Will this work with my existing train network?

[peterf83]

Hi,

I think this mod might solve my current issue. I am playing with Bob's Mods and am trying to use trains for the first time. I am trying out the concept of multiple sub factories for various things. For example I have a subfactory purely for each type of circuit and Iron Plates may be required in 7 or 8 different sub factories. The problem I have is that I have a train set up to visit Iron plate Out > Iron Plate In 1 > Iron Plate Out > Iron Plate In 2 and so on. The issue with this is that the train may go a station which is already full or close to full of Iron plates and so is wasting time and resources plus clogging up my railway. What I want to be able to do is have a train sit at Iron Plate Out until one of the Iron Plate In stations signals that Iron plates are below a certain threshold. LTN sounds like it will work perfectly for this.

My questions are;

- How easy is it to retro fit receiver stations and depot stations? I have around 80 stations as it stands.

- Will my Iron Plate train always be the Iron Plate train or do I need a huge stacking system whereby trains wait for a signal whereby they go to Iron Plate Out then to the required Iron Plate In station? I only have one train per resource as things stand.

[Optera]

My questions are;

- How easy is it to retro fit receiver stations and depot stations? I have around 80 stations as it stands.

Depends on how uniform your stations are. If all are the same you can tear away everything except the unloading buffer chests and stamp an LTN station blueprint over it. LTN stations can be anything from single item provider/requester only to multi item provider & requester. See the design thread.

You will have to find place along main line(s) for one or more depots where trains will return after each delivery. I recommend one depot bay/train but stacker in front of depots are also possible.

Depot for Supply Trains (left stacker) and Freight Trains (2x right)

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- Will my Iron Plate train always be the Iron Plate train or do I need a huge stacking system whereby trains wait for a signal whereby they go to Iron Plate Out then to the required Iron Plate In station? I only have one train per resource as things stand.

LTN will use any train available in depot for deliveries. There is no dedicated ore or iron plate train. If you use filters you have to remove them. Reading filters is painfully slow through the API, therefore I will never support them.
You could mix fully automated trains from LTN with trains with manual schedules, but why would you do that? LTN utilizes trains better than you could with manual schedules usually cutting required number of trains in half or less by eliminating trains idling around on one line.

[peterf83]

I wonder whether you could help me again

I decided to go with LTN but I am having difficulties setting it up. I have a lot of experience with Factorio, but have never touched combinators and they are completely alien to me.

I have created a separate train look with depot, provider and requester stations.

LTN generates a train schedule (Iron Plate Depot > Iron Plate Out 1 > Twizted Sizter). I don't have any stations called Twizted Sizter. I've no doubt I've wired something up wrong somewhere. I wasn't able to use the standard blue prints as I am using Bobs and am using Mk4 power poles and Express stack filter inserters.

Below are a few screenshots to help?

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20170818150837_1.jpg (2.71 MiB) Viewed 3940 times

[Optera]

If LTN sends a train somewhere usually the stop exists and you may have forgotten to rename it.

You can use the blueprints with bobs and fast replace parts for upgraded versions.

[peterf83]

Is there any other possibility? I can't find any station on my map called Twizted Sizter.

[torne]

Train station names show up as red in the schedule if no station of that name exists, so if it's showing in white then it definitely does exist somewhere. You can also try just manually editing a train schedule to see if the name shows up in the list of destinations, and if it does, just get in the train and send it there so you can find it

[peterf83]

Train station names show up as red in the schedule if no station of that name exists, so if it's showing in white then it definitely does exist somewhere. You can also try just manually editing a train schedule to see if the name shows up in the list of destinations, and if it does, just get in the train and send it there so you can find it

I tried getting a loco to go to that station on my main network and as soon as I select it and press go to it says there is no path. Is there a way of searching for a physical location of a station on a map? I have 100+ stations all over the place and I can't find this station anywhere. I wonder whether I have randomly placed down a LTN station but not connected to a rail way for some reason?

[peterf83]

I was just playing around again and LTN generates a delivery to go to 'Twizted Sizter' from LTN Iron Plates Out. Once the plates are loaded it the train can't find a path. I manually tell it to go back to the Depot, once it arrives at the depot it then goes to LTN Iron Plates In, even though Twizted Sister is still in the list of stations.

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[Optera]

Train station names show up as red in the schedule if no station of that name exists, so if it's showing in white then it definitely does exist somewhere. You can also try just manually editing a train schedule to see if the name shows up in the list of destinations, and if it does, just get in the train and send it there so you can find it

Like Torne said. You have to find that LTN stop.

Otherwise do a clean save. (disable LTN - save - enable LTN)
This will get rid of any LTN stops.

[peterf83]

I did the clean save and it seems to be working

Thank you both.