This issue, which had bedeviled me for so long, someone on YouTube asked if I was alright, being I hadn't posted anything in a year. While I said nothing of it here, my test track had been inactive since January of this year, when I first posted this thread.
Said message, which prompted me to make a Community post on my channel reassuring whatever subscribers were still paying attention, that I was indeed OK. also got me to thinking about this problem again,
Why was it that only one locomotive that was already on the layout, would respond to DCS and all others while seeing the watchdog signal, were always "Not on Track"?
Something I hadn't mentioned earlier on in this thread was the addition of a switchbox that allowed me to bypass the TIU for direct transformer operation of some conventional engines. It also controlled track power to the three sidings on my "test track". It never occurred to me to check the integrity of my wiring because that one diesel ran without issue, and I never thought to test any others because of that.
The thoughts associated with that "Are you OK?" comment led me to suspect that switchbox, although it didn't make sense that it could be killing the DCS signal. So, today, while waiting for something in a new (to me) "factory sim" game (Shapez io) to work itself out, I went to the test-track, and disconnected the switchbox, connecting my TIU directly to the lockon.
CSX 4563 still saw the watchdog signal, but DCS couldn't find it. I sat my dearly departed friend's NKP 765 Berk, the one locomotive I was able to buy from his estate before the collection was sold off, on the track. Then, although it still didn't make sense, I swapped the wires at the lockon, restored power and tried to add it...
Oh, and the aforementioned diesel is operating as if nothing was ever amiss, as well.
I'll deal with re-powering the yard tracks after the euphoria wears off.
---PCJ
