Ny-trenton: Usa Content Is Still Severely Flawed

It can't be very practical to have both levels of Secaucus playable on the same route

 

If they add Raritan Valley to the game, as I suggested (and it seems other people want a branch line as well) then that would be a different route that runs on the lower level.

No route runs on both levels anyway so your statement doesn't apply.

 

The Raritan Valley Line has nothing to do with the lower level at Secaucus Junction. It branches off from the NEC at Hunter, west of Newark Penn, where it joins the Conrail Lehigh Line as far as Aldene, then follows the CNJ to High Bridge. Raritan trains that run through to NYP are on the upper level at Secaucus like any other Corridor train.

 

I was the one that suggested the RVL since High Bridge is 20-30 min from where I live Easton, PA area. It runs the upper level of Secaucus Junction on it's 51xx trips to NY Penn. For the player you basically run it Newark to New York Penn. On here if merged a 1hr 40 High Bridge to NYC run. Another possibility of using the upper level of Secaucus Junction is Morris and Essex Lines by building it to Summit exit 45 off I-78 High Bridge on RVL is exits 16-18 off the same Highway.

 

Hey Joethefish I was wondering if it was possible to add the ALP45 services from Newark Penn that would represent the Ratitan Valley line. Since they would be operating on AC mode on the route.I know early on the thread Matt ask if it would be appropriate for the Substitution and most gave feed back that it would.these would add some shorter services to/from Newark Penn and about 6 more for the NJCL.
Below are services that I grab from northeasttrainman
ALP-45DPs in both modes that access the Northeast Corridor.
Raritan Valley Line (51xx Trains / Weekday Schedule - 2023) - 16 Trains

• 5126, 5170, 5132, 5134, 5176, 5150, 5152, 5154 (High Bridge / Raritan To NYP)
• 5121, 5123, 5175, 5127, 5179, 5193, 5155, 5197 (NYP to Raritan / High Bridge)

North Jersey Coast Line (33xx Trains / Weekday Schedule - 2023) - 6 Trains

• 3312, 3320, 3326 (Bay Head to NYP)
  
• 3361, 3363, 3373 (NYP to Bay Head)

 

LIRR is abandoned? Will we ever see a full timetable for it?

 

From a while back, Matt explained how he created a new timetable for lirr, but it broke due to the signaling. Signaling requires an overhaul and it is a big task. Doesn't seem possible unless dtg rebuild lirr with atc and acses like tsc does for it to work

 

I definitely hope with what was learned from NY-Trenton, we can get a rebuild of LIRR soon so we can implement the improved LIRR timetable. If it's rebuilt, the line can even be recreated to Ronkonkoma hopefully with more scenery items. This would also be a good chance to fix the issues with the propulsion/incorrect sounds for the M7

 

I know. Just asking about it, hoping to hear some good news from schedule maestro.

 

Cover story well used. It used to be true that the trains signed to long branch from nyp you had to wait for the bay head shuttle whereas the ones to bay head had the shuttle waiting. Not sure how often that happens anymore it’s been a bit since I’ve been into the city and didn’t drive to secaucus.

Back in the day they used to switch engines from diesel to a gg1 in south amboy. It was my favorite part of the trip into the city when I was a kid.

 

LIRR needs more than a timetable rework; until the signaling is overhauled, the timetable can't really be fixed.

 

Yeah i seen that

 

Here is a copy from the Ratitan valley line. I think it works out since they operate during off peak hours from 09:30am to around 3pm and then 7:50pm to 11:08pm

 

looks like the trains would arrive at Penn station and then depart from what ever platform they are on. Not enough time for the Sunny side loop since it takes 36 minutes to go around . These would be a great add.looks like it uses track 2 when going to Penn and track 5 for Ratitan

 

I think what nepclassof84 was referring to was the bandwidth the game can handle, not individual physical trains running on both levels. It's impractical in real life too, hence why it doesn't happen, at least in revenue service.

I'll speak for myself, I'm not sure if the game would be able to handle two levels / divisions of train traffic there. Then if the lower level Hoboken Division (diesel) lines aren't built to a certain extent / level, there will be even more dissension. Will the diesel lines be built in their entirety? Will new locomotives & rolling stock need to be created? Will the Meadowlands Sports Complex be included? Static trains? Freight trains (not at Secaucus, but farther along certain lines)?

