to your original loco, the freight hauler progress box does not return. Perhaps this will help. Thanks for acknowledging our reports.

Edit: this while playing on Tri-Rail with Series X

 

Here is a a further example of a pathing issue. I have started another run on Tri-Rail with 16 wagons and a determination to be as careful as possible about passing trains, to not get caught out by bad signals or switches. So I finished switching Ft. Lauderdale and checked the next southbound arrival, which was due in twenty minutes. I thought this was enough time to set a path to the next running track to the south and wait for the train to pass there. I checked the oncoming signals and they were not set for the arriving train yet. So I set a path and got the objective and the signal...

BUT, the first automatic switch I crossed did not let me exit the main and I was instantly off-path. The dispatcher had set the route for the passenger train even though the track map still showed I had the path. So I reversed to a manual switch to get off the main; I could have deleted the oncoming train but I am trying to avoid that because it can irreversibly screw up the pathing...

SO, I changed the manual switch to get off the main and let the other train pass, but get this... the dispatcher switched it back immediately! I was finally able to leave the main by changing the switch and then holding it in place with my controller while letting my train run over it. And, if I had known that the dispatcher was going to give the other train the path anyway, I would have just waited.

So now I am aware that if any train is within 30 minutes of my position, I have to wait. For Tri-Rail that's not terrible because the trains are infrequent, but on other routes there may be no possibility to set a path without it being overlaid. I have to say that I really like the concept of shunting off the main, waiting for traffic to clear, and then proceeding. But, it should be more evident of when you can move, and when you can't.

 

Freight Hauler is the most exciting new feature in TSW7. I want to like it so bad, but...
I hate to admit but I have yet to complete my first run of the mode. Couple of things:

• We need a hotkey to show/hide the ingame tooltips over the freight wagons. Doing it through the menu is super lame.
• Pathing must be improved for it to be really viable.
• Ingame performance is absolutely atrocious especially on the new German route, in Furth and Wurzburg. I get bad FPS in those areas as it is, but doing them in freight hauler results in sub 30s (I normally get around 90, 60 in the busier areas)
• SPADs: these have killed every one of my runs so far when shunting around my wagons before hauling them to their destinations. I am super careful to set my path before starting to reverse into my target siding, I usually wait around 10 seconds before starting to move but sometimes I just get a random SPAD even though nothing seems to be any different from the previous 8 instances of doing the same thing. Shunting reds should be communicated more clearly or some shunting tutorial would be appreciated that covers reversing into sidings.

 

Boy do I have some great news for you. It already exists, instead of on or off you can set it to scheduler.
Sadly it's currently bugged, but if you want to see how it is supposed to look just watch the miami preview stream.

 

Good points. In regards to the in-game tooltips, you can toggle them and off by pressing the T key if you set them to "Scheduler" in the settings as opposed to "On." This works on PC but is currently bugged on Xbox and doesn't work.

 

I was having load and freeze issues on PC. Removing the GodMode mod sorted it out so anyone with issues on PC, removing that mod may help

 

Hi Jan,

So this was after saving and reloading the save multiple times during my earlier efforts with the mode. I can't exactly remember how many saves worked correctly, but after lets say 2 reloads, the wagons would be where I left them in the previous save, but would have no tick or cross associated with them. When I hovered over them, it just said (from memory) "FreeRoam_" and some numbers. So I could no longer see where they needed to be which rendered the save game unusable. When I went to the pause menu, I believe the "Restart" button normally says "Freight Hauler" underneath but after loading the save it said "Free Roam" instead.

I believe I spawned where I expected to with the loco/next to it, and timetabled services were present.

I can't give you an exact reproduction, however it would be worth trying to save having just uncoupled from a consist (where we see most of the soft locks occurring). I didn't know if it was linked to the freight hauler progress viewer disappearing/saving once that had disappeared but that is entirely speculation.

 

The live map is a real problem. It has never worked without glitches, but it’s essential in the new freight mode. The more often you switch driver’s cabs, the more frequently the problem occurs. Nobody at DTG seems to care. The whole control scheme for the freight mode is also poor. Everything is displayed on this map with tiny text. DTG apparently doesn’t test the user-friendliness of its games.

 

Is it only on one route? Leeds? I assumed it was a feature for TSW7 as a whole, including all routes?

 

I’ve seen it on the three new routes and it didn’t show on JT’s Crewe-Preston

 

The exact same thing just happened to me at the Nurnberg Rbf; suddenly, I couldn't set the route, so I couldn't continue... I made two attempts: in one, I drove outside the playable zone, and in the other, the shunting route setting just stopped working.
Overall, I don't find this mode particularly fun, especially considering that only AI passenger traffic runs in it, which feels quite odd... I find it much more enjoyable when I insert my own freight train using the "foot mode" and create a custom scenario, like uncoupling wagons at various stations, and so on...

