NEC 4 activities documentation

This page lists the paths created by web•TrainSim to use in various activities he's been working on. As usual practice for web•TrainSim, he has made associated services for each path, using the same name for easy identification. All paths begin and end at sidings or platforms, the latter being used only when there is one hundred percent certainty that there won't be run-through trains at that particular platform.

Baltimore Penn on NEC 4, showing arrivals and departures. Most paths don't actually begin or end here - some begin and end on sidings just a short distance to the Washington.

Vince Cockeram, author of NEC 4, has provided some background information which clarifies the reasons for some problems encountered at various times when it came time for web•TrainSim to test his activity creations.

Signalling & activities

NEC 4 uses the NORAC (Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Council) signalling system. It works well for player trains but Vince explains that he won't have time to re-script the signalling for AI traffic and is saving his energy to convert NEC 4 to MSTS 2 (not far away!).

Thus there will be instances as shown by the pics above.

As well, there will be occasions when an AI train will run up the back of another AI train or your player train - MSTS terminates the activity due to a derailment. Often it's difficult to find which train has caused the problem and another test run is required and often the offending train can be determined with the help of one of the external views if it's your player train involved.

A train running into the back of another is a result of the AI train not obeying the prototypical Permissive block signalling used on NEC 4 for all signalling except at the interlockings. (Permissive means you may pass a red signal - stop and proceed - without asking permission to do so. NORAC rules state ". . . . 20 mph and able to stop in half your sight distance".)

Missing shapes

The first time web•TrainSim tested his MARC Washington to Baltimore on the NEC activity, he couldn't believe it when, just as he was getting to the end of platform 14, MSTS informed him there was a shape missing - <20009> RigidBody from memory. After checking with Vince Cockeram and being posted by others, it seems that the problem can be solved with a re-boot. The tiles at both Washington and Philadelphia are just about on the limit of what MSTS can cope with and it can complain bitterly if it's not in the right mood.

On occasions you might also get a Missing shape message before the actual activity completes loading - MSTS has told web•TrainSim that it can't find Shape <20006> RigidBody on one occasion. A re-boot should solve this problem, too.

It's for this reason that a couple of web•TrainSim's activities that begin at Washington on Tracks 11 and 14 are currenly on hold to see if there's a way to minimise MSTS misbehaving (MSbehaving ?).

Rolling stock

web•TrainSim has created (and probably is still creating for reasons above) some activities to run on NEC 4. Thus far he has worked on the following:

• Amtrak Philadelphia - Baltimore on the NEC
• Amtrak Baltimore - Washington on the NEC
• LRV Baltimore Airport - Woodbury
• MARC Baltimore Penn - Washington Union
• MARC Washington Union - Baltimore Penn
• MARC Washington - Baltimore Penn - Washington
• MARC Washington - Baltimore on the NEC
• Washington Metro New Carrollton - Judiciary Square

All the above activities use some or all of the following rolling stock which is available from Train-sim.com, unless otherwise stated.

Because there are no loose consists, you can use ConBuilder to substitute your choice of rolling stock.

• Amtrak F59PHI #451: f59phiv1.zip, 3window.zip
• ALe426-506 TAF double-decker EMU (FS_Ale426-506-TAF.zip from AllFreeNet.it)
• Amtrak E60C #620 (with cab), e60c_42.zip
• CEBX Schnabel: cebx800.zip, cebx8007.zip (updated ACE files)
• CSX Transportation box car #65892: csx_box1.zip
• CSX Transportation 50 foot box car #135070: csxbox33.zip
• CSX Transportation tank car: csx_tank.zip
• CSX SD40-2 #8119: csx8119.zip, CSX SD40-2 #8252: csx8252.zip, csx_ace.zip (updated ACE files)
• Default GP38-2 loco
• Default Metroliner trainset
• MARC HHP-8: marchhp.zip
• Metra "Winnebago" F40PH-2M #161, f40phmmt.zip
• Sounder (Sound Transit) Bombardier bi-level carriages: sndbdier.zip
• Trinity Rail Express trainset (only use the bi-level carriages): tretrain.zip
• SEPTA E60c trainset: septae60.zip (requires e60c_42.zip for cab)
• Boston MBTA Type 6 and Type 7 LRV: type6.zip, type7.zip
• NEC 4 Maps: nec40map.zip
• NEC Guide: necguide.zip

Baltimore LRV paths & services

CSX/MARC paths (Washington - Baltimore)

CSX Sub (Baltimore-Philadelphia)

Washington Metro paths & services

Northeast Corridor paths & services