That Pesky Loop Group!

[Baldy's Boss]

I THOUGHT that I had fixed this,but there keep seeming to be problems.

The trains in my Group 14 below (actually the company's only grouped trains) should be traveling in a neat clockwise loop serving their two stations promptly,staying a safe distance from each other,and earning money.
Obviously they are not despite the signals,the waypoints,whatever I've done.
What fix is needed?

Also,Train 67 is much more profitable than any of my other trains but can't be expanded...can I somehow transfer what makes it so successful?

[japerson34]

Train #39 is sitting in the depot waiting for a clear path to go to Druham. If you force train #39 to go, it will travel north in the opposite direction then you want it to. Either have train #39 skip that order so that it will travel south to Banville or convert the Path Signals to One-Way Path signals and it should work better for you.

[Baldy's Boss]

I thought the path signal WAS one-way.

After babysitting for six months I note a repeated tendency by Train 38,at least,to reverse in Druham station and wait for a free path in a standoff with 39 heading uphill from Great Banville rather than continuing forward counter-clockwise on the open track.
Is a separate waypoint necessary on the other side?...or just changing a signal?

Elsewhere on the network the aging Trains 3 and 6 got faster replacement engines.

[Alberth]

The right-most path signal in the gui is one way, ie the one with the white/red plate.

Edit: Signalling of the tracks of train 3 are very wrong, 2-way signals can be approached from both sides, giving you a nice deadlock.
You'll probably get rescued by the automatic turn-around timeout though.

[Baldy's Boss]

The right-most path signal in the gui is one way, ie the one with the white/red plate.

Will try that in the loop group.

Edit: Signalling of the tracks of train 3 are very wrong, 2-way signals can be approached from both sides, giving you a nice deadlock.
You'll probably get rescued by the automatic turn-around timeout though.

Trains 3 and 10 were working around each other OK when I was looking.

Edited to add new savegame...swapping a signal seems to have tamed the loop at last,but both trains are now losing significant money...is their good behavior not enough to attract business?

[japerson34]

With just one train doing the loop, it only picks up 25% of capacity. You want at least 50%. There are 2 options to improve this. 1 smaller train by itself or have buses and mail trucks transfer passengers and mail to the stations.

[Baldy's Boss]

Trains 38 and 39 are both running the loop between Druham and Great Banville.
Are you referring to how it is in the savegame and not noticing a train,or how you have experimented with it taking out one train?

Edited to add new savegame...and note that I have ANOTHER bothersome loop (not formally groups),Trains 14 and 74,who likewise aren't behaving.A train often goes straight through the forest station it's ordered for to a depot on the far side,and then continues on to the sawmill station empty rather than returning to pick up the waiting wood.

[japerson34]

Trains 38 and 39 are both running the loop between Druham and Great Banville.
Are you referring to how it is in the savegame and not noticing a train,or how you have experimented with it taking out one train?

Yes, that is the loop I was talking about. I did notice the other train and sold it. The one lone train was still only picking up about 25% at best.

Edited to add new savegame...and note that I have ANOTHER bothersome loop (not formally groups),Trains 14 and 74,who likewise aren't behaving.A train often goes straight through the forest station it's ordered for to a depot on the far side,and then continues on to the sawmill station empty rather than returning to pick up the waiting wood.

Same thing here, only one signal was a one-way path signal. If all are one-way path signals, you can then eliminate the way point and the trains should not get confused any more.

Also 2 long trains are too much here since the stations are so close together. My theory is if one train can get back to the loading station and there be less than a full load waiting, then a 2nd train is not needed. And if a 2nd train is not needed, then neither is the loop nor signals and that would solve many issues.

[Baldy's Boss]

A new depot seems to be handling the service overshoots on the Trains 14/74 loop (I happen to like the loop system,not sure if gameplay is biased against it).Group 14 (trains 38/39) remain a problem...I suppose I could set up bus service adjacent to the Great Banville platform and bring people up from the other side of town,but I like to be a rail "pure play" (I see my closest competitor OTVI is just about all road vehicles,one of his services feeds my Train 79).

I've upgraded service to Wardwood (new engines for Trains 1 & 4 and Train 81 added) and make money there,still mail building up on platforms.Not sure how hard coming fleet obsolescence will hit the company.

[Kevo00]

Use 'only replace vehicle when old' in the vehicle replacement screen, to gradually replace the trains with a new cohort, thus reducing the financial impact on your company. Unless the design has become unreliable.

[Baldy's Boss]

I replaced the old Train 1 and 4 engines before they "went red" because their designs had reached a peak reliability of 47%.They make more money than before despite 1 now sharing its route with the new 81.
Where Train 67 was making far more money than any other train,I added a dual-tracked section and bought a cloned Train 82,then before it ever left the depot swapped out the engine for one that was cheaper to buy,cheaper to run,almost as fast,and much more reliable.Neither 67 nor 82 is now the most profitable train,but combined they make more money than 67 did alone,and the station ratings have gone from Poor to Good.

I want to keep my steam fleet going until it's time for wholesale electrification.

Still haven't licked the loop group troubles.

Edited to add a later save...my latest concern has been service to Frinwood,where the station rating had dropped to Appalling on the passenger side,and a competitor had set up passenger and mail road service and gotten a better local authority rating than mine.I added another train and signalled passing sidings.But do I have a crash-prone zone between Suborne Cross station and the split,around the depot toward Rundham?

[Baldy's Boss]

The company as a whole seems to have plateaued,I haven't checked the loop groups closely but Group 14 is still losing money.Recently got rid of a train that was shipping goods from a factory that stopped getting supplied.
With effect from Train 85 I've been buying electrics.One of the AIs I bought out early on was for some reason always building electric tracks,but populating them with 1920s-design 4-6-4 Hudson powered trains.They're reaching EoL and I've taken the whole company into the red replacing them with cheaper-to-run,more reliable electric trains...hoping profitability will return.
My closest competitor has worked up to Chief Executive level with his road vehicle and ship company,and has great margins but invests heavily.I'm wondering whether my cash is better spent keeping up with needed fleet replacements and electrification or buying him out while I can still afford to (giving up my "pure play" rail status) and using the added revenue to fund modernization...IF added maintenance costs don't get in the way (there's no Ctrl-Click-etc that shows you what merged company maintenance costs would be if you do a takeover,is there?)

Thoughts?

[Baldy's Boss]

WardwoodWesternRailway,2ndSep1973.sav

(3.95 MiB) Downloaded 41 times

The trains in the loop group occasionally made a profit,but in game 1973 they were reaching the end of their working lifetimes,and I sold both and electrified the loop tracks.I put in a faster train that I thought was electric but may not be,as a short term fix.It hasn't put in a full year of operations yet.Other trains may be added if business picks up.

...and now it's a group again,thanks to passenger buildup in Druham.(Meanwhile,I am electrifying service to Wardwood and trying to improve bidirectional service from Kentfield).

[Baldy's Boss]

The loop group (Group 14) is now three trains,serving a significant demand.

[PikkaBird]

If you want more feedback, try posting screenshots rather than save games. Far more people will take the time to look at a screenshot than to download your save and load it.