Routing problem

[mmmcheesywaffles]

I have a complex train route using several tracks and junctions and have spent about 4 days trying to fix a break in the route.

The break occurs at one station. My desire is to route a train through platform 3 going one direction then have the train loop back through other stations to pass through platform 4.

After many attempts to make this happen I have reached a situation where the route stops at platform 3 going one way then also stops at 4 going the other way.


I have tried using waypoints to get the two parts of teh line to meet and have managed to get them to meet at the end of each platform.

The route direction is correct for each platform But I just can't seem to get the two to join.

Have any of seen this issue and maybe know where I am going wrong?

Things I have tried.....

Deleting all traffic lights
Allowing teh game to set the routes automatically
Deleting all track and re-laying it
Deleting the whole route and re setting it.
Tried setting other platforms [8 available]

To make matters even harder to understand I have another route that succeeds in using platforms 1 and 2 at the station which correctly meets in the station.

[Vimpster]

Just don't make the mistake of hunting for overhead wires. So much easier to use the electrification tool so the track shows as red if it hasn't got the power.

[mmmcheesywaffles]

Since I have ONLY used electrified track this must be a corruption introduced in the game. It must be a crossover, junction or switch that is 'cutting' the track somewhere.

All visible track has been replaced now so teh error must be on a bridge or tunnel. I have one very complicated multi bridge with 4 tracks all separate crossing a road and a rail tunnel each on different levels and although some electrified trains seem to have no issue with it maybe that is an illusion.

My next step will be to create small electrified routes for each station pair to see if I can reduce the track that needs demolished. I have indeed been looking for small sections of left over track and it is possible that I have had several as I certainly found plenty of them as I searched. Just not the culprit :(

Wouldn't it be nice if the game flagged any such break in electrification with more than just a colour change? A nice big flashing warning sign that we could toggle from the menu when we needed it.

[Vimpster]

I have encountered a rare occurrence where a particular segment of the rail gets doubled up on itself with one being electrified and the other not. Solution being to bulldoze it and rebuild it.

[canophone]

Originally posted by Vimpster:

I have encountered a rare occurrence where a particular segment of the rail gets doubled up on itself with one being electrified and the other not. Solution being to bulldoze it and rebuild it.

De-electrify works too!

Originally posted by mmmcheesywaffles:

It must be a crossover, junction or switch that is 'cutting' the track somewhere.

It's possible that the crossover wasn't electrified, or it could be anywhere on the track the electric train won't budge on (the line path - with arrows - should be interrupted on that track too, especially if you set signals to one way).. The diamond crossover requires extra electrification selections.

[mmmcheesywaffles]

The mystery deepens!

OK I had my Electric train waiting in the station and tried giving it a NEW dedicated line to the next station - this included giving the route a new expensive span of bridging. It worked! The Electric started hauling leaving me ready to go back to my save and repeat before I lost so much money.

However, I thought I owe it to you guys to try and find the error in the original bridge. [which I have already replaced once before!] So I let the new route run and allowed another train onto the original route. BOTH routes now worked!

So being scientific in my approach I broke teh new track and forced the new route to follow the old route across that weird bridge. BOTH still worked.

Assuming this must be some sort of bug I decided to load up my original save and see if I could find another way to fix it. 3 hours later I give up. Nothing I do seems to fix it. Thankfully I do now have a working savegame, albeit nearly 1 Billion less income and ..... I just remembered another thing that happened.... when I allowed teh original train back out on the original route it autorenewed. So I may go back to that old save again after all - then force the renewal a few minutes earlier. But for now I need a break so it is back to my new game where I am debt free and ready to start a second line of goods all before 1880 ;) I used to only get there by early 1900's .

I will go back to the anomaly game when I feel a bit more chilled, after all this is supposed to be fun in my retirement years :D I shall keep you guys posted.

Thanks for trying to help. It would be a shame to give up when finding teh cause may help others as it would be another thing to offer as help when we get asked by new players

[Vimpster]

Thanks for posting an update. Hope you eventually find out what the issue was.

[Maj.Faux-Pas]

A line can only go through one platform per station. i.e. what I think you're trying to do is something you'd have to reprogram the game for.

You are trying to stop one line at two platforms in the same station? Line mechanics don't allow for such shenanigans, but the workarounds are easy. Just go around the station with the track and use one platform for the stop. Or add another station and send your line through that on the way back through. The line algorithm won't allow for multiple platforms per stop per line. Change your thinking to multiple stations or a pass-by/express track.

[mmmcheesywaffles]

Originally posted by Maj.Faux-Pas:

A line can only go through one platform per station. i.e. what I think you're trying to do is something you'd have to reprogram the game for.

You are trying to stop one line at two platforms in the same station? Line mechanics don't allow for such shenanigans, but the workarounds are easy. Just go around the station with the track and use one platform for the stop. Or add another station and send your line through that on the way back through. The line algorithm won't allow for multiple platforms per stop per line. Change your thinking to multiple stations or a pass-by/express track.

If only you had spotted the error.... unfortunately you have not.

The route loops through several stations and follows clear directional waypoints. So where the route should enter Station X at platform 2 and leave at the other end of it, my problem is that it stops mid platform and this breaks the otherwise successful loop that travels through many stations. All tracks are paired inward /outward.

The route has 10 stops for loading / unloading 3 of these are single platform [ A 'Y' shape] and none of this route requires a through line. All trains stop at all stations, on their own platforms according to the direction of travel. The only exception being the end stations of teh 'Y' where I use switches to force the trains to travel on the correct side of the paired tracks.

Incidently, to get a through line within a station I often use waypoints to make the routes flow through 2 of the platforms without stopping. So long as everything flows directionally there is no issue normally and this avoids have 'passing lines' parallel to stations. I use this method frequently and even allow such lines to share with a few trains dropping off goods. This keeps tracks tidy, although it does mean adding more platforms to your station than you actually use, normally.

In my latest game I have a loop with even more stations and have some trains that pass through as they are carrying cargo for the two ends of the loop. Currently I am profiting around 100M per year as I have not hit the same issue as I did in the game that caused me to write.

Thanks for trying though.... I keep looking at the save game each day in the hope that I will fix the game and be able to report back the cause of the problem. However, it is looking less like 'user error' and more like an unusual bug may be the cause.