A beginners guide to simsig using the Royston simulation

Royston is the simplest simulation from simsig.co.uk but contains most of the information you need to know to operate all of the simulations. This is a brief introduction to how the user interface works, how to route trains and how to change headcodes.

[@JohnPW22]

Thoroughly enjoyed that presentation - excellently talked through and enlightening about so many modern aspects of signalling with this sort of panel. Visited the new Swindon Panel Saturday for the launch so it's all getting in my blood!!!

[@LukeBriner]

Thanks! It can be exciting for sure but sometimes I wonder about myself ;-)

[@darrenr49]

I live in Royston. I feel famous

[@Jack-ii8vi]

Going to signalling school in a few weeks. I have a love of the railway so understand the basics. Really appreciate this video, I know that an actual signalling panel will be different and more 'stressy', but I think learning this will definitely give me a good start going into signalling school. Thanks for the video!

[@ThirdRailOfficial]

It is mostly the same, but you have some extra stuff like error and headcode screens. Since this was 6 months ago, do you mind if i ask how it went?

[@MuckyBeef]

Hey up mate, jumping in I know this was a year ago now, who did you apply for signalling with? Ive just completed all the assessments with network rail and just hoping for an interview for a grade 2 job in Lincoln. How was all the application process and schooling for you?

[@Jack-ii8vi]

@@MuckyBeef Ayup mate, good luck with it! The learning process in terms of IST is difficult, but most get through it. I applied for the South Yorkshire area and currently still looking for a box. Fully trained up, just waiting now. I would recommend that you do nothing beforehand, just the phonetic alphabet. You'll more than likely do AB signalling, so maybe have a readup into the history of it and how it works. Understanding of it all is the biggest thing, but once you're there its a great job.

[@MuckyBeef]

@Jack-ii8vi I'm assuming you're paid while you wait? Thankfully got a bit of a headstart with phonetics as I'm leaving the military haha, was it network rail you went with? How was all the interviewing etc etc? Not got much of a rail background so just a bit worried on how much pre-reading I should get stuck into

[@Jack-ii8vi]

@@MuckyBeef You're given an official start date after the interview, My first official day with NR was the first day of training - usually they try to avoid that. Interviewing I would recommend mentioning your safety critical background. Being ex military im sure that can be accomplished, NR's motto is everybody home safe every day - and safety is the absolute paramount. I would recommend not doing much pre-reading. Perhaps a few KZbin videos on the basics of the railway would be helpful if you were to land the job. I would absolutely recommend working for NR, they are an incredible company to work for. Good luck with the interview!

[@Dragonnox]

Thanks for the video. What are your top 3 recommended sims/maps for this?

[@marcelczubak9179]

Hi, enjoyed your video. I hear that you have a ringtone for incoming calls. My calls are silent, and I wonder if there’s a way to change that. Thanks

[@J95Sim]

Try 16:20 of the video

[@cpc2043]

Hi Luke, For track circut failures, can we also unoccupy the section of track using the incident menu, or will that stop enginners/cause any more problems?

[@LukeBriner]

The failures are to add realism, you can switch them all to low/off (F3) if you don't want any. It doesn't really make sense to override a failure - otherwise, just switch them off - and I don't know if you can.

[@cpc2043]

@@LukeBriner Thank you!

[@ThePbaggett]

Signallers can't un occupy a track circuit failure. You would examine, pass signals at read till engineers found the problem and put it in order for you.

[@W1LLUMP]

Luke, when I play, there is always a train that when it has terminated at Royston wants to do something (J: 2C67 leaves xx:xx) and the thing is, 2C67 is another service from Shepreth that is just scheduled to continue driving to Baldock. What do I do?

[@LukeBriner]

What you need to be careful of with this and other simulations is what platforms terminating trains are heading for. Often if a train terminates at Royston, it will go into the Up platform (the bottom one) and then form a new service back to London. If you send it to the wrong platform, it will still go there, you will lose some points for putting in on the wrong platform and you might well block the station. You can send the other train into the wrong platform also but this can be fiddly. On some simulations you can actually lock the whole station up if you can't clear a platform properly in which case, you can make the train run to another timetable or remove it if you are really stuck.

