[POLL] Left- or Right- hand rails and roads?

[Aru]

I mostly assumed, and very non-extensively tested, that right hand drive had more options for signalling intersections. With LHD, all of the signals have to be inside the intersection, including the "easy" turn (left for LHD), and the "hard" turn would need signals inside the curve instead of outside, where there is less area available. I want my intersections to be as small as reasonably possible, since I don't do tiny trains or buffered intersections, so I chose RHD. And I only accept intersections that can be fully signaled, meaning, permitting every theoretically possible combination of simultaneous paths.

[Khagan]

I mostly assumed, and very non-extensively tested, that right hand drive had more options for signalling intersections.

You'd think so, wouldn't you. But let me offer a counter-example. This simple T-junction is optimally signalled for LHT:

LHTOnly.png (985.9 KiB) Viewed 1820 times

I can see no way that the same configuration of tracks can be correctly signalled for RHT!

[Aru]

There's many ways to make 3-way intersections, for different lane spacings. Whenever there is a signal spot on one side, there is also a spot on the other side, inside and outside of curves, unless there's another rail blocking it.

[Khagan]

Yes, but you had to move the tracks to do it. The configuration you have here works equally well for RHT or LHT (and is in fact the one I usually use now).

[Aru]

Well I didn't move it, it started that way because it's fewer rails.

Edit: I tried remaking my 4 lane 4-way intersection with 4 tile spacing, LHD is the same size and 16 rails cheaper, 512 instead of 528, I slightly reduced the inner circle. Neither one can be directly signalled as the other. The conclusion I came to long ago, is that optimized LHD and RHD intersections, while different, are probably extremely similar in size and cost, so it really just comes down to standards and preference. Now, I guess I can make a LHD rail book to go with the RHD one, since that intersection was the most complicated piece.