How to best maneuver through-traffic past a station ?

[missingpiece]

Dear community,

I know that I'm currently pestering this forum. I hope that my questions are not all lay-down stupid. 

My question today is one I ran onto with an earlier game on 111/pak(64), but I guess it applies to me now playing pak128, too. Please see the graphics below and imagine the following situation :

• as I tried to convey in the picture, I am having a double track network, trains running "on the right side", so the top track has trains going from right to left and the bottom track restricts trains from left to right. This is done by simple signals set to one side each.
• the blue boxes are my station with three platforms; the station has a decent-sized apron, just enough to allow trains to go either way
• the Y-marked boxes are choose signals (one way), and the half rounds are end-of-choose signals
• lines exist that stop at the station and turn around, i. e. go back out
• lines exist that stop and continue
• lines exist that go through the station without a stop

My problem is that through-traffic, as has been properly documented in other threads of the forum and in this excellent tutorial, is not considering the "choose" mechanic of the choose signals, but only considers them as regular signals in their path-finding. Think of a train going right to left. It might be stopped while there are free tracks available because a train from a line stopping at the station occupies the top platform, which is the preferred path of the through train.

What to do ?!

[Ters]

I simply don't use choose signals in this situation. Numbering tracks from the top, track 1 is used by trains comming from the right and track 2 by trains comming from the left. In the only case where I have a station with three tracks like this, the third track is used by a single line running from left to right. No train can wait for a full load on track 1 and 2 as long as there are other lines running through the station. It is possible to have trains waiting for a full load on track 3 if there is enough space for all trains on that line to wait after forking off from the main tracks.

[missingpiece]

Ok. Thanks, Ters, I see your point. So by having a "holding area" for track 3 big enough I can keep the trains out of the station.

[Randy007]

Hi missingpiece,

here are 2 choices for your prob:

[VS]

Yet another variant - leave the tracks in center without platforms (build only 1 tile there and remove once the sides are built). You could then even add waiting "buffers" (a few sections for stacking the waiting trains). Alternatively, the partial platforms in center could be left and protected with end of choose signals, if you want to have something there.

If you are in the center of a city and constructions are restricted by houses, go underground - you'll gain lots of space for more trackage and regain all the overground tiles for other use. By the time you need this, all the costs will be irrelevant.

[Ters]

With lots of traffic, bypasses like described by Randy007 and VS is a must. With waypoints, it is possible to be more creative with the layout, but with the cost of having to remember to set and maintain the waypoints.

[VS]

One more thought - IIRC routing through stations is penalized (so less likely to happen), and you can further discourage use of some paths by using ways slower than the vehicle can go.

[ӔO]

Provided that you have room, I would build something like this:


The top is just a regular layout with through traffic, but uses the same sort of layout at terminals that improve traffic flow. Trains that turn around should cross over to the far end of the opposite side and that side should also get more platforms.

The bottom is how some stations with a switchback point are designed, although they usually only have 3 lines. The center platform is where the trains that turn around should go, but they have a spare platform on the outside should it be full. Note that 'end choose platform signals' are used so that each side only sees two platforms, which helps prevent awkward cross overs for trains that don't turn back at the station.

[missingpiece]

Thanks, all, for your suggestions.

Provided that you have room, I would build something like this....

That one looks nice. Particularly since it makes through-traffic "cheap" for the path-finder, but : how do you connect the platforms to build one station ?

[ӔO]

@missingpiece

build platforms on all the lines and just delete the ones that are not needed.

[Isaac Eiland-Hall]

To clarify - don't build multiple tiles of platform on the ones that you're removing -- build, for example, one tile on each of the five tracks, connected. Then you can expand the ones you want, and remove the single tile from the ones you don't.

The general principle is:

- Any station tile placed next to an existing station expands the station

- Any removed station tiles do not separate a station, so you could theoretically use this to make the entire map one station, although that would make the game useless. Still, you can have widely separated station tiles all in one station.

[missingpiece]

Already tried and succeeded ! 

Not....so....sure....if I like that mechanic, though. 
EDIT : the game should split stations with more than 2 tiles distance. How about that ?