[@Trainswithjosh]

No trains come up on my game for some reason

[@garyleaver3903]

Hi Luke, I am a complete noob at this. I downloaded the free Royston sim, but I am not getting any trains appear in the timetable list! I notice the layout you demo in this vid is different from the current version with respect to buttons / controls. Is the current version of Royston devoid of a timetable? Yes, I do have the clock running (green indication) - so, I would expect items to appear in the timetable window and the trains list window. Any tips on how I get this to work gratefully appreciated.

[@milesthemelonator]

I'm also running into a problem with a freight train. It's only 120m in length so I doubt it's too long but it wants to reverse into the royston down siding and then to the sheriff siding. The problem is that once I've sent it into the down siding it says it's waiting for right of way. I give it the signal to go through but it just stays on waiting for right of way. I suspect I am doing something wrong rather than it being a bug, any ideas?

[@LukeBriner]

Sometimes the timetabled trains don't work but also the simulation captures information that is not visible on the schematic page such as the distance between signals and loop lengths. Check out this page: www.simsig.co.uk/Wiki/Show?page=simulations:royston:roystontutor:goods_trains and see if that helps. It is certainly possible to send a train into a location where it doesn't clear points and then automatically changes direction when you need it to move up. It is also possible to get a train stuck! You can use the commands in the trains window F2 to reverse direction etc. but if you are new to simsig, this might seem much harder than it needs to be.

[@milesthemelonator]

Ok i found that link very helpful and managed to route it correctly. Thanks!

[@jeremywilcox]

Current version 4.1_2 shows two shunt signals in platform one and I can find no reference of their use. Trying to use them for a join only succeded in me getting a joined train in P1 that I could got get to depart. I know things have changed over the last 20 years since I last used simsig and it took some time to catch up and find the way to do the join, but what are these shunts for?

[@LukeBriner]

It's been a while but I don't see anything unusual about P1. You need to make sure that the trains are in the correct order to join and you can enter P1 either 977 or 984 as normal but also you are allowed a call-on from both if a train is already in the platform. If it won't join, there is usually a message in the timetable window if you made a mistake like "waiting to join but train in front" which might give a clue. Occasionally, you will need to make one train shunt forwards to meet the next train in order for it to join. You can do this from the timetable window also.

[@jeremywilcox]

@@LukeBriner Just wondered what the two shunt signals show in P1 on the new version for for.

[@LukeBriner]

@@jeremywilcox I just ran it up and these are not marked on the signalling plan. These are fake signals for the calling-on process which would happen from signal 984 into platform 1 while a train is at the far end. From the panel point-of-view, you would use the grey triangle as your exit and that is likely to switch 984 to approach-set so it won't go green until e.g. the train is within 20 metres of the signal, which ensures it is slowed down. In real life, these fake signals might be marked on the platform by some form of stop board (like a fixed banner signal) or by real signals although in the case of Royston, they can't be real because they cannot be used for setting a route. If you are joining a train, you need to signal it using the triangle, otherwise the signal won't clear. But likely you will then need to shunt the train forwards past the stop sign.

[@FM60260]

Been trying to run LIV screen for a while and there's nothing on it, how do you get services?

[@arianaashworth3091]

LIV is a station code, use the correct terminology so people know what you're on about!

[@dylangk125]

Would you be able to make a video for the best maps for beginners?

[@LukeBriner]

+Dylan McKean Do you mean a list of all the simple simulations? In general, the ones with fewer screens are obviously easier. The newer ones also allow you to slow down the simulation, sometimes to 50% of real time! I have found that, as in real life, most of the simulations are doable once you have played a few times and learned the tricky bits. I found Gloucester hard to begin with due to the banker movements, sending ECS onto freight loops in Gloucester station and learning which part of Gloucester yard was which, now that I have played it a few times, I have learned how to do these things and it is not longer teeth crunchingly hard but very doable!

