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Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 09 May 2010 13:55
by Wotan
I would like to play a realistic game. I already know how to do my small and medium sized stations. However I don't know how to make a large terminus station in a realistic, yet functioning, manner. The idea is for it to be at the end of a four track mainline.
Do you have any ideas for how the tracks/signals should be laid out?
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 09 May 2010 16:55
by ostlandr
Here's a typical terminal design I use. Not particularly efficient or high capacity, but semi-realistic. PBS signals handle X-overs very well.
The depots are accessed from separate tracks. Whether the train has orders to service before hitting this station or after, it will take a separate track which keeps it out of the main line traffic.
The X-overs on the main line entering and exiting help reduce queuing.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 09 May 2010 17:12
by audigex
Use a station GRF with a variety of tiles, and maybe use a different station set for different lines.
There's a whole section on realistic track somewhere - either the wiki or screenshot section I think. That's always worth a look. Basically, though, just avoid too many tracks crossing (keep your switches seperate) and think about the junction, rather than just dragging track from each entry to each exit.
Makomg your station slightly longer than your trains is a good effect, and using a variety of bay+through platforms if appropriate.
Generally fewer tracks = more realistic. There aren't many through stations with more than 4/6 platforms, and very few with 8 or more: larger stations tend to be termini.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 09 May 2010 19:49
by Expresso
Have a look at some satellite photos of Zürich Hbf, München Hbf, Waterloo station (London), Den Haag CS, Antwerpen CS and there are probably some others to give you a basic idea of what to do.
As for functional, realism goes right out of the window, as in real life trains have a designated platform to stop at. Openttd does not implement any functionality to help you with that (unless you want to go the path of workarounds).
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 09 May 2010 20:07
by Eddi
the main key point to make a large terminus station efficient is that trains should enter from different directions, not all through the same line. that way, exiting trains are less likely to interfere with entering trains. then you can likely get away with two platforms per line, slightly more if you schedule the trains to wait a while [e.g. to synchronize the connections, or to balance out delays]
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 01:33
by Dave
Eddi wrote:the main key point to make a large terminus station efficient is that trains should enter from different directions, not all through the same line. that way, exiting trains are less likely to interfere with entering trains. then you can likely get away with two platforms per line, slightly more if you schedule the trains to wait a while [e.g. to synchronize the connections, or to balance out delays]
That's exactly NOT what he's asked for. He's asked for a realistic station that works. The discussion of Efficient vs Realistic has come up before.
I'm not saying a realistic approach cannot be efficient, but when searching for realism, one tends to abandon efficiency. Take a look at my screenshots, Wotan, for a selection of what I think are good representations of the British style.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 01:39
by Eddi
"realistic vs. efficient" is not worthy of a discussion, because they are not exclusive.
you can make an efficient design, and then start making it look realistic. real terminus stations aren't that horribly inefficent either (although they do have several drawbacks), so why should that not be transmissable into the game?
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 01:49
by Dave
In OTTD they are because the efficiency of real stations depends on micromanagement such as to-the-minute timetabling (which OTTD makes a good fist of) and platform assignment, as well as multiple trains in a platform (am I right in thinking this is also now possible?)
I'm not saying a realistic layout on OTTD is totally inefficient - it isn't - but it would be hard to make it as effective a station built for maximum efficiency.
But that's just my opinion.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 05:45
by Badger
Dave Worley wrote:... as well as multiple trains in a platform (am I right in thinking this is also now possible?)
Can it? Have I missed something?
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 07:49
by arjanjnl
If you want to have a look at real rail plans for European stations you can go to these sites:
- Mainly about border stations in Europe
http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/
- Detailed rail plans for European stations
http://www.sporenplan.nl/ (this one is in Dutch, you have to click "sporenplan on the left of the site)
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 15:27
by Eddi
Badger wrote:Dave Worley wrote:... as well as multiple trains in a platform (am I right in thinking this is also now possible?)
Can it? Have I missed something?
no, it can't.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 16:26
by Dave
Is it planned? The fact you can now define if the train goes to the near or far end of a platform makes me wonder if this will eventually come to pass.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 10 May 2010 22:50
by City Builder
ostlandr wrote:Here's a typical terminal design I use. Not particularly efficient or high capacity, but semi-realistic. PBS signals handle X-overs very well.
The depots are accessed from separate tracks. Whether the train has orders to service before hitting this station or after, it will take a separate track which keeps it out of the main line traffic.
The X-overs on the main line entering and exiting help reduce queuing.
Hi Ostlandr,
What newgrf produces that station in your screenshot?
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 11 May 2010 02:00
by Eddi
Dave Worley wrote:Is it planned? The fact you can now define if the train goes to the near or far end of a platform makes me wonder if this will eventually come to pass.
it's not "planned" in the sense that anybody is actually working on it, but if someone were to suddenly appear and provide a patch for it, it likely would not be rejected because of "unwanted feature".
it's probably difficult to design properly, because basically this means asking to ignore basic signalling rules ("only one train per block/path"), which comes with all kinds of dangerous caveats. realistically, that is closer to shunting than "normal" train operation
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 11 May 2010 04:02
by kamnet
City Builder wrote:Hi Ostlandr, What newgrf produces that station in your screenshot?
Industrial Stations Renewal 0.8.0 - Classification Yard.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 11 May 2010 07:28
by drewb99
Diagram of the PRR Suburban Station & the Upper Level of 30th Street Station
Prototypical terminals are pretty much just really big interlockings so that a train entering on a track has exactly one path to any platform track / exit track. They also tend to be laid out so that they're easier to get out from than to enter.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 11 May 2010 15:21
by Dave
Bear in mind that you have to look at OTTD as scaled down.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 11 May 2010 16:08
by lawton27
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 11 May 2010 16:46
by Dave
Does it work.
Re: Realistic Station layouts
Posted: 11 May 2010 16:49
by lawton27
Dave Worley wrote:Does it work.
It's not particularly efficient in terms of TTD but yes.