It could mean the inclusion of Hoboken, which could mean / imply the need for at least the following to be built out / made playable:

1. Waterfront Connection
2. Meadowland Maintenance Complex (MMC)
3. Building out the Morris & Essex line to connect at the Kearny Connection (I know the connection isn't for trains from Hoboken, only for trains from points west i.e. Dover, Summit, Gladstone, etc)
4. Lower Hack Lift Bridge

Even though the DLC is explicitly titled Northeast Corridor: New York - Trenton, there are many who appear to want multiple branch lines built in their entirety IN this DLC.
At that point, NJ Transit could be a whole videogame in itself. Or perhaps the whole NJ - NY Metro Region (mainly NJT, Amtrak & LIRR), since Philly won't be included due to SEPTA not participating with DTG atm. I'm all for it by the way and I'd gladly purchase it. I just don't see such a vast expansion taking place in a strictly digital DLC focused on one route. If we couldn't get Morrisville Yard, Princeton Branch, or bumper blocks for Tracks 1-4 at NYP in this DLC, I'm not hopeful there will be any route extensions / connections in this DLC. Budget, Bandwidth (Videogame & Human Bandwidth of the Developers), Deadlines, Demand, Priorities, etc have to be taken into consideration.

Train Sim World: The Great Northeast sounds good to me. Wishful thinking.

 

Sorry if this has been previously mentioned, but I don't have time to read 1000+ replies. But in real-life, are you able to see the Manhattan skyline at Secaucus or when approaching the North River Tunnels? The DLC seems like you're in the middle of the country despite being only 5 miles or so from Midtown Manhattan.

 

No, don't let them touch it! They'll break something and make it worse.

 

Google suggests yes, as this view of I95 right before Secaucus Junction shows.

And here's the view from google street view a short distance down the road, as it runs parallel to the tracks entering the station, with many of the same buildings visible.

 

Despite this topic being called "NY-Trenton: USA Content Is Still Severly Flawed", I have good news.
Previously, the NJ Transit Train 3961 service was unplayable (watch here), as an Amtrak train blocked your path:


Now, the 3961 service is playable (watch here) as the Amtrak train moves up and discharges it's passengers, allowing you to diverge from Track 10 to 11 and run to Trenton.

 

That’s great news Joe. I can’t wait to get the new time table. I was looking at the LIRR time table during peak hours looks like they use platforms 14 through 21. I think 14 they share with Amtrak

 

Wow didn’t realize that. I guess now since about 300 of the services that used to go to Penn now go to Grand Central Madison is not as busy compare to 2019

 

Can't wait to purchase this route when the timetable has been finished. Your timetables really add a new level of realism to the routes.

Talking of "peak" there is another recent route which could do with some attention to its timetable!

 

Obviously great to have the timetable expanded but scenery is another really important missing element across much of the route.

I don't own Harlem line but shouldn't many of the Manhattan skyline assets from there be usable? It's only acting as distant scenery after all.

 

The problem is the Harlem line Skyline is as bad as it can be. Don't want to use that. On the other hand the timetable of the Harlem line is currently the best as far as US routes in my opinion

 

I agree. We definitely don't want the New York skyline copied from Harlem or LIRR. If you've ever traveled to NYC by any form of transportation, you know how poorly interpreted it is in these routes.

 

Good morning DTG JD . sorry to tag you but just wanted to see if you have an update on NYT as far as the bugs. On the last roadmap it was mentioned currently working the timetable which I know Joe is currently working on. But do you know if the team is currently working the known issues like the Pantographs on AI trains, lights on the interior being off on all trains. No drivers shown on AI trains, Doors staying open on AI trains, No marker lights/headlights on AI trains, PIS on AI trains, Signaling.I know there're other issues I failed to mentioned but any update would be helpful to keep us updated. thanks

 

Signaling!

 

What about the am fleet car cab liver editior issue when will that get fixed?

 

Yes, signaling!!! It is frustrating to run with ACWS and ATC on and, for me, not worth playing.

