Signalling for dummies?

[Karsk]

I just played the introductory scenario, I like this game a lot it's a lot more detailed than Railroad Tycoon 3 which I absolutely LOVED.

Unfortunately I do not understand signalling at ALL. It's extremely confusing and the guides I have read as well as the tutorial didn't work for me specifically.

Could anyone offer some help in understanding signalling? How it works, when to use it? That kind of stuff.

[chaney]

I'll try to be helpful if you can give me more insight into your confusion.

From my guide, the Signals section:
"Signals divide track into sections. In Realistic mode, only ONE train may use a section of track at a time, the first train to claim a section goes first while the others wait for it to exit the section.

The signals may require some practice and experiment to use effectively. Please play with them while not trying to win a scenario!!!

There are two types of signal: Stop and Directional. Stop signals are represented during construction by a yellow cone, Directional by a yellow cone with a red disc.

Signals will cause trains traveling in the direction of the cone to stop if the section ahead is not clear. Stop signals will have no effect on trains going the other way, but Directional signals will completely prevent trains from going in the other direction. Use them to make an efficient two-track setup.

You can place individual signals, or many at a time. Hitting CTRL will place signals along an entire section of track with one click. They will be spaced roughly a full train length apart. "

This describes the basic functionality of signaling in Railway Empire. Any questions on this, or are you looking for more examples and rule of thumb information?

[Didz]

There are quite a few guides available both video and text based.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1282146850
https://youtu.be/NYaA7I9sHu8

[Voilodion]

I highly recommend Adekyn's series of Youtube videos on Railway Empire. He goes over signaling, economy, tracklaying, and many other topics in a very clear and helpful way.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3HcQbLsgL5LYjxWoSLaYWw

These two videos of his include information on signaling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShcR4XmL0Yg&index=1&list=PLLm2bFegFTr0CtWq_HrfQA8-FzcXpn38q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy79xblbZ8s&list=PLLm2bFegFTr0CtWq_HrfQA8-FzcXpn38q&index=2

As a short answer to your question (and to reinforce what chaney already said), signals break tracks into sections so you can have multiple trains between cities A and B. They can also indicate the direction that all trains must move on a given section of track. They are most essential for junctions and merges so you don't get traffic jams and don't have trains immobilized because of something happening hundreds of miles away.

Good luck!

[Didz]

I would second that, I have watched most of Adekyn's video's.

[Karsk]

Ok what's the deal with Warehouses? Where am I supposed to build them and what are they for?

[Didz]

Again its worth watching a few video's to get an understanding of the value and benefit of warehouses.
https://youtu.be/oRuLtbMUPyQ
Basically, warehouses are useful as a central location to dump goods and resources that need to be shared between multiple cities.
https://youtu.be/-AXLV17K6SI
Adekyn defines these in his video's as 'Network Hubs', usually consisting of two or more cities all sharing or mutually supporting each other with goods and resources.

My own preference is for a setup with one line in and three lines out.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1421432231
So, one line supplies a constant flow of goods and raw materials from multiple supply industries and then three lines flow out of the warehouse carrying a mix of those goods to three different cities.

The New Jersey Warehouse shown above supplies goods to New York, Baltimore and Albany. The milk, wheat and vegetables are delivered from the suppliers, the meat is carried back from Baltimore on the returning frieght trains to that city, the cloth from New York and the Beer from Albany. Making sure all three cities benefit.

[Ellye]

Originally posted by Dedmosh:

Ok what's the deal with Warehouses? Where am I supposed to build them and what are they for?

It's the only way to move goods between different trains, and this makes them quite useful.

You can have a warehouse receiving products from many sources, and trains picking up those products to deliver them to other places.

This also makes your network a lot more agile, as each train line can be quite short if they no longer have to cross the whole distance and can instead go only up to the Warehouse in the middle of the way (for example).

[mkn192]

It helps if you know a little about how railroads use signals in the real world. Signals keep trains separated into 'blocks', which is just a section of train between two signals. Each block can be occupied by a single train. Since you can only have 8 wagons on a train in RE, it makes most sense to space your signals about 1 trainlength or so apart to keep your trains separated.

Pay close attention around switches and crossovers not to place signals in a way that would cause a waiting train to block another train trying to use the switch. You want trains to stop short of or clear of a switch so that it can be used by other trains.

[Karsk]

Originally posted by Didz:

There are quite a few guides available both video and text based.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1282146850
https://youtu.be/NYaA7I9sHu8

The second video in particular was EXTREMELY helpful. Are there any others like it you could recommend? I don'y really have an hour to watch some of the other ones. That's a bit much lol! I get it if it's a let's play but I really prefer to watch shorter videos like the basic signalling one. '

Oh and also written stuff is always great.

[chaney]

If you *really* like to read, my guide has the mechanics on a dozen topics. It is a bit clinical for most people's taste, but has accurate details. It's short on guideline/rule of thumb content. Am I selling it too much?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1293183195

[Unzen]

Originally posted by Didz:

I would second that, I have watched most of Adekyn's video's.

Yep - went through the initial scenario and then became derailed (excuse the pun) with the signalling section. That video explained what I needed to know.

I naturally thought that at the siding, you'd need a signal stating that you could travel ahead on the left track, for example, and at the end of the siding you'd need another signal telling oncoming trains to take the right hand track.

Effectively I was doubling-up on the signals and getting nowhere.