[@dylangk125]

+Luke Briner yeah that's what I mean

[@LukewMorgan]

Been playing through this simulation but ran into a problem and I don't know where to go with it... A freight train comes along the down line and wants to reverse at signal K246 (reverse shunt signal 2 to the left of platform 2) into Sherriff siding. Seems okay... I send it that way. But then it runs out of valid track... it's too long for the siding! and it's still blocking the down line and I have an express waiting...

[@LukeBriner]

It's been a while since I played the entire timetable but most of the default timetables seem to have glitches and I don't understand how they were never noticed during testing. I think I remember the one you have talked about. The best thing is to edit the timetable and either reduce the length of that train or remove it altogether and then save the timetable so it never happens again. You can edit trains that are already in the area though so you'd have to do that beforehand. You can also remove the train in extreme cases but that loses you points.

[@LukewMorgan]

I did this just now. I felt that shortening the train was cheating too much, so I modified the timetable to have it go into the down loop... but it was too long for that too! In the end I shortened it from 250m to 150m and it fits now, problem solved. I'm justifying this as in real life (I suspect, not actually got the job yet) they wouldn't send a train that's too long to fit in it's destination sidings...

[@LukeBriner]

Exactly right. Either the real life sidings are bigger or the train is not accurate. In some of these, they add trains that probably never run in real life to add some interest to the simulation.

[@firefoxgaming1894]

how do you download the Brighton Route

[@LukeBriner]

FireBow Gaming www.simsig.co.uk/Product/Details/22

[@turbostar7077]

Does anyone know where I can find the Royston download?

[@LukeBriner]

All of the sims now are available from the downloader. You download the main software, go into the list and select the sim you want to play. If it costs money, it will only play for a few minutes and you will need to get a licence key from the site. If it is free/donationware, then it will let you play it continuously.

[@antprop1649]

when I play simsig there is no timetable I can play with. just wondering if you know how I can fix it.

[@LukeBriner]

Timetables should be installed automatically (sometimes there is only 1 or 2) and you should choose it from the timetable picker when you start a new game. I've not had problems with it so you might need to try the simsig forums.

[@adrianubiaga421]

Hi! I have the same problem! Did you manage to solve it? I can't see any timetables... Thank you!

[@sangeethprasad3009]

Dont click 'start' from the first menu. Click 'next' each time until it fades. Then start

[@filkampl4725]

ok

[@johncoleshill2285]

I get a message "Signal K980 TRTS". How do I know which is signal K980 and what does TRTS mean ?

[@LukeBriner]

Hi John. A good explanation is here: www.simsig.co.uk/Wiki/Show?page=usertrack:glossary:trts the basic idea is that to avoid the signaller setting routes in a busy station, where a delayed train could then lock up the station for a few minutes, a route is not set from a platform until a member of the station staff has presses the TRTS button. At this point, the signaller knows there are no delays to its departure and will usually set a route, after which the train will be dispatched. In SimSig, a small round white disc will flash next to the signal that the TRTS button is associated with. They are not present on all platforms or all stations but the instructions for each simulation will say which platforms have the buttons. Once you set a route from the correct signal, the TRTS will reset.

[@johncoleshill2285]

@@LukeBriner Thanks Luke, and the signal code? I’m finding SimSig quite challenging but very very interesting.

[@LukeBriner]

@@johncoleshill2285 If you look at the simulation manual for any of the simsig simulations, there is a link to a signal plan diagram, usually at the bottom. Otherwise, you can also change the simsig options to enable signal numbers on the software but that isn't to everyone's taste. If you also disable "right click cancels route", then right-clicking any signal will bring up a menu which will have the signal number at the top.

[@johncoleshill2285]

@@LukeBriner Fantastic. Thank you for taking the time to reply so promptly. Have a good evening.