Suggestion: Dump Station

[Telarin]

Have the ability to designate a dump station (similar to how there is a signal to designate a depot).

If a train arrives back at a depot, and still has materials in it, it will automatically be dispatched to a dump station if one is configured. This would give the opportunity to clean out trains that had some kind of issue that resulted in them not being properly loaded or unloaded.

[mitasamodel]

Hi!
By default there is a setting for "Depot inactivity", which allows create "dumping" station exactly from the depot station.
Something like here:

2021-02-26 19_37_32-Factorio 1.1.25.png (960.66 KiB) Viewed 3720 times

[Telarin]

As far as I can tell, I would have to set that up at EVERY depot station though, rather than just having a single designated dumping station. I've got a pretty huge base going, with something like 60 depot stations spread around the base for efficiency, so trains can just park at the nearest one when they finish a job.

[bormand]

You can add a simple circuit at every depot station: if train is not empty, lock it and raise an alarm. You can send it to the dump station manually when you resolve the underlying issue. It shouldn't happen frequently.

[DaleStan]

I wouldn't be surprised if this thread spawned the mod, but there is now an LTN Cleanup mod.

[khalismur]

That's like patching hole with duct tape. I suggest properly designing station circuitry and track signaling so trains never have material residue in them.

[Optera]

While I applaud the effort of making LTN Cleanup, cleaning and refueling trains is what depots are meant to do.


I wouldn't even bother with circuitry turning depots off when trains have residue.
Stack inserters into chests and pumps into tanks can easily clean out trains within the default 5s inactivity.

[ssilk]

Hm. At least it would make building depots easier. More narrow tracks. Simpler alarming. Simpler way to look, which route caused that problem. And much more.

[ptx0]

Have the ability to designate a dump station (similar to how there is a signal to designate a depot).

If a train arrives back at a depot, and still has materials in it, it will automatically be dispatched to a dump station if one is configured. This would give the opportunity to clean out trains that had some kind of issue that resulted in them not being properly loaded or unloaded.

or you can just use 1.1 trains with train limits and one material per train, there's then zero risk of contamination.

[DaleStan]

But then you also have a minimum of one train per material.

In the main area of my current (partially-LTN) game, I have three fluid trains for four fluids, one small train for three low-demand items, and eight large trains for twelve high-demand items. When the planets align, and I need three of those eight trains dragging copper ore around, then *poof*, I have three trains dragging copper ore around, rather than waiting for one train to make three trips. Or having three copper ore trains waiting, just for that once-every-fifteen-hours case.


If you really and truly find it necessary to post about how wildly and completely unnecessary LTN is, please at least have the decency to keep it outside the LTN subforum.

[ptx0]

But then you also have a minimum of one train per material.

In the main area of my current (partially-LTN) game, I have three fluid trains for four fluids, one small train for three low-demand items, and eight large trains for twelve high-demand items. When the planets align, and I need three of those eight trains dragging copper ore around, then *poof*, I have three trains dragging copper ore around, rather than waiting for one train to make three trips. Or having three copper ore trains waiting, just for that once-every-fifteen-hours case.


If you really and truly find it necessary to post about how wildly and completely unnecessary LTN is, please at least have the decency to keep it outside the LTN subforum.

honestly, it's a forum all about Factorio and Factorio is about finding solutions to problems. i didn't call it "wildly and completely unnecessary" (at least, not recently); if you feel the need to exaggerate my sentiment, you can ignore my user id on the forum and never have to see my comments/suggestions. I would really appreciate that!

if you want to do multi-item deliveries, you don't need LTN. just set wagon content filters. this is how I set up build trains that bring me resupply materials from central base. fluids don't need filters. you can set wire conditions to the station to only engage when specific trains arrive.

LTN is for on-demand deliveries, if you use vanilla trains they are (typically) always full and waiting. if you use LTN, the trains must arrive empty from a depot, and return empty to a depot.

the performance difference between the two is obvious - not just in terms of CPU consumed, but the actual scalability of the concept.

when you have one train trying to make deliveries for 12 items, you have to wait until the train is free. one delivery will wait until the train is back in depot before the next item can deliver.

accidentally have wrong materials show up? send it back to the depot so it can unload and waste time/CPU instead of just sending it back to its provider depot where it can wait with those materials for the next request that actually needs them.

there's "combined deliveries" that LTN can sometimes make, but only when the provider and receiver will supply/request the same multiple items. most of the time, these do not happen.

[GrumpyJoe]

I have not played with trains since early 18.something (other side projects, less time) , using LTN was even further back, so I have no idea about train limit and how it works with LTN.

But I feel this gets dragged away from the topic.


If you have item congestion, it means you need to change something in your LTN signaling.

I have worked with dozens of multi item providers and requesters. And it always felt like LTN was mainly built for exactly this. I never felt the need for using it without massive overhaul mods that increase item numbers massively.


The only time it did not work was always wrong thresholds for the station's ability to load/unload, mainly early game with insertes stack size and/or speed, not able to keep up with train timeouts