 

I'm on PS5 and keep getting a frozen screen when I click on the R1 button to 'show destination' for wagons in my consist. It takes me to the location and although I can still turn labels on and off, as well as show the track icons, none of the controller buttons can get me back tothe train and nothing beside the square (labels) or triangle (icons) seems to function. This has now happened to me on all 3 routes

 

Another issue that has presented itself is wagons spawning on buffers. I was quite surprised to couple to a wagon at slow speed, only to see it and my locos fly off into space. It had spawned on a buffer of course. Since that is a wagon that can't be collected, that makes the current freight hauler session unbeatable. You could be playing for hours and have this happen.

There are so many problems, and they are exacerbated by the long play sessions. How can DTG stop wagons from spawning on buffers? They probably can't, not completely. So, I think at this point the main focus has to be on mitigating this issue by allowing the player to select the number of wagons. That way, if I only had to sort 4 or 5 wagons, I probably haven't spent hours playing when something goes wrong. Right now on Tri-Rail the game typically gives 30-50 wagons, which is unimaginable and would probably take 10 or more hours. It only very rarely assigns the player 10-20 wagons, and I've never seen less than 10.

The other thing that needs to happen is turning off all layers. Since others might prefer to have them on, this should be an option to the player also. To be honest, I have noticed that the Tri-Rail trains keep getting stacked up at Hialeah Yard because they are waiting for permission to enter the yard. In these long freight hauler sessions the timetable usually breaks no matter what you do anyway.

Perhaps someday freight hauler will work better, but I think it unlikely that it will ever be flawless and bug-free. The best thing that DTG can do is give players the option for (much) shorter playtimes.

 

After this happened to me once, the next time I played I 'walked' around a rake of wagons that needed shunting first and found two wagons lock buffered. It gave me the option to couple them and it cured the problem. Don't expect everyone will want to do this though, especially if you have a big number of wagons to shunt.

 

On PC, when I open any route at any location on freight hauler mode at any time, the game freezes entirely upon spawning in. But there's still shadows moving around within the scene, I just cant click or move anything

 

Do you have the GodMode mod installed?

 

On PS5. I am getting a few crashes on old routes so far:

1) Crash at Reading completing the 0940 Swansea service. This appears to happen at the same time that the doors should be closed/ score apears (AI conductor is on)

2) Crash upon loading Sutton to Victoria service on Brighton Mainline. Crashes on loading screen

3) Crash upon leaving Bairstow Yard as son as power is applied on an SD70 on Cahon

Maybe it'll iron itself out as none seem to be connected to the era of route, the assists enabled or the type of route. The only common denominator is Live weather as far as I can see (although they are a mix of TOD3 and 4)

 

I think you meant to post this in the Train sim world 7 thread because non of those routes have freight hauler as far as I know

 

First i havent played TSW 7 by now, but reading the issue with path setting letting me asume the freeroam and dispatch system wasnt upgraded. So i did a LOT of freeroam since it came out, here my tips for players have trouble with path setting.

Waypoints and diverting paths:

- You might didnt notice, but the direction of placing the loco is a very important factor. The leading direction should point in the direction of your driving path. Why? In this direction you can divert the loco along all possible paths. Setting paths in direction of the rear loco is possible, but it wont (whatever reason?) not let you divert the route or choosing paths. So if you are guided on the wrong track part, you might risk a timetable stuck. My workaround was usually making a double traction consist, which solves this problem since both the locos facing one end of the route.

Waypoints and Coupling Consists:

- This might be the true problem killing the freighthauler mode, if the freeroam pathing is still setup like in TSW6. Here is very important to plan your type of traction (cab cars included.). What i mean is, while you do your object, you can always couple more locos to the consist, but from the point you want to seperate traction, the waypoint system is getting messed up. Keep this in mind, because this can ruin the entire trip, even in freeroam. The fast workaround is to spawn your locomotives again, this will reset the wrong pathing.

- This does not apply for the Wagon consists! If you carefully uncouple the consist, without separating the locos from other locos, go into the uncoupled loco and set a waypoint directly infront of you. This is the check if the dispatcher is allowing you to proceed, somethimes recouple and uncouple helps. But the important thing is, the path selecting has to be on the locomotive. If this is not the case, players wont be able to set paths anymore and it requires to respawn the loco.

Players should as a workaround spend time with the freeroam mechanics, since the broken waypoints are not caused by the freighthauler mode.

