If you’re in the Route Editor, and you also select the Route View in the Detailed List, the routes listed there are of type “work” to indicate that the routes you’re dealing with are in a work buffer.
Following are examples of the button list just below the menu, with explanations of their function in the different modes immediately below or further down:
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Leave Route Mode – Click to return to Editor Level where you can select another tool or leave the Editor altogether.
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Route Type ANY / CHG to Trains – In this mode you’re working with a list of all possible routes that can be built with the current layout. Signal types and traffic directions are ignored (as if types are the same and direction is bidirectional). Here you can check your territory design for anything that can be verified by using routes, e.g. proper linkages, correct switch alignments, signal locations, block directions etc. You can also select certain routes to be included as train or switch routes, if you find some of them missing there. This list cannot be saved. Click this button to change to Route Type Trains.
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Route Type Trains / CHG to Switch or Route Type Switch / CHG to ANY – In this mode you’re working on a copy of the fixed train or switch route list, respectively. Here you can do the same type of testing as in Route Type ANY, but restricted on the route list in the work buffer, which is built from the respective scene route list when you enter this mode. You can rebuild the route list here from scratch. Note, as long as you are in this mode, any changes here or using the detailed list will affect only the copy in the work buffer, and you need to hit the Save button first in order to update the corresponding route list in your territory, before you change the route type here or leave the route editor all together- otherwise the changes are lost and you will get the original list back if you re-enter this mode later. Click on this button to get to the next route type.
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Test Path Only / Chg to Scale – In this mode you can check if the linkage of track elements, alignment of switches and the right signals are cleared. You can select any route by either clicking on the main screen as you would do during run time, or by selecting a route from the detailed list. Any corrections can be made by right-clicking any objects on the main screen, which will open a window with detailed information about that object, and where you can make any necessary changes. Note, switches can be user-locked, so if some routes may not be invoked on the main screen if the system finds a “better” route from the same start and end block, you can get them by setting the state of the switch and user-lock them (doing this will not change the defaults – defaults can only be changed by not being in route test mode) – or you can select from the detailed list (user-lock defaults will be ignored here). On the main screen you can activate longer routes (a concatenation of smaller routes), and routes remain active if you activate another route here. If you select a route on the detailed list, other active routes will be deactivated. A click on this button will change to “Test Scale” mode.
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Test Scale / Chg to Sched – In this mode an additional window opens which will show selected routes as straight to scale. This is an easy way to check whether the length information in the blocks makes sense (e.g. if each track on a double-track line has the same length). A click on this button will close the additional window and the tool will change to “Test Sched” mode.
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Test Sched / Chg to Path Only – In this mode an additional window is opened which will show graphical presentation of the train schedule on the route being selected. For more info see here. A click on this button will close the additional window and the tool will change to “Test Path Only” mode.
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Reset Test – All active routes will be deactivated and the switches and user-locks will return to default values. Note, in the “Test Scale” / “Test Sched” mode, the reset does not eliminate the routes in the additional windows. This allows you to show the information for routes together, even though all these routes cannot be active at the same time due to conflicts.
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Add Highlighted to Train (Switch) Routes – Routes currently highlighted will be copied into the list of train or switch routes, respectively. Note, since the current work list was generated regardless of the signal types, the selected route may not be a valid route in the destination context,
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Clear List – A click here will delete all routes on the current list and change this option to “Add All re DIR”.
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Add All re DIR – A click here will add all possible routes for the current type with directional restriction, i.e. routes that would start, end, or pass on a block in the wrong usual traffic restriction will not be added. The option will be changed here to “Add All poss”.
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Add All poss – A click here will add all possible routes for the current type even if a block would be traveled in the wrong traffic direction. The option will be changed here to “Clear List”.
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NO Fill at Init – At start time the route table will be loaded as defined in the territory file. No additional routes will be generated/added. A click on this button will change this option to “Fill at Init”.
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Fill at Init – At start time the route table will be populated with all possible routes appropriate for the type – after routes defined in the territory files (if any) have been loaded. This allows for definition of particular routes with some additional information (e.g. protection switches) and still have all other possible routes in the system where such additional information is not needed. A click on this button will change this option to “No Fill at Init”.
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Save – The current work data will be saved for the current type. Note, the current display is just the work buffer, and if you don’t save before switching to another type of routes, you will get the route data for the appropriate type as it was loaded before or saved the last time, when you reenter this route type.