Rearrange signal context menu

" said:

Not a bad idea. Maybe there should be an extra menu option "Place detonators".

could work for any mechanical box, but I doubt you'd see someone run out of West Hampstead PSB with a trio of Detonators...

to further this, Keith didn't mention detonator placers and their respective levers in a box, but normally these don't necessarily sit at a signal, but a convenient location within the signal boxes station limits. (not sure an equivelant exists in power signalling?).

OK Maxand, I'm going to say it. While yes I do interpose headcodes more often than apply or remove reminders, I only ever use the "I" key to do this.

" said:

OK Maxand, I'm going to say it. While yes I do interpose headcodes more often than apply or remove reminders, I only ever use the "I" key to do this.

It has to be said though that not all berths can be interposed like this.

Occasionally placers might exist for other purposes as well. At Acton Wells there was a det placer on the up Intermediate Block signal (which was unusual in other ways too, not least in that it was in rear of the box rather then in advance). The placer co-acted with the signal.

Det placers used to be included in power signalling schemes. London Bridge had one adjacent to the starter on both the up Charing X platform (No. 6?) and the loop that passed it. Again, they co-acted with the signal and - presumably - were there in lieu of traps (open traps wouldn't have been permitted, even if there had been room, as both were passenger lines).

OK Maxand, I'm going to say it. While yes I do interpose headcodes more often than apply or remove reminders, I only ever use the "I" key to do this. Never the right click menu, which for your information involves pressing shift and then right click (I have it set up that way as it is by far more easy for me to use.

Secondly, while I use reminders a lot, mostly for routing purposes. If I see a reminder on the main running line, then I know the train goes else where. I use the clock menu 99% of the time to do this, again not the right click menu.

As others have previously said to you on here, and I may be putting it in another way here, if you spent the time which you spend complaining about the way things work, and spend that playing a sim, I think you will find that you will actually find out that what is there works fine as it is.

When you start learning how to adapt SimSig to work for you, rather than you want SimSig to work exactly how you want (and then not for everyone else), you will easily be able to master larger sims as well. I can easily run Bristol alone, and other sims of that size.

In that case, nothing in this thread applies to you. This thread is about rearranging the R-click context menu, not about using the "I" key in preference.

Again, completely irrelevant for the same reason as above. This thread is for those who use the R-click menu to add and remove collars.

If we all adopted that approach we'd still be at SimSig v1.0

Using the I key in preference has plenty to do with signal context menu - it shows that Interpose TD is not their most commonly used action on the context menu and therefore they disagree with your ealier assertion that Interpose TD is the most commonly used option

seeing the number of sticky notes you had out (mostly blank I add), I can't help thinking you're going desperately wrong somewhere.

Has it occurred to you that one reason they might prefer not to use the context menu for this purpose is that the Interpose and Cancel options are so far down the list that they find it physically easier to tap the I key than to drag the mouse cursor down to the bottom of the menu?

As far as Brighton's concerned, I find it dangerously easy to send trains out that are non-described, particularly from places like Haywards Heath that lack TD berths at exit signals on P1 and P4. At Brighton platforms I use sticky notes to tell me the old and new headcodes of trains which detach and join there. Brighton in particular demands a lot of interposing of signals from one end of a platform to another, also exits out of sidings. Sticky notes prepared in advance insure against accidentally losing a headcode.

The menu is as it is so work with it is my mantra

" said:

]As far as Brighton's concerned, I find it dangerously easy to send trains out that are non-described, particularly from places like Haywards Heath that lack TD berths at exit signals on P1 and P4. At Brighton platforms I use sticky notes to tell me the old and new headcodes of trains which detach and join there. Brighton in particular demands a lot of interposing of signals from one end of a platform to another, also exits out of sidings. Sticky notes prepared in advance insure against accidentally losing a headcode.

See it's exactly the "accidentally lose a headcode" bit that I'm getting at. If you need forty sticky notes, a train list and you're still losing trains, losing TDs, having queues of 3hr late trains stretching from Preston Park to Keymer Jn then you're playing well out of your depth. Another point you raised elsewhere that you leave the phone alone for 20 minutes with endless drivers calling in reinforces that. A signaller will develop an awareness of what's going on on his panel - so if you had 1 train drop it's TD because you hadn't interposed it in the London end berth then you'd immediately recall what the problem is and you can interpose the TD at the next signal - no reference to Train List or Sticky Notes should be required.

I am very confused as to how you manage to get into the sort of situations you describe.

First, I wondered whether I might have been playing an earlier version of the sim or TT, but I doubt it. Unfortunately I don't know of any reliable way of telling which version I am playing, but the sim installer is Brighton4_0.exe while the TT is Brighton 15th October 2009 (0445) v1.4.WTT.

<snip> after a train has reversed at Brighton, if the headcode does not appear alongside the exit signal, I manually interpose it there. If I forget, I may end up with a non-described train which can only be reliably identified when it stops at the next red signal, using the Train List.

