"No Path" On Trains

[ipharaohx]

I've been following Nilaus's vanilla done right series in a vein attempt to understand trains, ive followed the guide almost exactly and i dont understand how im getting a no path error, could the experts help me diagnose this issue? I can drive the train manually so i suppose it must be the signal configuration?

Thanks

[CDarklock]

Okay, so I can travel automatically from every station to every station EXCEPT "Copper Main - IN" so there's a problem right there in that spot.

Looking at your signals, I found that every station had a signal immediately before the straight section leading into the station EXCEPT "Copper Main - IN" so I went to put a signal there. I couldn't, because it didn't show me the signal slot for that side of the track.

When you don't see the signal slot on one side of the track, it means the game is reading that section of track as a one-way segment. That usually means you have a signal on the left side of the track.

So I looked down at the other end of the station, and sure enough, you had a signal on the left across from the station. I removed that signal, placed a signal on the right side of the track before the station, and it found the path.

Let me know if you have trouble replicating the fix.

[ipharaohx]

Thanks for the Reply!

I've been messing around with the Rail symbols and learning how they work but i can't seem the specific place to changed, i've tried a couple of configurations now that i would think to work but still no luck.

Could you show me where you changed it to make it work so i could work backwards in understanding it?

Thanks again.

[CDarklock]

Okay, so in the save you uploaded, your train is sitting in a station. (Copper Main - IN) Immediately under that train's locomotive, on the south side of the track, there is a signal tucked up against the lamp and the power pole - directly across from the station. If you hover your mouse over it, you will see that it highlights an expected train on the left, with arrows pointing to the right.

That signal is on the wrong side of the track, so Factorio thinks this section of track is one-way and your train is pointing the wrong direction. All of your signals need to be on the right side of the track, and this one is on the left. You need to remove that signal.

Once you remove it, walk to the other end of the station - to the right, at the back of the train - and look at the next station to the south. (Nicolas the Hamstroll) You will see a signal next to the lamp and power pole at the end of that station, and if you hover your mouse over it you will see it highlighting an expected train on the right - with arrows pointing to the left, into the station.

You want a signal just like that on your "Copper Main - IN" station, so walk north and put one on the north side of the track right next to the lamp and power pole there. Once you do this, all of your routes should work in automatic mode.

Make sense?

EDIT: Clarified some of the directions just in case.

[Skeletpiece]

1 pic to explain your error.

WrongDirection.png (460.62 KiB) Viewed 6676 times

Also you need to put a signal to enter the station (See red circle). This signal tells other train in queue that this station (block) is occupied by another train:

MissingSignal.PNG (680.22 KiB) Viewed 6676 times

[Skeletpiece]

Also, on parking lot, i would use a chain signal:

Parking.PNG (636.02 KiB) Viewed 6671 times

[CDarklock]

1 pic to explain your error.

Thanks, I lost track of the thread before I got around to taking screenshots.

[GrumpyJoe]

Troubleshooting trains, a progression

This is how i did it before i caught such errors easier in map view:
Jump into the train that has no path, drive it out of the station manually, set auto
If it still doesn´t move, drive manually some more. Rinse and repeat.

Thats a tedious process, but it teaches you that:

Sometimes its a "turn in" from your main line to a stacker, sometimes the stacker itself.
But most of the time, its just the station
Hardly ever is it a main line, as that would halt alot more trains.

You´ll get used to finding these errors from just looking at it and will find it easier over time.

What i described is not at all necesary, and i think thats the very reason i learned not to need it.

Oh, and holding a normal or chain signal in your cursor will show rail segments. It might show you a signal, hidden behind a power pole etc, that you forgot you placed

[Mr. Tact]

What I have found over time is when I suddenly encounter a "No Path" issue it is almost without exception a result of something I did the last time I was building rail. But when you can't remember or you just built several rail installations, yeah the switching between manual and automatic while riding a train along the path is a good way to find the issue.

[CDarklock]

This is how i did it before i caught such errors easier in map view:
Jump into the train that has no path, drive it out of the station manually, set auto
If it still doesn´t move, drive manually some more. Rinse and repeat.

In this particular case, auto doesn't work anywhere. You can't go auto from any other station. And you can back out of the station just a little bit and auto doesn't work. It's literally the worst case scenario for this method, unless you start by going a little in reverse. Which I recommend, honestly, because if only one station has a problem it's almost always right at the beginning or right at the end. Back up and check the end, then pull forward and check the beginning.

When multiple stations have a problem, it's either (a) a piece of track they both cover, or (b) you made the same mistake twice. For me, it is almost always (b), so I do the back up / pull forward method above - then, if I fixed it for that one, look at the next station to see if I did the same damn thing.

Oh, and holding a normal or chain signal in your cursor will show rail segments. It might show you a signal, hidden behind a power pole etc, that you forgot you placed

Also just using your empty cursor to trace the path of the train. That's how I found this issue - I traced all the way along the right side of the tracks, then all the way along the left side of the tracks. It's a lot more obvious where the signal is when you go from nothing to a highlighted ghost train.

[GrumpyJoe]

Also just using your empty cursor to trace the path of the train. That's how I found this issue - I traced all the way along the right side of the tracks, then all the way along the left side of the tracks. It's a lot more obvious where the signal is when you go from nothing to a highlighted ghost train.

imho the "Holding a signal method" is abit better, as you might miss a single tile, just hovering the edges of your rails. Holding a signal highlights train blocks in different colors, and an unexpected block might jump to your attention alot faster.
But yours is equaly valid

[CDarklock]

Holding a signal highlights train blocks in different colors, and an unexpected block might jump to your attention alot faster.
But yours is equaly valid

As a complete loser who sucks at trains, the block highlighting is thoroughly confusing to me rn and pretty much all of the blocks are unexpected. I don't know what blocks to expect yet.

When I'm better at this, your method will undoubtedly be preferable, because I will know what a properly-signaled railway looks like. Right now? I have no damn clue.