No more train reversing

[wojt]

Thought about a third difficulty option in 'train reversing': No Reversing. The most realistic and most challenging when you must build loops, no more trivial stations, harder deadlocks resolving. This might require that the 'reverse train' button would force the train to move backwards but very slow, like a car moving back. Only manual reverse gear, never automatic in this mode.

[Sacro]

I quite like the sound of this. However i'd add the idea that it doesnt affect DMU/EMUs as the driver (as in real life) would just switch ends, and that you can get round it by having an engine at each end (though it'd be costlier).

[jabberwalkee_]

good idea. It would fix some of the random trains turning around annoyingly problems too

[Brianetta]

I like it; as long as there's also a way to use a DVT instead of a second loco. The UKRS makes the last mail van (if the last van in the consist) graphically resemble a Mark 4 DVT if the locomotive is a Class 91.

Pictures from http://www.traintesting.com :

A class 91 loco, from the "front" - the more familiar view (aside from the old livery).

A class 91 loco, seen from the blunt end. Class 91s are rarely driven from this cab - they were designed to double up as a general double-ended locomotive if necessary.

This, however, isn't a locomotive - it's a Mark 4 DVT (driving van trailer) and is basically a normal mail/luggage/bicycles van with the addition of a driver's cab. This allows the train to be driven backwards, at full speed. The locomotive at the other end pushes the train in this case.

[KING]

what should be done is. all 2 ended trains. like the Dash, TIM and level 4 maglev can go both ways.
trains with "drivers cab" (2 possible. 20 passengers and one for cargo trains)
These can go backwards at full speed.
All other trains (as to not get stuck) can go backwards at 20% max speed (max 75 mph) if they CANNOT go forward.

[Sacro]

75mph in reverse? i think that 10mph is more than enough, especially with a lot of carriges and a lack of visibility.

[tempus_46_2]

I love this idea, it would add a challenge, and fix so many network problems. I hope it's easy to implement.

[bobingabout]

would greatly help if we could turn engines around, so we could have an engine at both ends of the train. together with making trains not magicly turn around, this would be a great feature, so trains can only drive backwards if they have an engine (or DVT) at both ends.

[honnza]

you can place a secondary/tertiary/any loco anywhere in the train
so my idea is:
If there's a loco on the front (where the train moves) side, the train's propelled by all locos of the train.
If there's no loco, the same applies, but the max speed of the train is 10 mph

There should be a penalty applied in the NPF for backing up and the train may not bo what is called reversing in TT.
However, it'd be nice if the loco could detach and drive to the other train end (the loco would have to turn correctly if it's not symmetrical - lev1 and lev2, eg.).

[bobingabout]

basicly, what i meant is that all trains face farwards, would be better if trains could be turned around(like in TTDP) so you have have a train at both ends, and no matter which way the train was faceing, you'd have an engine facing forwards.

note, sometimes its not enough just to check if there is an engine at that end or not a steam train with a tender can only do about 1/3 of the speed backwards as it can do farwards, where a tank engine can run at 100% speed in either direction reguardless if its at the front or back of a train (many tank engines used to push the cargo trucks rather than pull them, aswell as pulling them while the engine was facing backwards.). on the original engines, this wouldn't be easy, but for newGRFs, you could do a check to see if the engine has steam, and has a tender, then reduce speed.

as for the visuals of the train running in the other direction instead of simply turning around, I'm all for that.

[Vaosk]

Ill bump this, i was gonna say the same suggestion as the OP. Trains can go forward only and cant reverse, or manually slowly go backward.

Any idea if this will be implemented? Just a problem if it does, depots can be used to do 180 turns, go throught depots would be needed.

[Bjarni]

interesting idea (and in no way original), but it's mighty hard to code. Disallowing trains from turning would be possible, but then the train would just get stuck. The pathfinder will not know of this issue and will not try to prevent this.

As for driving backwards, I once toyed with the idea. Just making an articulated engine turn around is a pain so I wouldn't start with a whole train without a design change. Basically we need to organize how to store train data in a different way (as all of it is stored in the front vehicle... not good when you switch front vehicle). I kind of stopped when I realized this issue as it would really be a major task. And this is just to make the train reverse, not any of the other stuff mentioned here like speed limits or conditions if it could be reversed at all.


As for speed limits. The real life speed limit when reversing is 40 km/h under ideal conditions. Trains reverse by placing a guy on the last car and he will act as the eyes of the driver (actually he will tell the driver to speed up and down, so he is in charge). If the speed limit should be 40 km/h, then the driver has to be able to see him at all time or have a constant radio contact. Before radios are introduced the demand for the see the guy at all time could be spoiled by a curve if you just had a single car on the train and then you have to seriously slow down if not stop completely. At OpenTTD scale I would say a max 40 km/h at all time sounds usable, but still slow enough for people to try to avoid it.

Steering car trains are limited to 140 km/h and max 10 cars in front of the first loco. They might be allowed to go faster when going the other way though.

[Bob Smith]

I'm sure I've seen footage of steam trains going full pelt (or, pretty fast) in reverse before.

[dimon22_g]

That is an interesting idea, but to make it working one would need to introduce the possibility of disconnecting the engine head from the main train on the station to be moved on some other ways to a different side of the train.
This may also allow to change the engine head on a midway station keeping the same wagons going original way, but this is very much different from the way how OpenTTD handles trains for the time being.