The Self-Placing trains mod/Deadzone map-- not working, now what?

The author's discussion thread is a yr old, so I don't want to bump it, but I just found this thing this morning, and for the life of me I can't get the trains to move. I don't know if they're stuck in the rails or what. I think I selected the ones he said to download. Is the mod too old, and has since broken, or am I doing something wrong?



The author of this mod: 'Thijs Hof', I don't think he's been here in awhile. Since I didn't want to bump his discussion thread, what are the odds that he might see this post, so that maybe he can help me?

Which brings to mind tons more questions... as I am royally confused and need help:

1A. How do you place trains in general? I've watched some youtube videos, and I finish them more confused than when I started.

1B. The rotation numbers in the world editor are confusing as hell. You rotate the w value, and it changes the x, y, and z values, and the whole rotation thing goes catty-whampus.

1C. I use the push-pull arrows and the rotation gyroscope, and the movements are too coarse for detailed gradual movement. The train goes flying up into the sky, down below the map in the water, into trees, etc. A slow movement is pretty much unheard of.

1D. Those stupid wheel trucks spin around in circles, instead of staying in one place-- like the axle of a car. I don't get it. I lift the train in the air, put it back down, hit J to unfreeze physics, and my wheel trucks start spinning around, as my train wanders off the tracks, onto the street next to it, and starts creeping down a paved road at a diagonal angle!

2A. Why aren't train controls binded (bound?) to the same throttle control as I have set for cars on my joystick throttle lever? They make me hit T for throttle up, and G for throttle down. That to me is odd. I should be able to set that the way I feel most comfortable (I would think?) I hope airplanes aren't the same way.

2B. Why aren't brakes bounded? How do I stop the train? I'd love to use the same joystick control as I do for the cars.

2C. Why can't I bind the front trucks of the locomotive mapped to my twist handle on my joystick, so I can turn them, just like I turn the front wheels on cars? Yes I know that trains don't have steering wheels, but I have to be able to start with something. That would be the only way I can think of to keep the wheel trucks straight and parallel to the tracks, so I can line the wheels up with the tracks.

2D. Why can't I shift a train's transmission into reverse? I could swear I've seen locomotives back up in real life!

2E. Everyone who's done this successfully... how the heck have you done it? It looks like you're all having fun. I'd like to be a part of it, but mine just sits in one place idling. Yeah... sorta' frustrating.

Now a semi related question:

3A. I just discovered and downloaded the Liberty Island Map a few nights ago. Pretty awesome! One of the best maps I've seen !!!! Why haven't I known about this gem much sooner? Anyways, I love those elevated subway tracks. I'd like to put trains on those. Has anybody had luck with placing and running trains in that map?

I tried a small green trolly car, and the same trains that were required for the above mod... and I could get neither of them to center on the tracks and move... pretty much for the same reasons as I mentioned above.

However in addition to the conditions I mentioned above, Liberty Island's elevated subway track rails appear to be a bit too spread apart (like the gauge is off), and that may explain why. (But they're excellent for driving a car on... go figure).

I then discovered the underground subway that goes around all 3 islands, and my jaw just about dropped to the ground in utter amazement. Whoever made that map was genius, but again, can't get a train to move or wheels set right on those tracks either.

Crying shame, as it would be so cool to get those to work.

Imagine this: You spawn 4 subway cars on the above ground and underground tracks. One set going clockwise the other counter-clockwise. You T key all of them and set them to move on their own, and TAB back to your car on the streets below. You then drive around the island east of Staunton, while you see subway cars crossing overhead! Just like you're in Queens or Brooklyn, or Chicago! That'd be really cool.

And on the underground subways, you use detached camera, to act as though you're walking down the steps to the subway platform, and you can watch as the subways go by. While this would be really "neat", (or as the young kids say today... "sick"); first I'd have to known that it can even be done in the first place.