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| Key Points:- |
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Track Direction Markers are yellow coloured markers that are invisible in Driver but visible in Surveyor |
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They are "One Way" signs that force trains under AI control to travel in a specific direction through the track section where they are placed |
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The direction they are pointing is the direction of travel through the track section where they are placed |
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They only work on AI controlled trains and have NO EFFECT on manually controlled trains |
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Track Direction Markers are yellow track objects that are only visible in Surveyor. They set the direction that AI trains are forced to travel along a section of track between junctions, industry tracks and crossings. They only work on AI controlled trains.
While Track Markers can be used to direct trains around a layout, they must be added to the Driver Commands in the form of Drive Via commands, and similar, to individual train drivers to work.
Track Direction Markers can perform the same task without needing to be added to the command lists of drivers. Their disadvantage is that they will affect all AI controlled trains while Track Marks will only affect those AI trains where they appear in the driver command lists.
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A good place for Track Direction Markers is on industry track, changeover points between yards, sidings, mainline track and crossovers. |
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How Do They Work?
Track Direction Markers set a direction for a TGL (Track Graph Line - the path for an AI train to follow). A TGL can be made up of many track segments, but they generally start and end as shown below.
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| For Example: a Track Direction Marker placed on the track between a junction on one side and an industry track on the other side will set the AI controlled train direction for ALL the track segments between the two, not just the one it is attached to. |
| When an AI driver plans a path it will query if it can enter a TGL. If the TGL contains a Track Direction Marker that is pointing against the planned path then that path will be rejected. |
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Notes:
If a train starts it's AI pathing already in a TGL with a Track Direction Marker then the marker will be ignored. Unlike Priority Markers, Track Direction Markers are absolute. An AI train will not enter a TGL where the Track Direction Marker is pointing against it. |
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Track Direction Markers can be placed in a Route Layer or in a Session Layer |
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Notes:
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Information on Route Layers and Session Layers can be found at:-
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Notes:
The only important property of a Track Direction Marker is the direction it is pointing. This is the direction that all AI controlled trains will be forced to take.
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In Surveyor Classic (S10)
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| Surveyor Classic (or S10) is the original Surveyor interface supplied with every version of Trainz and is available as an option in TRS22PE and Trainz Plus. |
| The Surveyor Classic interface used here is the one found in Trainz Plus and TRS22PE. There are some differences from the Surveyor Classic interface found in older versions of Trainz. |
Adding a Track Direction Marker (S10)
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Track Direction Markers are Track Objects and have to be attached to a track segment. They can be moved along the track and to other tracks. |
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| Steps: To add a Track Direction Marker:- |
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Open the Tracks Tool Flyout (the F4 key) and Left Click on the Trackmark Mode button (the V key) |
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Left Click on the Track Direction Marker object shown in the asset list |
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Left Click the + Add Object button - it may already be selected - or press the A key |
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Left Click on the track location where the Track Direction Marker is to be placed
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Avoid placing a Track Direction Marker on a junction. You could accidentally place the Track Direction Marker on the wrong junction branch which means that it will have NO EFFECT if the targetted train is directed to the other branch |
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Notes: Deleting a Track Direction Marker
| Steps: To delete a Track Direction Marker:- |
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If they are not already open and selected, open the Track Tools Flyout (the F4 key) and the Trackmark Mode (the V key). |
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Left Click on the Delete Trackmark Tool (the D key). |
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Left Click on the Track Direction Marker to be deleted. |
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Set its Name and Layers (S10)
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The name of a Track Direction Marker is only needed to locate it in a route or session. It is not used in any Session Rules or Driver Commands |
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The Layer it is assigned to will decide if will be saved in a Route or in a Session |
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To change the Track Direction Marker name Left Click on the name text entry box, delete the current name and enter a new name
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Use a name for the marker that will make it easy to remember and locate. |
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| To change its Layer and/or its Bound Layer Left Click on the approprite layer text entry box (or use its scroll arrowheads) and select a new layer. |
Information on the Layer and the Bound Layer settings can be found at:-
How to Use Layers |
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WARNING:
Switching an objects Assigned Layer between a Route Layer and a Session Layer will change where it is saved (in the Route or the Session). |
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To confirm the changes Left Click on the icon or the Save Changes button (depending on your Trainz version) at the bottom of the window OR click on the icon or Cancel button to cancel the changes. Both actions will close the Properties Window. |
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Change its Direction (S10)
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The direction the marker is pointing is the direction AI trains will be forced to take. |
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The direction that a Track Direction Marker points is its ONLY important feature.
