Solving your train problems.

[DeltaDude]

Here is a screenshot of a foolproof station design. Block style signaling can cause issues when trains have to reverse themselves. To solve a lot of the issues people complain about, design stations where there is no changing direction!

I strongly suggest making these sorts of sidings where the stations have only one-way signals and are not directly connected to your mainline. This way trains will never try to change direction and run into one another.

Perhaps not always the most realistic sort of solution, but if you want your trains to behave right now use this sort of logic. Its exactly how its done in other block style signaling games like factorio.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1693264563

As you can see, the trains entering and exiting the "station" are able to que up waiting to rejoin traffic without getting in the way of another.

[Akira43]

These trains are driving on the left side of the track right? That is not how we do it in the Soviet Republic

On a less funny note, I have had 3 trains connected to 2 stations delivering to border on a 2 track system for about 2 ingame years and I haven't seen any issues.

Do things start to go wonky when you have many more trains on the tracks? What am I missing?

Please note that I am not dissing your design, just wondering on what could go wrong with my present setup.

[pdaw.pd]

Originally posted by Akira43:

Do things start to go wonky when you have many more trains on the tracks? What am I missing?

In my case things started to go wonky at Y-shaped joints because I built them too close to something else and a train could stop at the next thing's entry signal while still not triggering the Y-joint block's exit signal, and that halted the whole thing.

Also, things started to go wonky when I was building a second track, so I had two parallel double sided tracks that then changed into double track.

[darkdino]

Originally posted by Akira43:

These trains are driving on the left side of the track right? That is not how we do it in the Soviet Republic

On a less funny note, I have had 3 trains connected to 2 stations delivering to border on a 2 track system for about 2 ingame years and I haven't seen any issues.

Do things start to go wonky when you have many more trains on the tracks? What am I missing?

Please note that I am not dissing your design, just wondering on what could go wrong with my present setup.

Simplest designs deadlock when a third train comes in to a busy terminal station (both tracks occupied). Joins close to waiting point signals are also an issue as mentioned above, the trains occupy the join block, that is also deadlock-prone.

[darkdino]

Originally posted by Jon144:

Here is a screenshot of a foolproof station design. Block style signaling can cause issues when trains have to reverse themselves. To solve a lot of the issues people complain about, design stations where there is no changing direction!

I strongly suggest making these sorts of sidings where the stations have only one-way signals and are not directly connected to your mainline. This way trains will never try to change direction and run into one another.

Perhaps not always the most realistic sort of solution, but if you want your trains to behave right now use this sort of logic. Its exactly how its done in other block style signaling games like factorio.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1693264563

As you can see, the trains entering and exiting the "station" are able to que up waiting to rejoin traffic without getting in the way of another.

When trying to solve train issues, I was also thinking of RO-RO design you have there, but this won't work for export terminals (at borders), so I have to use exit sidings there instead.

[Akira43]

Yup, ok I see what you guys mean.

So basically you need to keep splitting the tracks in order not to have more than 2 trains on the same 2 tracks at the entrance/exit of the station?

[darkdino]

Originally posted by Akira43:

Yup, ok I see what you guys mean.

So basically you need to keep splitting the tracks in order not to have more than 2 trains on the same 2 tracks at the entrance/exit of the station?

Assuming the simplest design is like this: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1690634339

Here’s the deadlock case (both tracks busy with trains waiting/loading/unloading):
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1690634459

One way to solve it is to have trains to enter and exit on different side of the station, like Jon144 has there, but that is not available for customs terminals, and I’m using a exit siding design like this: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1691067919

It basically provides an alternative one-way escape track for both of the station tracks. Still can be deadlocked under certain circumstances (due to trains being longer than waiting blocks), but more reliable.

[Akira43]

Thanks darkdino,

Much more complicated than I initially imagined.

Out of curiosity though, if you remove the 2 way lights between the crossing and the station (in the simple design), wouldn't the queuing be done at the one way light before the crossing thus keeping it clear?

[pdaw.pd]

Originally posted by Akira43:

Out of curiosity though, if you remove the 2 way lights between the crossing and the station (in the simple design), wouldn't the queuing be done at the one way light before the crossing thus keeping it clear?

Although I have my own issues with the logic of the signals, I'll try to answer that... No, that would make the entry light red if any of the station slots is busy. So, basically it would half the performance of the station and double the length of waiting line at the entrance.

The trains would be able to leave the station freely though.

[darkdino]

Originally posted by Akira43:

Out of curiosity though, if you remove the 2 way lights between the crossing and the station (in the simple design), wouldn't the queuing be done at the one way light before the crossing thus keeping it clear?

Just like pdaw.pd said above, this will make the whole station a single block and basically make it a one-track station.

[Novu]

QUESTION: how do you toggle the one way semaphones to go in the opposite direction?

[cdog]

Originally posted by Novu:

QUESTION: how do you toggle the one way semaphones to go in the opposite direction?

When you have the semaphone selected 1 click makes a 2 way, second click makes a one way, third click makes the other way. So just click on the semaphone you want to change.

[DeltaDude]

Originally posted by darkdino:

Originally posted by Akira43:

Yup, ok I see what you guys mean.

So basically you need to keep splitting the tracks in order not to have more than 2 trains on the same 2 tracks at the entrance/exit of the station?

Assuming the simplest design is like this: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1690634339

Here’s the deadlock case (both tracks busy with trains waiting/loading/unloading):
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1690634459

One way to solve it is to have trains to enter and exit on different side of the station, like Jon144 has there, but that is not available for customs terminals, and I’m using a exit siding design like this: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1691067919

It basically provides an alternative one-way escape track for both of the station tracks. Still can be deadlocked under certain circumstances (due to trains being longer than waiting blocks), but more reliable.

Yes, for the custom terminals its best to have a good que area. That is, for every single customs rail, it gets two one-way rails behind it so trains can enter and exit unimpeded.

Alternatively, you could make your own train station near the customs house and then truck the rest of your items across the border.

[rkelly17]

There is at least one three-track customs station on each border if you are close enough to reach it with a reasonable trip length. That makes life easier.

[Aquille]

Thank you for posting this, darkdino!

Originally posted by darkdino:

One way to solve it is to have trains to enter and exit on different side of the station, like Jon144 has there, but that is not available for customs terminals, and I’m using a exit siding design like this: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1691067919

It basically provides an alternative one-way escape track for both of the station tracks. Still can be deadlocked under certain circumstances (due to trains being longer than waiting blocks), but more reliable.