Engine(s) Moving W/O Being Started Up

It's called stealth mode and is normal.

If I'm following you correctly....  shutting down the engine doesn't actually shut down control of it.  That only plays the shutdown sound and stops the lights and smoke.  The engine is still fully functioning in terms of moving, direction, and couplers.  Shutting down the engine only stops sounds, lights, and smoke.  

I actually run my locomotives "shutdown" a lot.  

That's correct. The engine will still operate without lights or sound.

Now the part of engines moving on their own is something different. That's when you are running an engine and a parked engine starts creeping out that's not up on the remote. I always put parked engines in the INACTIVE list to keep it from happening.

Never had it happen since.

That's the reason many use toggle switches to keep it from happening, plus it keeps the hours from running up on the engine.

Now if you are using multiple TIU's on earlier versions of DCS, and the engine was parked on a different TIU than it was added on you couldn't get it out of the INACTIVE. But I think that has been corrected with the latest version.

Correct!

Thanks Joe, I recall seeing the term "Stealth Mode", but thought that Stealth Mode and engines moving on their own was the same, from reading your description I now know the difference.

I have the on/off switches in place, just haven't done the wiring yet.

As long as I ensure I have the correct engine selected when I operate I should be fine.

Bob, even then, it is possible that under certain conditions and rarely an engine shut down on a powered track may start moving on its own.  Sometimes a spark on the layout may do it, and I had one loco that would start moving when I started another that had a different ID.  Never figured out why, but changing the ID of the problem loco solved the problem.  I too use toggle switches to unpower tracks, unless I want to charge batteries.  I avoid the inactive list; wish I could eliminate it, since the grandkids sometimes hit the read button while locos are shut down.

Robert,

I avoid the inactive list; wish I could eliminate it, since the grandkids sometimes hit the read button while locos are shut down.

While I'm, not a big  fan of the Inactive List either, it's absolutely necessary for using the ALL ENGINES command. A better solution would be a way to put an "Are You Sure?" message on the READ function.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you use the READ button it doesn't matter if the engine is shutdown or not?  It just adds ALL engines it can see to the active list?

Correct.  If my memory is correct, in some versions of the DCS software, it won't add locos that are sitting on an area controlled by a TIU other than the one where they were when added to the system.

Robert,

If my memory is correct, in some versions of the DCS software, it won't add locos that are sitting on an area controlled by a TIU other than the one where they were when added to the system.

That's not correct as stated.

The bug had to do with getting an engine out of the Inactive List, even when in Super TIU mode, when it's not on a track connected to the TIU with which it was last associated.

That was corrected in DCS 4.30.

You're right, Barry.  I used "add" instead of "activate."  I was using the words used by tackindy--add to the active list.

Barry and RJR,

While I know you aren't fond of the INACTIVE list, I find it much easier to use going from one engine to another without a lot of scrolling to find engines when you just have the ones you are running in the ACTIVE list. 

I can't imagine going through 50 or more engines all in the ACTIVE list, just to find the ones to run.

But if you know each engine, you can just type in the ID # and press the thumbwheel. I don't know all of mine though.

Joe, you've just got to run trains more, and then you'll know them.  It's just as much a pain to scroll through the inactive list.

RJR,

Your probably right as I haven't been running them too much lately since we built our new shop. But if I need to leave an engine on a live track to charge up the battery while running others, I've never had an engine creep out when in the INACTIVE list.