Issues with double track / two platform crossover (double slip)

[Santa Claus]

Hey all -

I'm pretty sure I made this work a lot in previous play through's, but it's been a couple years since I've played and I'm having a crazy hard time with this.

I'm doing a free game, hard, year is now 1875. I'm starting to build out more rail lines. I like to build a main line (two tracks) and branch off of it for stations. It works great when I coalesce the two lines into one track (see screenshot).

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2887456331

When I try to do this with two platforms and entering / exiting on the same side, no matter how I set up the signals, no signals, one ways or two ways etc, it seems to totally break the line. I have an existing line, and it works, unless I try to change it - then I get the "not combinable" error. In fact, any attempt to switch the currently working line to the other platform gives that error, and then trying to switch it back I still get the same error.

Basically I'm trying to have a double track land in a station with two platforms, so trains can come in on the "right side" track, switch to the proper platform, and then exit still on the "right side" track. See next screenshot for what I currently have set up.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2887455323

When I research this online, I see there is a "double diamond crossover" which is different than a "double slip"; but I can't seem to make anything in this configuration other than a "double slip". Feels like a pretty simple thing, so getting a bit frustrated.

Really appreciate any help, I'm hoping somehow I'm just missing something obvious. I can always try to build this out with quad tracks or some other solution but it feels over the top for what I'm trying to do. Thanks in advance!

[Vimpster]

I would like to help but I don't really understand what the problem is that you are having. You can always use waypoints one after the other until it stops working, then you know where the line is breaking.

BTW a double switch and double slip switch are not the same thing. When you click on the middle of a double switch you can turn it into a double slip with a toggle. But you have no use for a double slip switch in this situation.

[Huperspace]

delete the signals at the station entrance.

[Metssr]

Originally posted by Huperspace:

delete the signals at the station entrance.

I also think it has something to do with the signals.
Why are there 4 signals just outside the station.
When you have right-sided traffic you only need 1 signal on the right side of the incoming track just before your dubble diamond cross over. and you may also have two signals on the right side of the outgoing tracks The signals don't have to be "one way" as you already have them.

[RadiKyle]

I gather that you want the trains to use any available platform, and enter and leave by both ends of the station. Hopefully this isn't a silly question but asking just in case it was overlooked... Have you set the alternate platforms in the line options at that station? With that, and deleting all those extra signals as @Metssr mentioned, it should work okay. The alternate platform assignment feature was not available when you last played a couple years ago, it was added in May 2022.

[SpannerMonkey]

HI I think I understand what you are trying to do, pretty sure all those signals are your problem.
Remember that stations already have a hidden signal, so you need no signals between the crossover and the platform.
You only need a one way signal on the IN line and it needs to be before the crossover. This signal prevents a train from stopping on the crossover, allowing any train at the platform to leave, while preventing trains leaving on the wrong track.
A double slip should not be needed, that is used mainly for quad and greater, when a track switch is drawn from, using a quad track example, from line 1 out to line 4, the double slip allows trains to switch to tracks 2 and 3, without a double slip trains would only be able to switch from 1-4

[Santa Claus]

Thank all for the help!

For the signals - I had tried basically every combination listed in this thread even before I posted. One signal only before the cross on the right, then tried making that signal one way, using one signal at each side of the crossover, then tried making those one way. The screenshot was when I was trying to follow a suggestion online and yeah definitely appeared to be overkill for signals.

@RadiKyle not a silly question, I was expecting it could be anything obvious I was just missing :) I did however change the platform on the line to the one I wanted.

Basically I have an existing line working to that station delivering Oil to Platform 1. My intent with the new line was to ship Plastic out from Platform 2. However. the new line for shipping Plastic kept giving me the uncombinable error. Strangely if I changed the existing working Oil line from Platform 1 to Platform 2, it would give me the uncombinable error also, and when I try to change it back to Platform 1 the error stayed. I went through this process with every signal modification I tried as well. I think there was something else I must have messed up with that station based on that behavior.

For now I realized since I'm not actually shipping out the other direction there's no need for the extra track / crossover anyway, so I've refactored it to use a single track at the station and I'll revisit the double track / two direction thing when I need it somewhere else.

[RadiKyle]

Originally posted by Santa Claus:

Basically I have an existing line working to that station delivering Oil to Platform 1. My intent with the new line was to ship Plastic out from Platform 2. However. the new line for shipping Plastic kept giving me the uncombinable error. Strangely if I changed the existing working Oil line from Platform 1 to Platform 2, it would give me the uncombinable error also, and when I try to change it back to Platform 1 the error stayed. I went through this process with every signal modification I tried as well. I think there was something else I must have messed up with that station based on that behavior.

Wow that's a bizarre one. I almost wanted to suggest checking that all of the platform sections are cargo platforms and not passenger ones (if this was a manually configured/expanded station), but based on your screenshots I don't think that's it either. It's just that's what the "uncombinable" message made me think of.

In the weird event that the station got bugged somehow, you could try bulldozing it and replacing in the same spot. The lines should automatically update, though probably need to check their platform assignments again just in case. Definitely remove the extra signals before the rebuild; I vaguely recall seeing mention on here of some bugs that can pop up with signals placed next to stations.

[wellover-50]

Looking at the first screen shot posted

Hi, If I understand you correctly, you wish to create bi-directional running on each branch line, with separated use for the crude and refined oil.

You need to double slip the junctions with the main line.
All branch line signals must be two-way
remove inbound signal on the branch line
remove out bound signals that are before the crossovers
do not double slip the crossovers
you can leave the signals that are next to the ends of the platforms, if you like the 'correct' look, but as others have said, you don't actually need them for it to work.

hope this helps

[Old Knotty]

Too many signals - you only need a signal on the right side track before the crossover and one on the right side of the track approaching the crossover. Your track layout seems to be just a crossover, not a double slip. This is ok as a double slip would be superfluous.