Train Stop offset switch

[mp0011]

TL;DR

Simple 3 position slider to offset Train Stop braking spot (-1 tile/no offset/+1 tile).

What ?

It's almost impossible to make two-way single-platform station for 1+4+1, 1+4, 2+4 etc. trains, or station for variable length trains.
eg, 1+4 train stops at station "drop coal near-end", train 2+6 at "drop coal middle-end", 2+8+1 at "drop coal far-end" - almost always wagons do not match infrastructure.

I understand, train tracks must have bigger grid, that's fine.

But that simple 3-position switch will fix this issue, allowing fine-tune trains position at the station by 1 tile in both directions (or at least in one direction).
Now, if I want to expand/reverse station, I need to either move all loaders by one tile, or expand it by even number of wagons in any direction, so trains/station are too small, or too big...

Why ?

With this switch I could make station that accepts any train length/combinations, with simple, standard 6-tile loaders/unloaders...

[BHakluyt]

I think I get what you are talking about... I only use 4x inserters on a side for load/offload to avoid stamping down and picking up blueprints to avoid that annoying 1 tile shift that stations do. Your idea is nice, but perhaps incorporate it as a simple setting on the train stop gui...?

[mp0011]

perhaps incorporate it as a simple setting on the train stop gui...?

That's what I want to suggest. Just little "tick" under station color sliders...

[BHakluyt]

I guess what happens with trains is sort of a "bug" due to how tracks being 2 tiles wide... so having a gui tick/fill box/section slider would be a hack but I dont see any other way. So just put a decent tooltip. I would love for this to be implemented. After placing a blueprint all you need to do is check how the train fit, toggle station setting accordingly and you're set.

[pleegwat]

Actually, it's caused by the combination of rails on a double-size grid and train cars having effective length 7. If cars were changed to be 5 or 7 long, or the inter-car area increased to 2, so effective length is even, this would resolve the problem.

Meanwhile, building a double-headed train with an odd number of cars allows setting up stops in both direction where the cars end up at the same places.