How do you make your railway go down?

[Avezo]

Which branching do you prefer to go down and why? Are there objective benefits or disadvantages to either?

[Jap2.0]

The left takes up less space and (theoretially) might involve the train spending less time blocking the tracks, although it would block more at a time.

[zOldBulldog]

I changed my email designs to minimize crossing tracks. So, in your example I would only enter/exit from the outer track, and any movement between tracks would happen through lane changers that if possible are not crammed together.

[5thHorseman]

I changed my email designs to minimize crossing tracks. So, in your example I would only enter/exit from the outer track, and any movement between tracks would happen through lane changers that if possible are not crammed together.

This. I've found that making JUST enough lane changers to get everybody everywhere they need to go, no more no less, is the way to go.

Both of your examples (OP) could lead to deadlocks if you don't totally block off the whole section whenever anybody is in there, which throws away any speed gain you'd get over just making sure the trains turning south were alredy on that far southern track.

[mrvn]

In the right case you can make all crossings lane changers so it has a dual purpose.

Next I would make different ways of going down. Every station can go down form the lowest track. Every even station can go down from the second lowest track. Every fourth station can go down from the third lowest track.

Same idea for going up. And have less signals on the top lanes than the bottom. So trains going small distances stay on the bottom lanes (because they must to go down at the right spot) while trains going long distances switch to the upper lanes (because less signals makes that cheaper).

[vanatteveldt]

And have less signals on the top lanes than the bottom [so] trains going long distances switch to the upper lanes (because less signals makes that cheaper).

Cool, I didn't know that. Does that actually work (reliably)? Do you know the penalty for signals?

[mrvn]

And have less signals on the top lanes than the bottom [so] trains going long distances switch to the upper lanes (because less signals makes that cheaper).

Cool, I didn't know that. Does that actually work (reliably)? Do you know the penalty for signals?

I have no idea what the actual penalty numbers are but it was mentioned a few times in other posts that such penalties exist. Note that red signals are more expensive than green ones. So if there already is a train on the top lane when the train is path finding then staying in a lower lane can be cheaper.

I've only tested this with two lanes so far and trains seem to use both lanes.

[eradicator]

And have less signals on the top lanes than the bottom [so] trains going long distances switch to the upper lanes (because less signals makes that cheaper).

Cool, I didn't know that. Does that actually work (reliably)? Do you know the penalty for signals?

I have no idea what the actual penalty numbers are but it was mentioned a few times in other posts that such penalties exist. Note that red signals are more expensive than green ones. So if there already is a train on the top lane when the train is path finding then staying in a lower lane can be cheaper.

I've only tested this with two lanes so far and trains seem to use both lanes.

Green signals as such don't have penalties. You can look up the numbers on the wiki or in the respective lua files.

Code: Select all

    train_path_finding =
    {
      train_stop_penalty = 2000,
      stopped_manually_controlled_train_penalty = 2000,
      stopped_manually_controlled_train_without_passenger_penalty = 7000,
      signal_reserved_by_circuit_network_penalty = 1000,
      train_in_station_penalty = 500,
      train_in_station_with_no_other_valid_stops_in_schedule = 1000,
      train_arriving_to_station_penalty = 100,
      train_arriving_to_signal_penalty = 100,
      train_waiting_at_signal_penalty = 100,
      train_waiting_at_signal_tick_multiplier_penalty = 0.1,
      train_with_no_path_penalty = 1000
    },

[mrvn]

And have less signals on the top lanes than the bottom [so] trains going long distances switch to the upper lanes (because less signals makes that cheaper).

Cool, I didn't know that. Does that actually work (reliably)? Do you know the penalty for signals?

I have no idea what the actual penalty numbers are but it was mentioned a few times in other posts that such penalties exist. Note that red signals are more expensive than green ones. So if there already is a train on the top lane when the train is path finding then staying in a lower lane can be cheaper.

I've only tested this with two lanes so far and trains seem to use both lanes.

Green signals as such don't have penalties. You can look up the numbers on the wiki or in the respective lua files.

Code: Select all

    train_path_finding =
    {
      train_stop_penalty = 2000,
      stopped_manually_controlled_train_penalty = 2000,
      stopped_manually_controlled_train_without_passenger_penalty = 7000,
      signal_reserved_by_circuit_network_penalty = 1000,
      train_in_station_penalty = 500,
      train_in_station_with_no_other_valid_stops_in_schedule = 1000,
      train_arriving_to_station_penalty = 100,
      train_arriving_to_signal_penalty = 100,
      train_waiting_at_signal_penalty = 100,
      train_waiting_at_signal_tick_multiplier_penalty = 0.1,
      train_with_no_path_penalty = 1000
    },

Must be the train_arriving_to_signal_penalty then that makes trains switch to the fast lane.

[zOldBulldog]

This thread started so simple, but it is really starting to touch so e interesting rail design considerations. Cool.