Optimal Train Load/Unload design?

[Xeteth]

I'm currently working on the creation of what I am calling my 'Get ready for 0.12' build. It's massive. No really, I have 5 assembling machines set to make one of every item in the game so that's around 1k assembling machines total.

Anyways, on to the issue;
I have 20 stations bringing in both iron and copper plates at my big main factory and these trains are loaded up at my "Smelting" factory located some distance away (I really love using trains, so all my 'Factory's' are a decent distance from each other).I am thinking I am going to run with a setup that means I have 2 trains being loaded by the one 'station' (unless I can get the load time to <5-10 secs) and as such I really need to get the most efficient design in loading/unloading trains.

My trains are all 2 loco + 4 wagons long. The old belt > inserter > chest >inserter > wagon doesn't cut it as I simply cannot load the chests quick enough with a single conveyor running along a line of inserter's.

Does anyone know of some super efficient setups? You can make the assumption that I have infinite plates coming in on ~2-4 belts per station, I just need to get them on to the train ASAP so it can then move on and the next can come in to be loaded.

Any designs/suggestions welcome!

PS: I am in 'late game', so resources/items are not an issue, if it requires 1000 splitters + 1000 UG belts so be it!

[Koub]

afaik the quickest way to do what you're trying to is via massive robotery. 1k robots can take 5kitems in no time, and if distances are short, they can load/unload a train in no time.

[ratchetfreak]

Inserters put items in the train 5 at a time depending on how many stack bonus upgrades you have, while they can only pull things off a belt 1 at a time.

This means that per inserter putting into the train you need 5 putting pulling it off the belt. You can do with a chest-inserter-chest daisy chain and inserters on the side that pull them off a belt.

[RoddyVR]

If you dont want to get insane with chest-inserter-chest daisys, and dont want roboports (which in your case might not really be the best idea, if you really plan to have train after train coming in loading without a break during which the robots can recharge), but want a close to max load, you can do
spliter - belt - long inserter - fast inserter - chest - fast inserter - train.
spliter - belt - long inserter - fast inserter - chest - fast inserter - train.
that's one splitter feeding both belts.
and you have 3.5-4 of these parralel for each car (7-8 belts).
that will load at max speed of 7-8 "lines" (depending on position of train car) with fast and long inserter together feeding each line (the belts easily keep up if you feed them with enough lines of incoming materials).
I have this setup on my trainsstation, but i have yet to reach max load on the lines to see how fast two trains in a row can fully load.
powering all those inserters is done via substation that sits comfortably between the splitters feeding the belts (each stations powering 2 cars worth).
considering that a train car has 30 slots, and you can have 14 fast inserters feeding it, you can in theory load a train full of iron/copper in just over 40 swings of a fast inserter (if the chests have enough items).
i shutter to think how much smelting (and mining) you'll need to really keep this setup going at max load full time.

Oh, forgot to mention, if you REALLY want min load time, have 2 train cars filled by your insterters parked parrallel to the train line, and load your trains from those 2 train cars with 2 rows of long inserters on each side. as far as i know, 2 longs are just a tad faster then 1 fast, though must admit i have not tested this setup at all.

[roothorick]

The perfect balance between speed and practicality is to make the train track in the station horizontal (so you can fit more inserters), and have 14 inserters to a car, 7 on each side. Then invest in inserter stack upgrades. This setup with all stack upgrades fully loads a car in ~10 seconds and unloads in ~15. A robot swarm that can match that would be approaching "why would you do that" territory in terms of the resources required to build all those bots.