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| Steps: To Reverse the Direction of a Track Direction Marker:- |
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In the Track Tools Flyout (the F4 key) select Trackmark Mode (the V key) |
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Then select the Rotate Trackmark Tool (the R key) |
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Left Click on the Track Direction Marker |
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Move it Along the Track (S10)
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Track Direction Markers can be dragged along the track and moved to other tracks. |
If you need to move a Track Direction Marker then:-
| Steps: To move a Track Direction Marker to a new position or to another track:- |
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In the Track Tools Flyout (the F4 key) select Trackmark Mode (the V key) |
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Then select the Move Trackmark Tool (the M key) |
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Left Click and Drag on the Track Direction Marker to its new position.
It will follow track curves and height changes as it moves. |
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When dragging a marker from one track to another it will not move until the mouse pointer is over, or very close to, the second track when the marker will instantly jump across. |
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Set its Effect Radius (S10)
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The Effect Radius sets the size of green "effect wings" attached to both ends of the Track Direction Marker. |
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Its default value is 20m. Changing it has NO EFFECT on its operation. |
| A Track Direction Marker will set the allowed direction of travel for ALL AI controlled trains travelling along a section of single line track. It has NO EFFECT on manually controlled trains. Placing a Track Direction Marker on a track segment will affect all connected track segments... |
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Changing the Effect Radius property of a Track Direction Marker has NO EFFECT on its operation but it allows you to keep its "visibility" clear of other track objects such as junctions and other markers. |
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| For Example: a Track Direction Marker placed on the track between a junction on one side and an industry track on the other side will set the AI controlled train direction for ALL the track segments between the two, not just the one it is attached to. So its Effect Radius is actually the distance between those two points regardless of the number track segments. |
| The Effect Radius controls for a Track Direction Marker are in the Tools Menu Advanced Window. |
| Steps: To Open the Advanced Tools Window:- |
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In the Track Tools Flyout (the F4 key) select Trackmark Mode (the V key) |
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Left Click on the Advanced label at the bottom of the Track Tools Flyout.
This will open the Advanced Tools Window (shown below). |
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Other Track Objects that have an Effect Radius include:-
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| Steps: To set a Track Direction Marker Effect Radius:- |
| In the Advanced Tools popout (see Steps above) you will have a choice of 4 methods to set and adjust the Effect Radius |
| Options: Choose one of:- |
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To copy the Effect Radius of an existing Track Direction Marker:-
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Left Click the Get Effect Radius icon |
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Left Click on the Direction Mark whose radius you want to copy - the radius will be copied into the Effect Radius Value text box (the default value is 20.00 metres) |
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To apply the new value see option below |
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To manually alter the Effect Radius value
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Type the new value (in metres) into the Effect Radius setting box |
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To apply the new value see option below |
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To apply a value in the Effect Radius Value text box (from methods , or ) to another Track Direction Marker
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Left Click the Copy Radius Value icon |
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Left Click on the Track Direction Marker that is to receive the new value (you can click on more than one) |
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To adjust the Effect Radius value up or down
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Left Click the Adjust Effect Radius button |
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Select the Track Direction Marker |
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Left Click and Drag Forward (to increase the value) or Backward (to reduce the value) |
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The new value will be immediately applied to the selected Track Direction Marker as the mouse moves (but only one Track Direction Marker at a time) |
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Once you have an Effect Radius entered in the value box, you can apply it to any number of Track Direction Markers by using method shown above
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In Surveyor 2.0 (S20)
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| Surveyor 2.0 (or S20) is the latest Surveyor interface and is supplied with TRS22PE and Trainz Plus. |
Adding a Track Direction Marker (S20)
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Track Direction Markers are Track Objects and have to be attached to a track segment. The Track Direction Marker object can be moved along the track and off the track (left, right, above, below) but its attachment point is always connected to a track segment. |
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In the Filter Palette either:-
In the Assets Palette to narrow down the filter list, type "direction" (UPPER/lower case does not matter) in the Search Text Box. |
 Both pallets shown docked |
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Place the selected Track Direction Marker on the track.