 

Not to mention the fact the last "fix" managed to screw up signaling on Boston-Providence

 

Me too. I really want to enjoy this route and the timetable is being fixed. But driving it without the in- cab signalling is not fun. So I've shelved the route until both timetable and signalling are fixed.

 

Which is sad, considering all the work Brandon put into getting it to work correctly.

 

I went back and reran the service, regional 184, that had caused so much frustration yesterday. This time I left ATC off but turned ACES on. It was a very nice run with ACES doing what it was supposed to do without ATC getting in the way. I had the NORAC signal rules up on my second monitor so could see what I should be doing per the signals. I guess, until something is done about how ATC reacts to the upcoming pathway, I will not turn it on. I mean when you are probably 4 or 5 miles away from where the approach medium should be reacted to and it slows you down to 45, geeze.

 

Certainly not wayside signaling? Nothing was changed with the signal model.

 

I haven't noticed any changes to the signalling on the Boston route since the big upgrade.

 

Yeah so what broke? I'm genuinely curious.

EDIT: I haven't been playing since I've been busy on another development project. I didn't take the time to test it recently.

 

I was talking about NYT which is waiting for a patch.

Last time I drove on BPE, some weeks ago, signals were fine, though I still had a hard time keeping to the timetable, especially traveling towards Boston. It's really tight.

 

Thank you for attaching the thread I was looking for. I have been experiencing these issues and I couldn’t figure out what was happening.

 

Oh you guys are referring to the ACSES Positive Stop at Tower 1. This is happening because they enabled Positive Stop in Boston for the Acela. It wasn't previously enabled.

This phenomenon is happening due to something they kept from my original service mode timetable. To prevent trains from reserving the signal at Tower 1 too early, I set a waypoint at the east end of Cove. When the train reaches that waypoint, the dispatcher then clears the train through Tower 1. The signal at Tower 1 will always be a Stop until the train clears Cove. But it's not playing nicely with positive train control because of how close the waypoint is to the next signal. For now just disable ACSES after leaving Back Bay.

You guys get me scared when you say "signals are broken" when it's actually the safety systems.

 

I mean, really. cActUsjUiCe doesn't work for DTG. Everything he has done for BPE has been on his own. And he is quite correct in any case; the signals are not broken as far as the displayed aspect. The suggestion to disable safety systems, while not optimal, is the only way to play without the "positive stop." It is not as if cActUsjUiCe has any control over getting this fixed. And besides, he is the only person who has correctly identified and explained the issue.

If umbrage shall be taken, then perhaps it is better aimed at DTG. Let's not forget that this whole mess started with an update that was intended to improve the signals on NYT. Apparently, as Matt alluded to, this update was also applied to BPE as part of some sort of attempt at standardization. I am still of the opinion that the update, as it were, should just be removed from BPE (and HAR, where it has also done no good). Why it can't be removed so that these two routes can just presumably revert to how they were, has not been explained; nor has any other fix been forthcoming. In any case, thanks for the explanation, and least now we have a better understanding of the problem.

 

Don't know if there is a positive stop coming into Newark from the west, but my ACES read out dropped to zero as I was slowing for the stop and got a penalty brake application.

 

Lol course they don't.. They don't give a LOVE

 

Similarly to how Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator is developed, I wonder if DTG has a team based in the US? I am not sure where DTG currently is based out of but I think having teams throughout each country would definitely help in obtaining reference materials and familiarity with the railroads per region.

 

I'm I'm still kind of confused why Amtrak stops at Secaucus junction which it doesn't in real life

I'm still confused why Amtrak stops at Secaucus junction in game but Secaucus junction does not serve Amtrak in real life. NEC New York to Trenton really needs a lot of improvement and maybe new content such as: Dover, High Bridge, and Bay Head as new additions

 

Hey Joe Hope all is good. I know you have been hard at work on NYT timetable. Wondering if you had an update on the progress so far.
Thanks Joe
.

 

I guess we will have to wait for June roadmap to hopefully get an update. I think the updates that we have gotten from Jane at Skyhook has been well received by the community. I think all form of communication is always good.