High and low speed trains on the same line?

[wheelerxx]

If I'm running a fast passenger train and a slow freight train on the same stretch of track, is there anyway to create a side track and tell the low priority freight train to use this (probably through a way point?), and let the passenger train pass?

[gameblogger]

You can definitely do this through waypoints.

Eventually though you may wish to completely separate freight and passenger movements.

[wheelerxx]

Is there any way to tell the slow train to wait on the side line until the higher prioritized train has passed?

[Mackintosh]

For passenger workings you can try using the Timetables mod, but I would advise to keep your freight completely separate on its own, dedicated tracks.

[gameblogger]

Originally posted by wheelerxx:

Is there any way to tell the slow train to wait on the side line until the higher prioritized train has passed?

Not that I know of. You would need a loop long enough so neither train has to stop.

[joeball123]

Originally posted by gameblogger:

Originally posted by wheelerxx:

Is there any way to tell the slow train to wait on the side line until the higher prioritized train has passed?

You would need a loop long enough so neither train has to stop.

Or at least long enough for the faster train to overtake before the slower train claims the block where the siding rejoins the mainline.

[Tsubame ⭐]

If fiddling with the timetable mod is too much micromanagement for you, you can use a station stub with passing tracks, set the freight line to go in the passing lane platform, force the train to stop a minimum amount of time - i.e. 30 seconds - and this should clear passenger trains that are within a reasonable distance behind the cargo station.

[larry_roberts]

It's really much better to completely separate freight and passenger lines. In fact i don't see much point in putting freight trains on faster tracks.

[Tsubame ⭐]

Sharing works well in early and mid game when tracks are not swamped with high frequency line, and the player does not necessarily have the funds available to separate everything.

On Sandbox and/or No Costs, for those that want to replicate mixed passenger/cargo operations, which are very common in real life.

[Old Knotty]

Separate tracks is often best. Where lines have to cross, use bridges rather than flat crossings. Flying junctions reduce the number of signals at which trains have to stop. There is a good mod for overbridges which does not penalise the upper track with reduced speed like a normal bridge.

In passing: you can build two stations close together on tracks that cross, link their buildings with a short road, and avoid sharp curves where you want two routes to go roughly at right angles to each other.

[SoopahMan]

The game is poor at side tracks because of the predetermined, unscheduled paths trains take but you can use Switches to get some of what you want, or, the Schedules mod to get more of it:

Build the criss-cross a bit away from the Station, where the trains enter the single track in one direction. Place a two-way switch entering it on the Freight side right up against the criss-cross entry, but the Passenger one further back. That will cause a Passenger train even kinda close to entering the slip to get priority, while the Freight has to be right up to the slip to get in first. The Passenger will tend to enter ahead of the Freight and avoid the issue in the first place.

Build the side track and place a one-way switch just before the track split, and another right at the end of the side track, just before reentry, and another just after reentry - add no Switches on the main track along the side track. Place a Waypoint on the side track and add it as part of the Freight route.

Freight will always take the side track, necessary or no. If Passenger passes the switch at the split, it will take priority because it passed that Switch before the Freight passed the reentry Switch - both are the final Switch before the merge Switch, and since the Passenger passed final before merge first, the game gives it priority.

The Schedules mod will ensure this always happens even with short side tracks, or always happens with no side track because the freight always waits till the Passenger has entered before entering behind it.

And as was said, the above switching is only so-so in the game, without the schedule mod it's way easier to just give Freight its own track and call it a day.

[wheelerxx]

Thx a lot for your inputs - Back to the game and try it out.

A completely off-topic question: Are there any "must have" mods you can recommend (Currently I have none at all)?

[joeball123]

Originally posted by wheelerxx:

Thx a lot for your inputs - Back to the game and try it out.

A completely off-topic question: Are there any "must have" mods you can recommend (Currently I have none at all)?

If you want to try Tsubame's station-siding suggestion, you might be interested in a platformless/buildingless station such as can be found in this:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1920437817
Stations like that are also useful for creating switchbacks for ascending steep hills where you either don't want or can't have loops in the line, and for creating things like reversing wyes if you're using a mod that prevents trains from 'flipping' in the station.

Really, though, it's just a matter of what's interesting to you.

[SoopahMan]

Mods:

Must-haves:

Start Paused
No more leaving to get coffee while the map loads only to come back to everything a wreck while the sim ran on its own:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2016623587

Achievements w/ Mods
Turns Achievements back on even tho you're starting paused:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1934088615

More Colors by LINX
Greatly expands the limited color pallette for lines:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1927330004

Campaign Inventors & Adventurers
The only add-on Campaign created by a TF2 player. Excellent work!! Urban should buy this mod and fix the bugs in it and publish it as official DLC:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2457092702


Helpful - Mods that deal with game issues:

Build with Collission
Sometimes the game freaks out and says you can't build something because of a collission. At times it's real, like there's no way to put that bridge over that 4-lane highway. But other times it's just upset it's going to destroy a house you're fine with destroying. This can get you around those frustrating moments:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2660921894

Zero Height Bridge
The height at which bridges enable is arbitrary and sometimes looks stupid. It can also at times prevent you from creating essential features like splits and criss-crosses because of the game's arbitrary inability to have those span bridge/land transitions. This can force the game to use a bridge where it doesn't want to:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2030394734

Roads: No End Year
After mid 1900s you can't draw those brown default paths anymore, and it can look a mess. This lets you keep drawing them. Unfortunately it also crowds the Roads menu:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1934908627

ext.roads footpaths standalone
Draw pedestrian-only footpaths to connect things that are juuuuust far enough apart that the game deems them as no longer connected. This can solve a lot of irritating in-game problems, like when it suddenly adds a new road to a city, making your road you built no longer connect to an important station - instead of destroying homes, patch it with a footpath:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1968514713

More Multiple Units
Gives you several late-game options for bullet trains. Allows you to right-size very fast trains. Critical for late-game USA where the only high-speed train is the massive Avelia Liberty - gives you multiple sizes to work with instead:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1938367681


Just for fun:

Modular Elevated Station
A mod that's very clunky in how it works but, once you cope with it, it produces a great late-game elevated station that lifts passengers to it via elevators, allowing you to destroy Passenger Stations and replace them with ones that sit above the city:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2030557897

Industry Production Levels v2.1
Enjoy maps that have many cities and just the one this or that industry, by letting any industry expand to meet any level needed supply, instead of having to connect multiple sources, some of which may not exist on some maps:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1970151023

Nafeys Universal Stake Cars
Extra, slightly less efficient train cars that can take any cargo. Also fun because you can see the contents of any train that uses them. Reduces game challenge, but, can also reduce frustration in complex supply chains:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2113300296

Industry Expanded Add-On: Mail and Waste
Industry receiving freight produces trash, that must be collected and shipped to Waste Processing, some of which will be recycled into Steel. Commerce receiving freight causes Residents in that city to produce mail (red mail), and demand mail from other cities (green mail). Red mail must be shipped to Mail Facilities that process the red into green (sort whose mail is for who) then shipped to city residents:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1962151270

[Tsubame ⭐]

Suggestion of mods will depend on what you want to do in game.

Build with Collision as suggested above is a very handy mod indeed.

Some other general purpose very useful mods are:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2857104286
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1991928620
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2454731512

[wheelerxx]

Again - Thx a lot. Can mods be installed and used in an ongoing campaign?

Concerning my 1st question: After playing around using signals to control the flow of traffic on my lines, the flow became a lot better - Especially when they are used to control how goods train enter the main line