I now find it essential to study the TT for each train arriving at Haywards Heath P1, in case it detaches its rear end. If it does but I don't interpose the DR headcode at the appropriate time, I end up with an unborn train (no berth, excuse the pun) rather than a non-described (*X**) train.

Despite all this, non-described trains still crawl out occasionally. I remember a Class 5 ECS whose headcode was properly interposed at the exit signal at Brighton P7 AFAIK, but somehow lost this en route to Lovers Walk L21, no idea why. But this is anecdotal only.

Quote:

I am very confused as to how you manage to get into the sort of situations you describe.

This is probably because it doesn't take long for traffic to build up when I'm suddenly confronted by one weird problem or another. This is compounded by trains waiting for other trains to join them at Brighton. One train comes from Lovers Walk and demands P5 to join another train from Balcombe Tunnel, currently waiting behind 9 other trains in line for Haywards Heath. By the time the second train arrives, another 3 will have emerged from Lovers Walk and the Carriage Road is full. This is the typical congestion pattern and my only solution is to keep at least one platform at Brighton open for trains that just want to get in quick, change to an outgoing service, and get out again.

When I really get stuck with trains that won't move forward or backwards I tend to cancel TTs, swing points, signal the driver to reverse out, then try a different and hopefully longer empty platform before restoring the TT.

I always play at 1:1 speed, preferring to revert to an earlier saved version rather than reduce speed when buildups occur, as I feel I can handle 1:1 as long as my actions remain routine.

ACI works OK at Brighton P1-2 and 7-8, but I never fully trust it, and after a train has reversed at Brighton, if the headcode does not appear alongside the exit signal, I manually interpose it there.

I now find it essential to study the TT for each train arriving at Haywards Heath P1, in case it detaches its rear end. If it does but I don't interpose the DR headcode at the appropriate time, I end up with an unborn train (no berth, excuse the pun) rather than a non-described (*X**) train.

I don't take much notice of train and platform lengths - maybe I should, but then checking all this stuff would slow me down more, and I'd rather the TT writer took this all into account so I don't find myself with trains that don't fit the platform. Also adding "far end exact" is something I shouldn't have to do or even know about - that should have been in the TT right from the start.

Quote:

The menu is as it is so work with it is my mantra

Words fail me.

As far as Brighton's concerned, I find it dangerously easy to send trains out that are non-described, particularly from places like Haywards Heath that lack TD berths at exit signals on P1 and P4.

I disagree. It only shows that they prefer to use the I key rather than the r-click context menu to interpose. Has it occurred to you that one reason they might prefer not to use the context menu for this purpose is that the Interpose and Cancel options are so far down the list that they find it physically easier to tap the I key than to drag the mouse cursor down to the bottom of the menu? Now, if these options were moved up a bit, more people might find they prefer a simple one-click method (using the R hand as Sacro described) to crossing their L hand over the keyboard just to reach the I key!

Thinking about it, the describer at Haywards is slightly unusual- inbound descriptions go to the berth at 344 (London end) signal, despite there being a berth at 345 (Brighton end) signal. When I get a train in to divide, I interpose the current TD at 345, then replace the one at 344 with the ID of the detached portion. Shouldn't the inbound description go straight to 345?

Probably the worst for that were the WR electromechanical displays, in which the display was also the store. (Thought... I wonder if they're intending to restore them at Swindon Panel?!!!)

" said:

As far as Brighton's concerned, I find it dangerously easy to send trains out that are non-described, particularly from places like Haywards Heath that lack TD berths at exit signals on P1 and P4.

Train describers will always step out at Haywards Heath. In general, it doesn't matter which end of the platform the describer is at, it will always step out. There will be a note in the Wiki if this isn't the case (for example Brighton).

Thinking about it, the describer at Haywards is slightly unusual- inbound descriptions go to the berth at 344 (London end) signal, despite there being a berth at 345 (Brighton end) signal. When I get a train in to divide, I interpose the current TD at 345, then replace the one at 344 with the ID of the detached portion. Shouldn't the inbound description go straight to 345?

Thinking about it, the describer at Haywards is slightly unusual- inbound descriptions go to the berth at 344 (London end) signal, despite there being a berth at 345 (Brighton end) signal. When I get a train in to divide, I interpose the current TD at 345, then replace the one at 344 with the ID of the detached portion. Shouldn't the inbound description go straight to 345?

" said:

Probably the worst for that were the WR electromechanical displays, in which the display was also the store. (Thought... I wonder if they're intending to restore them at Swindon Panel?!!!)

Totally divergent from the topic at hand, but I think the answer is "no, unless someone has one or the knowledge to make one" - I don't think the group has much information on them, and there certainly don't seem to be any lying about to just plug back in! The plan is to go back to whatever it was that came after those electromechanical ones, but before the current on-panel TDs.