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WikiTrain System Utilities

Dummy Inverter

Dummy Inverter

A "looks-only" FE Inverter variant for players who want to use pantographs purely as decoration without engaging the FE pickup / drive system.

Overview

Visually and in placement behavior this is a 3-block multiblock completely identical to the real FE Inverter, but it has no internal FE buffer — even when mounted on a train, it performs no electrical processing whatsoever.

What it can / cannot do

FeatureReal FE InverterDummy Inverter
Appearance (model / texture)✅✅ (same)
3-block multiblock placement✅✅ (same)
Electrification info panel in management UI✅✅
Pantograph deploy / fold from UI✅✅
Wire-contact detection (bar push-down visual)✅✅
FE pickup (receiving power from wires)✅❌
FE keep-alive cost consumption✅❌
Force-stop when all pantographs folded✅❌
Power adjacent FE machines✅❌

Use cases

1. Decorative train pantograph

[car roof: pantograph + dummy inverter]

→ When you want the train to look electrified but want gameplay to stay on Create's kinetic energy drive. Since you can still deploy / fold the pantograph from the management UI, you can create effects like lowering the pantograph only while stopped at a station.

2. Standalone trackside decoration

Placed on its own without mounting it on a car, it works as a pure decorative block — station equipment cabinets, dummy substation parts, trackside ground gear under the wires, etc. Right-clicking does nothing.

Installation

  1. Obtain it from the Creative inventory TSU tab or via /give @s trainsystemutilities:fe_inverter_dummy.
  2. Hold it in your hand and right-click the position where you want it. It is the same 3-block device as the real FE Inverter.
  3. When placed, the clicked position becomes the CENTER, and it auto-places 3 blocks along the facing direction (HEAD / TAIL in front / behind).
  4. It cannot be placed unless there is free space on both the front and back.
  5. Right-clicking it with an empty hand does nothing (it's a decorative block, and it has no status display).

Behavior when mounted on a train

[Car 1: pantograph + dummy inverter]
       ↓
   Electrification info panel shows in management UI (FE display reads "Decorative mode")
       ↓
   "Extend All" / "Fold All" pantograph operations work from UI
       ↓
   Passing under a wire → pantograph bar gets pressed down by the wire visually
       ↓
   No FE pickup happens (decorative mode)

Caveats

  • A train whose only inverter is a dummy never accumulates any FE, even running under wires. If you want to run it on electric power, install at least one real FE Inverter.
  • In the management UI, you can tell a dummy from a real one by whether a `(Decorative mode)` badge is shown on that car's row in the "Electrification Detail" dialog.