GWR Steam Railmotor - Let's get technical

In the previous post the feature list included detail of the retractable passenger steps.
These are modelled on the railmotor and are operational, however they need some "magic" to make them work.

Unfortunately although you can add platform markers and special signal markers to scenarios you cannot add lofted items, including platforms which means that ground level platforms must be added to a route. Everything else can be added in a scenario, but the area that spawns passengers (and allows them to disembark) must be added to the route itself.

From the manual:

The special Ground Platform Marker can be added directly to the route or just to scenarios that feature the railmotor – if you do the latter then you will need to be add it to every ground platform on every scenario that requires a pick up there.

Train Simulator 2014 introduced a new feature to the build menu which allows you to clone a route very easily. It also allows you to upload these cloned and modified routes to the Steam Workshop so the intention is to create some specific railmotor versions of certain routes, add some ground platforms and upload these so they can be downloaded for free.

You can also do this yourself for any route, or include ground platforms in new routes you are building.

Once you have added some scenery to look like a ground platform and laid down a platform loft (either an invisible one or hide the platform just under the ground) and platform marker you have all you need on the route.

To add the marker, tick the VictoryWorks/GWRSteamRailmotor assets in the object filter. Under the Miscellaneous tab find the asset called Ground Platform Marker (for Steam Railmotor) and place it in the middle of the track by the platform. Place the first marker past one end of the platform and the second past the other end. Make sure it is longer than the area where the railmotor will stop. Once these are placed, drop the small orange/blue marker below the ground so it can’t be seen.

This then enables the railmotor to know that it is next to a ground platform and will consequently keep the luggage doors closed (these are at platform level) and will open the passenger doors and extend the steps. The passengers will perform their usual disappearing trick at the foot of the steps.

The next blog post will be the last of  the "behind the scenes" on the railmotor and will detail how the rear cab functions in Advanced mode and how you work with the fireman at the other end of the coach.