Removing Heights

[Capt. Brigg]

I read the thread about setting heights, and found it very confusing, but my problem is removing intermediately set heights. In laying and relaying track I had set heights at both some joints (connections) and for complete sections of rail. Now that I have come close to finishing the layout plan I find many intermediate heights that do not fit the overall planned changes in elevation. I seem to be able to reset the height to some specific value, but not remove my previous setting to allow the program to calculate an intermediate height and slope. I've read the entire 1.9 "Working with height" manual section but nothing seems to remove my previously selected heights, none of which are locked. HELP. 

[Jeff]

Have you tried setting the height to zero? I admit that your explanation of what's going on is a little difficult to follow. If you want to smooth out kinks in a stretch of track, select the beginning of the stretch, decide on the ending piece of track, then shift-click that end track. After that, you should see that the Smooth slope command has become un-grayed out and clicking it should smooth out the jaggies.

[RhB_HJ]

...........
If you want to smooth out kinks in a stretch of track, select the beginning of the stretch, decide on the ending piece of track, then shift-click that end track. After that, you should see that the Smooth slope command has become un-grayed out and clicking it should smooth out the jaggies.

And if the smooth slope is grayed out, most likely you have either one joint not connected or one that has a locked height.

[Capt. Brigg]

Two problems still exist:
1. I have to select an entire piece of track on each end of a section to get the smooth slope to even appear. Since I am using flex track it can, and usually is, 3 feet long. I need one end of those pieces of track to be at one height and the other end higher or lower. Selecting an end point on a piece of track does not show the smooth slope option.
2. Even when I do select whole sections of flex track, and select the smooth slope option, one piece of track will show a 1.2% grade and the next piece of track will show a 4% grade and the third piece of track will show a 0.3% grade. This is on 96 inches (8 ft) of track going from 1" to 0" height through 3 pieces of flex. I'm ready to give up on showing the grade.

[RhB_HJ]

How about posting the AR file and adding arrows to the start and end points? Sounds a bit strange that "smooth slope" doesn't fix it.

[Jeff]

I agree with HJ. As a quick fix, though, try using the Cut flex command to create a very small piece of track at the end of that slope and that should give you a handle on the slope. As you have discovered, selecting track is the way to use the Smooth slope command. That's the way it works. However, as HJ says, it should create a smooth slop between the ends.

[Capt. Brigg]

Jeff, thank you, thank you, thank you. I added a 1" piece of rail to each end of the slope and set the height of one piece at 1" and the other ends at 0" and 3.5" and got smooth 1.4% & 3.6% grades. Since each end of the slopes had ended in a switch, I'm guessing that using the switches as end pieces was messing the slopes up. It works but there should be an easier way than adding 1" pieces of rail to all my 36" sloping flex track. You can see the result on the RED & BLUE stretches of track on the left side of the layout.
Brigg 

[RhB_HJ]

Capt

I copy/pasted the blue section into a new plan, deleted the short sections, reconnected to the turnouts. Then I screwed up the grades of the three pieces of track - after I had locked the elevation of the turnouts.

Copy/pasted that, then selected the three pieces of track, clicked on "smooth slope" and there it was smoothed from one end to the other. I didn't need short pieces.  

And just for kicks I designated the turnouts as a transition grade of 1.6%

For a change it all worked as expected. 

[Jeff]

Thanks, HJ. Yes, it should have worked in the first place, but sometimes there are hiccups in how it works. I guess it still needs some work ( ).

[RhB_HJ]

Yes Jeff,

Precisely the reason I asked the Capt to post the AR file. 

[Capt. Brigg]

HJ,
You said you "designated the turnouts as a transition grade of 1.6%." Do you mean the outer end of the turnout is 1.6% higher than the inner end, or you just set the whole turnout 1.6% higher than the previous track? If you set the turnout on a 1.6% grade, how did you do that?    In your file, it looks like the turnouts are on a grade. On the actual layout the turnouts will be on a grade.

[RhB_HJ]

Caot,

That's exactly what I did. The turnout is first level at 88.9 and the height where the flex ends is locked, then I selected the end point of the turnout and changed the height to have a grade in this case a transition grade (for demonstration purposes). I don't recommend transitions starting or ending at a turnout, a turnout should be on the same plane as the adjoining tracks to prevent wheels from climbing either points or the frog.