Can't for the life of me figure this out!

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ANoobLife
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Can't for the life of me figure this out!

Post by ANoobLife »

Hi, I'm pretty new to this game and I tried creating a train network:
Image
But the first train goes to station "Spijkenbeek". Then it goes back to "Oostheuvel Centraal". Then it goes back to the depot. Then the other train drives on the other route and goes back to the depot. I wan't them to drive on their route at the same time.




BTW: Sorry for the weird station names. I have set the city names to dutch
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acs121
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Re: Can't for the life of me figure this out!

Post by acs121 »

First : That isn't how you create a train network :D

You may read the OpenTTD Wiki on railways :
https://wiki.openttd.org/Railway_construction

If yet you have a company and need to make profit, use road vehicles for now. They are much simpler.
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Arch9enius
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Re: Can't for the life of me figure this out!

Post by Arch9enius »

Well you need signals for a start.

Install A couple of X-shaped crossovers either end of the 2-platform station (Osthovel Centraal), one square away from it. Then install signals in the square between the crossovers and the platforms. One train should then wait in the larger station while the other goes about its business in the single line sections. Add bidirectional signals to the single track sections and a third train can be deployed - but this may lead to a train blocking the crossovers and clogging the network. There's something you can do with presignals, but this is beyond my knowledge at present (I keep my track layouts simple).

What you've got there is a railway operating on the 'one engine in steam' principle.

And I'm stealing the name New Bobbinwater.
Image

"Why don't we just load her up like one of those little horses?"
Alberth
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Re: Can't for the life of me figure this out!

Post by Alberth »

As others have said, you need signals.

If you don't place signals, all tracks together form one big area where a train can be. Since rail operations state that you should avoid collisions at any cost, safety regulations allow at most 1 train in each such area.
With one area like you have, you're going to get 1 train at a time.

You can split your tracks into several seperate areas by means of signals. You have two distinct areas if the only way to get from one area to the other area is by passing through a signal. Such areas are also named "signal blocks" for that reason.

Many train games insert signals automatically, in OpenTTD adding signals is your job. While it is some extra work, you can precisely tune how your trains are running, and there is much more room for improving performance than you think now :)

In short, understanding signals is key in getting further. I would advice to start with the one-way path signal as it's the simplest signal to understand, and it covers for 90+% of your needs.

For your problem, you need two-way path signals around the center station, which I show below
Screenshot_20171203_085058.png
Screenshot_20171203_085058.png (49.73 KiB) Viewed 1795 times
I picked a different station set to make it easier to see the signals. Also, I shortened the lines connecting the stations somewhat to limit the size of the screen shot. Note the additional connection between the tracks near the 2 platform station. The reason is that a train will pick any empty platform from the depot. If it picks the "wrong" one, it can't go to its next destination. The additional tracks solve that problem. (It also breaks my claim above of 1 train in 1 area, but that restriction changes if you use path signals.)

Happy playing and experimenting with signals!
Being a retired OpenTTD developer does not mean I know what I am doing.
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acs121
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Re: Can't for the life of me figure this out!

Post by acs121 »

The example of Alberth is perfect. Though, if you have enough reputation if the towns, destroy some buildings and make 2-track lines with block signals. They allow a lot more trains at the same time.
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