Factorio Forums

The top attachment is the export center, the bottom is the Import center. Using a unique item(s) placed in the first wagon of a train, this logic system will be able to determine which station the train is headed towards and specifically load material that that station requires as follows:

Import Station
Train stops and all items are offloaded (further sorting required downstream).
A specific number of a unique item (wood or basic ammo clip) is placed in the smart chests next to the first wagon and is registered on circuit L11.
Any wood in L11 starts the delivery timer which shortly triggers "The Count" (some time is allowed for all of the unique item(s) to be offloaded).
"The Count," based on the number of unique items offloaded, will trigger a switch (L1 through L10 for stations 1 through 10 - only 4 shown in diagram) which in turn triggers one of the station switches in the "Export Station".
"The Delivery Timer" triggers the "Gate Switch" at L12 which turns on all of the inserters for offloading the smart chests next to the wagon. L12 also resets the "Count."
Finally, the "Timer" triggers the gates closed with L14.
Everything is reset for the next delivery.

Export Station

The Import Station has triggered one of the "Station switches" L21 through L30 (only 4 shown). This also triggers L32 which starts the "Export Timer."
The "Station Switch" opens the corresponding material box for loading onto the train (it also closes the box from temporarily receiving more material).
When the "Export Timer" finishes it triggers the "Station Switch" reset which closes the material box and keeps further material from going onto the train.
At the top of the Export Station drawing I show a way to gather the material for each individual outpost using a global circuit for each smart box and inserters.

This seems very cool. Like when someone posted a seven segment display counting from 0 to 7, "coded" in OpenTTD using trains and signals.

I don't fully understand how this works yet. After the wood is removed from the first wagon, it needs to be re-inserted somehow so the train can be identified the next time. Is that part of the export station? I can't figure it out, sorry.

It might be possible to add dynamic wait times, by using a really short scheduled wait time and having an inserter remove all the coal from the locomotive. When the un/loading is done, re-insert one piece of coal. The train should then continue to a re-fill station where it stops for two or three seconds, so a fast inserter has a chance to add enough coal for the next trip.

This is still a work in progress.

The export station uses smart inserters to put a delivery package together specific for each train. Part of this will include the packaging of the unique item.

I like the idea, but the removal of the fuel from the locomotive will not remove the current fuel being spent so the train will depart and then run out of fuel shortly afterwards. I think the only answer would be to mod the game to allow logic connections to the station and line signals. Of course, if they do that, they could also incorporate train number recognition and then my Rube Goldberg becomes superfluous!

Thanks for the post!

Oh I see. So removing coal doesn't work.

As far as I can tell, there are 3 ways to stop a train: Remove a piece of rail, remove fuel, have a red signal. I think none of them can be triggered from the factory. Too bad!

I agree, modding the game to solve this is no fun.

Man, this is so advanced, I don't think I could have come up with something like that; but it's pure genius, I like it pretty much Kudos to you, good sir!

I hope they give us options to do something like that a little simpler like you did (and maybe without the need of an engineering/programming degree )