Once you have added a Track Priority Marker and set its properties it can be quickly duplicated (Cloned) in Surveyor 2.0 with those properties and moved to a new location. You can then easily edit the name and properties of the clone at the new location. See How to Use S20 Tools - Cloning Objects for the details. |
Change its Name (S20)
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The name of the Track Direction Marker is only useful for finding it in the route. It is not needed for any operational purpose. |
Assign it to Another Layer (S20)
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The layer assigned to a marker will control where it is saved, in the Route or the Session. |
Change its Direction (S20)
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The direction the marker is pointing is the direction AI controlled trains will be forced to take. |
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The direction that a Track Direction Marker points is its ONLY important feature.
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Move it Along the Track (S20)
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Markers can be moved along the track or moved to other tracks. |
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When dragging a marker from one track to another its Attachment Point will stay attached to its original track until the marker is moved closer to the second track. At that point the Attachment Point will instantly jump across to the second track. |
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Move it Vertically (S20)
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Markers can be physically placed above or below the track. |
| This feature allow a marker to be placed, for example, above the track so that it will not be hidden in Surveyor if a consist is parked on the marker. A change in height will have NO EFFECT on its operation. |
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| Steps: |
To move a Track Direction Marker vertically choose option OR :- |
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If you need to return the Track Direction Marker to its original position then:-
| Steps: To correctly reattach the Track Direction Marker to the track:- |
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select the object and open (Left Click on) its Context Menu Icon (or press the T key) |
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from the popup menu select Reattach to Track |
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Move it Horizontally (S20)
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Markers can be physically placed left or right of the track. |
| This feature allows markers to be placed, for example, beside the track so that they will not be hidden in Surveyor if a consist is parked on the Track Direction Marker. |
Set its Effect Radius (S20)
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The Effect Radius sets the size of green "effect wings" attached to both ends of the Track Direction Marker. |
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Its default value is 20m. Changing it has NO EFFECT on its operation. |
| A Track Direction Marker will set the allowed direction of travel for ALL AI controlled trains travelling along a section of single line track. It has NO EFFECT on manually controlled trains. Placing a Track Direction Marker on a track segment will affect all connected track segments... |
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Changing the Effect Radius property of a Track Direction Marker has NO EFFECT on its operation but it allows you to keep its "visibility" clear of other track objects such as junctions and other markers. |
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| For Example: a Track Direction Marker placed on the track between a junction on one side and an industry track on the other side will set the AI controlled train direction for ALL the track segments between the two, not just the one it is attached to. So its Effect Radius is actually the distance between those two points regardless of the number track segments. |
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Track Direction Markers only work on AI controlled trains. They have NO EFFECT on manually controlled trains |
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If the set path is blocked, then the AI will NOT attempt to find another path |
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A set path will be ignored if a shorter path is available |
| Consider the situation represented in the diagrams below. An AI controlled train is moving left to right towards a junction and a loop line. A Track Direction Marker (yellow triangle) has been set on the main line which only allows AI trains traveling right-to-left to pass along that section of track. |
| In Figure 1 below, The train approaches the junction at the start of the one way section. |

Figure 1
| In Figure 2 below, the train has been forced to take the loop line to avoid the section controlled by the Track Direction Markers. |

Figure 2
| In Figure 3 below, the loop line has been blocked by another train. The moving train will attempt to use the loop line but it will be halted and will not attempt to find another path. |

Figure 3
Track Direction Markers can be ignored by the AI
In Figure 4 below, the Track Direction Marker has been placed on the loop line and is pointing in the same direction as the moving train. However, the mainline path represents the shorter route for the consist so the "preferred" direction, as indicated by the Track Direction Markers, is ignored. Placing a Track Direction Marker is no guarantee that the path will be followed if more suitable paths are available. |

Figure 4
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This page was created by Trainz user pware in September 2019 and was last updated as shown below.