Slimline train unloader/loader

TBTerra2 · Post by **TBTerra2** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 5:19 pm

I've seen many unloader designs that can unload a train in seconds, but I often find that they are so large (15+ tiles wide) that they cant be used in an actual factory.
As such I designed this train unloader to be as narrow as possible (4 tiles is the minimum to include a chest buffer), while also maintaining good throughput

The unloader can unload a 4 wagon train, onto 2 fully compressed blue belts, with 4 unloaders per wagon. it can also be put on both sides of the track to unload to 4 blue belts

The unloader can be easily tiled for multi platform stations, however it should be noted that the unloaders are spaced such that the design cannot be easly extended to 8 wagon trains (although you could but two of them back to back)

Unloader is on the right, slim loader is on the left (design is simple and combinator magic is by madzuri)

: slim4.png (1.07 MiB) Viewed 16792 times

Any suggestions are welcome

blueprint strings:

Unloader

Loader

impetus maximus · Post by **impetus maximus** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 2:16 am

looks like you're already using a combinator for balancing. why not ditch the splitters, use a single belt, and add more chests for better throughput to the train?
same for unloading. have the pair of 6 chests belts face each other to a T to side load a full belt. 1 splitter to combine the two belts unloading.

dee- · Post by **dee-** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 8:37 am

For my new chunk-aligned base I use this contraption as a wagon-to-belt unloading station:

It is able to unload a (L)CCCCL> train into buffer chests and those chests to 8 fully compressed blue belts (for higher throughput demands).

The design is not as flat as yours (6 to 4 cells), but for my needs flat enough and has some special properties which I expose:
- Each of the four wagons is unloaded to two blue belts so differently filled wagons don't mix their contents on the belt.
- If you want all belts mixed and balanced, just append a 8x8 balancer further down the stream and all the buffer chests empty evenly.
- Each wagon station has a small gauge to indicate how full the buffer chests for this wagon are.
- Refueling of both locomotives if within logistics network range.

Here again without items:

Edit: there's an unneeded rail in the lower right but I'm in a real hurry right now

I'm going to try out if I can incorporate your design somehow

TBTerra2 · Post by **TBTerra2** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 8:57 am

impetus maximus wrote:looks like you're already using a combinator for balancing. why not ditch the splitters, use a single belt, and add more chests for better throughput to the train?

The 4 chests per wagon is due to the need to have underground belts going under them, which is required to have more than 1 belt worth of items being loaded/unloaded.

The splitters part way through (that split a full belt into 2 half belts), is to ensure that when the chests are full and a train is there (so the combinator logic isn't working) that all wagons fill at the same speed, otherwise the first and third wagon fills before the second and fourth. if you were sure that the station would be permanently backed up then you could indeed remove them

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Slimline train unloader/loader

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