My Recommendation for DTG:

- Priority 1: My guess is, the real dogs is digged in the train formation, which is generated by coupling or spawing a single locomotive. Somehow after uncoupling, the path is not set to the driving vehicle, but instead for the uncoupled wagons. The Formation is generated as soon the player takes over the cab. So adding waggons and locos works very good and the consist will expand. DTG should do a patch, which resets the formation after uncoupling wagons and especially 2 locos. The wagon uncoupling works with a bit of workaround, but no chance after uncoupling 2 locomotives to continue the pathing.

- Priority 2: The backward direction of the loco should allow the same possibility of choosing the path, which is now only possible into the forward direction of the loco.

- Solving this problems by just respawning the locos is braking the immersion, especialy with expert locomotives. So the Freeroam mechanics have to get an update, especially with Freighthauler now.

 

PC (Steam Client) Miami Tri-Rail Route

Honestly I'm loving this new feature. For the most part it's running well for me. I agree it would be much more rewarding if you could complete a set of moves in a couple hours. This would give a sense of accomplishment. Currently I have 16/39 delivered in this set and I been at it for hours on end. Not sure because the hours spent is reset with each save. Looking forward to being able to custom set this figure.

Also just because I'm on PC doesn't mean my tool-tips above the cars works in scheduler, it doesn't.

I too am having trouble on occasion setting a route (blue line) without reason or indication why. My work around for this is to delete the engine(s) unhooked from cars of course and spawn a new engine and re-couple. This worked and now I'm back to setting routes. I now wonder if I could have just unstuck my engine from the menu. Next time I'll try that.

No matter where on the route you enter Freight Hauler you can always fast travel somewhere else. I fast travel to a larger yard and begin sorting there,

I find I can run over de-railers without trouble going into a spur but must call (Tab) for dispatch to go out on mainline. See video below

 

There has been some talk about using a slider to adjust the car number between 1-50. That would be nice but consider this. What if we had a filter to check off which type of cars we want to switch.

For example, let's say the random number was 40 out of 50, the filter could show that 10 were box, 10 were tank, 15 were hopper and 5 other. You would then check off which type of cars you wanted included. If you wanted a quick session you could check the type of cars that only had 5. Check more types for more cars and longer sessions.

 

In regards to the derailers, I have never been able to get the dispatcher to specifically clear me over them, but it has also never said to wait, either. So it could be that I would have to keep requesting access, and eventually it would give permission to proceed. As for the tool tips, I have read that others, on PC, have them work in scheduler mode. On Xbox, they haven't been working.

The other thing I noticed is that you are running at night. Realistically this makes a lot of sense, and of course there will be far less conflicting movements. It's almost like turning off the layers. For my next attempt I was going to run at night, although having my last session end because a wagon spawned on the buffers has prevented me from trying again just yet.

 

Yes I am all for more customization, including how many cars you get, what types they are, where they spawn and where they have to be delivered. You could put together cars just in yard, and then make all your deliveries. You could gather cars from all over and bring them to a yard. You could just shunt a large yard.

The way it is now, you often have to pick up cars on sidings just to deliver them to other sidings. That's not very close to how switching usually works and results in a lot of backtracking.

 

The dispatcher should either say, denied or proceed with restricted speed. On the PC use TAB and select CONTACT.

Yes I'm running at night however I start in the yard in daylight since it may take a few hours to sort things out. I look for all ones going near the same location then hook them altogether. This yard work takes some time but is mostly protect from AI trains. I find that delivering a half dozen to a dozen is enough for one session. Each car requires multiple moves. I ran 30 combined miles to deliver little more than ten cars.

 

Less than have way through with my set of 39 and yet have many hours into it. At this rate it would take me a few more days to complete. I don't see anything wrong with quitting a set before finishing, then starting a whole new set. Yet something inside wants to complete the tasks. I'm also curious to see if the AI trains will continue to run the following day.

 

Does the External Interface API expose any Freight Hauler data in TSW7?

I already have an external display running off the API, reading and writing a fair number of parameters. What I can't find is anything coming from Freight Hauler — specifically the list of cars in the current job, with for each one an identifier, its type (boxcar, covered hopper, stack, etc.), where it came from, where it's going, and its current status.

That's essentially a switch list: the document a real crew actually works from. It's the whole job on one sheet, and it's what makes freight work as much about planning as about driving.

 

A switch list would be the ideal. For now I'm pleased to have Freight Hauler even thought it's a random pick of cars with no rhyme or reason. To go along the lines of your thought, if FH would bring up a table of all static cars, grouped by location while displaying car types, the player could be given the ability to build there own switch list. Simple select the cars you want to switch and apply a destination. I like it.