Help debugging a rail design

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2Zons
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Help debugging a rail design

Post by 2Zons »

I'm having problems with this rail design. I changed two tracks leaving the circle in the middle to the north west. They used to be one in and one out. I want them to be two separate two way tracks that are both in and out. The track is manually navigable, there are no flashing signals, and each track leading in has a signal going in and each track going out has a signal leading out one trains distance away from the roundabout to prevent jams. After changing it all trains using it have "NO PATH". I thought I had figured out how tracks work but I can't seem to figure this out. Can anyone see what's wrong? Any suggestions?

Here's the pic. You might need to be logged on to steam to see it, i'm not sure.
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torne
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Re: Help debugging a rail design

Post by torne »

If you intend them to be two way you need to put a pair of signals directly opposite each other, one on each side of the track. A single signal makes a track segment one-way.
2Zons
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Re: Help debugging a rail design

Post by 2Zons »

I was worried that was the solution. Much harder to prevent trains from jamming the roundabout when you have the exit signal so close, but that is definitely what the problem was.

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2Zons
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Re: Help debugging a rail design

Post by 2Zons »

OK, that got the trains out of the circle and into the 2 way lines but now they won't go back in to the circle. Aaargh.

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torne
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Re: Help debugging a rail design

Post by torne »

It's hard to help without seeing what's off to the left of the screenshot and where the trains' actual destinations are.
The Eriksonn
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Re: Help debugging a rail design

Post by The Eriksonn »

i see a signal in the wrong Place
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Ripshaft
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Re: Help debugging a rail design

Post by Ripshaft »

2Zons wrote:I'm having problems with this rail design. I changed two tracks leaving the circle in the middle to the north west. They used to be one in and one out. I want them to be two separate two way tracks that are both in and out. The track is manually navigable, there are no flashing signals, and each track leading in has a signal going in and each track going out has a signal leading out one trains distance away from the roundabout to prevent jams. After changing it all trains using it have "NO PATH". I thought I had figured out how tracks work but I can't seem to figure this out. Can anyone see what's wrong? Any suggestions?

Here's the pic. You might need to be logged on to steam to see it, i'm not sure.
Image
If I'm following the reasoning in this thread - all 6 tracks are intended to be bidirectional - trains can go in and out of each track - and you're worried about pathing and jams.

That being the case, the solution is super simple;

For each entry-exit track from the loop, of which there are 6, since they are bidirectional, they need 2 signals each at the same spot. The signal to enter the loop should be a chain signal, and the signal to exit the loop should be a normal signal.

If you do that everything will work fine and you'll never jam the intersection (unless you place additional signals too close to the intersection so that trains cant leave)

So to be super clear, your pairs of signals should be immediately outside of the intersection for all 6 tracks - you want to think of the intersection as one 'thing' you're boxing in. Your signals by the intersection are generally in good spots right now, but you're missing signals on 2 of the tracks (east-upper, southeast-upper), and you only have the one signal on three of the tracks...

Also you dont have any tracks allowing for exit from several directions... it's usually a good idea to have it possible for a train entering from any entrance of a intersection to be able to leave any exit of an intersection... as it is you have the intersection set up in a way that might work okay for a very specific unidirectional track design, but not bidirectional track design... like a train coming from the east upper track could never exit through the south upper as there's no tracks it could take to get there, or vice versa. Likewise there's no way for a train from the south lower track to leave the east lower one...

... there's too many unclear factors here lol, which tracks are unidirectional and which are bidirectional? And are there any paths that you don't want the trains to ever use?

edit: though for simplicity's sake - easy solution is ensure there is track leading from every entrance and to every exit, and at each place a pair of signals - chain signal to enter and normal signal to leave - no more problems =p

edit again: also are you expecting the trains to go backwards? I don't think that will work unless you have an engine at both ends, not 2 facing different ways on one side of the train.
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